What Is a Vore Fetish? Vorarephilia Kink, Explained
Let’s set the scene. You’re in the grips of a giant sea monster. It looks dangerously hungry. It brings you to its mouth. You feel its breath. You see its gleaming teeth. And then, it swallows you whole.
Oh, and you’re more turned on than you’ve ever been in your life. Hi! Let’s talk about vore fetishes.
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Vore (short for vorarephilia) describes a fetish that eroticizes the act of consuming and/or being consumed, explains Celina Criss, PhD, a sex coach specializing in BDSM. Cosmopolitan columnist Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto and sex expert for Fun Factory, calls it a “consumption fetish.” Basically, you’re just full-on horny for being swallowed (and/or swallowing others).
And yes, we know what you’re thinking—but while fetish performer Codi Vore says that this kink does share some elements with cannibalism fetishes, it’s different. “Cannibal fetish is much more realistic, with a focus on butchering and cooking, while vore is more fantasy-based, with a focus on swallowing and digesting,” she says.
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Vore is one of those interesting kinks that actually can’t be done in real life because, well, swallowing another person whole just isn’t physically possible. “It is often expressed in a fantasy space, vis-a-vis erotic writing, artistic depictions, role play, virtual reality, video games, anime, etc.,” Criss says.
Curious? Same. So come with us as we dive deep into the belly of vore fetishes. Why are people into it? How do these fantasies play out? And are there ways to make them come to life? We got the answers, straight from the experts.
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What Is Vore?
As we mentioned, vore kinks center around being swallowed/swallowing someone whole. This fetish can center around two people, but not always—these fantasies might also involve being consumed by giant creatures or animals. “While the primary mode of consumption is oral, it can also involve other orifices, like the vagina, anus, or even through the nipple,” says clinical psychologist Nazanin Moali, PhD, a sex and relationship expert and host of the Sexology podcast.
As you might imagine, vore is one of the most psychologically creative kinks due to its high fantasy nature. “Vore stories rely heavily on fantasy elements like being shrunken down or turned into a giant, being an animal or a furry, consuming somebody with your penis and sloshing them around in your balls and then ejaculating them out, that kinda thing,” explains Codi Vore. See? Creative stuff!
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In the world of vore, there are two main roles: predators (preds, for short) and prey. This dynamic functions similarly to the one that exists between Doms and subs in BDSM, with the pred acting as the dominant partner and the prey as the submissive.
This kink may sound a whole lot like cannibalism, but Criss says the two are distinct. In vore, “the focus is on the eating or swallowing part, but generally not on the aspect of a person as ‘food,’” she explains. “It seems to be more like a way of possessing/being possessed.”
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When Codi Vore is engaging with a cannibalism fetish, she’s quite literally a meal: “[I’m] oiled up, maybe even seasoned, and then there’s usually some kind of giant pan I lay in while the chef talks about cooking me up. The focus in those scenes is on being tied up and stripped down, being afraid, and being treated like meat.” It’s similar to vore because you’re being consumed, but the context is different.
The vast majority of vore is practiced through fantasy, be it with computer games, erotic stories, hentai, or other forms of imaginative creativity.
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Hard Vore vs. Soft Vore
Yep, there are actually two kinds of vore: Hard vore and soft vore.
Soft vore is when you’re simply swallowed whole. No muss, no fuss. Hard vore, on the other hand, is a bit more intense. “Hard vore is often when the person, creature, or items are consumed more aggressively—where they are torn apart,” says therapist Ness Cooper, resident sexologist for Je Jou. In hard vore, there’s a lot more chewing, blood, and all around eating.
In both, the fantasy centers on consumption—hard vore is just more extreme.
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Why Are People Into Vore?
As is true of all kinks (and all sex things in general) there are a variety of reasons someone might be into vore. For many, a lot of the appeal tends to be rooted in the Pred/prey dynamic. “Individuals attracted to vore often explore dynamics of dominance and submission, infusing diverse elements into their fantasies,” Moali says.
Psychotherapist Lee Phillips, Ed.D, a certified sex and couples therapist, says that for some, the fetish may trace back to childhood. “There is a particular stimulus that is appealing to [vore fetishists],” he says. “This can be through sight, touch, and smell.” For example, you may be attracted to the feeling of being in the womb, and the safety and comfort of that feeling can be transferred into sexual interest later in life. “People also share childhood memories of watching movies and reading books where a creature eats a character in the film or story,” Philips adds. “These memories have stayed with them as an adult, later turning into a fetish because they find it stimulating.”
For many, vore is the ultimate way to take control or to submit. “At the heart of these fantasies is the erotic yearning for an intimate connection, epitomized by the act of either consuming or being consumed,” Moali tells us. “For some, it symbolizes the zenith of dominance for the predator and submission for the prey.”
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Is It Normal to Be Into Vore?
You already know what we’re going to say, don’t you? What even is normal?! The beautiful thing about the human experience is that there is no “normal” and so-called sexual “norms” are often rooted in sex-negative societal mores, etc., etc.,—you know the drill. That said, according to a 2013 case study on vorarephilia, it is a very uncommon fetish.
But uncommon does not equal not normal. As long as everyone is a consenting adult, it’s completely fine.
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5 Expert-Approved Ways to Explore a Vore Fantasy
So, this is pretty obvious, but let’s just go ahead and re-emphasize the fact that actually consuming another person is, uh, not a real thing anyone can do.
“It’s an impossible kink to actually engage in fully,” Zane says. That’s why the majority of vore play is experienced via fantasy, anime, and fictional stories. With that being said, there are some ways you can give it a try.
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Bring your partner into the fantasy
Details! Again, these fantasies are largely rooted in imagination, and thus require you to get pretty specific about what you’re actually picturing. Talking it through can help your partner engage in the fantasy with you, whether that means detailing what you’re imagining during intimate play or asking your partner to add their own creative elements to the scene.
Moali adds that it’s crucial to obtain consent to have these discussions with partners before going into detail, as they need to be on board with hearing about your fantasy. And, as always, don’t forget to establish a safe word!
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Try a hood
Wrapping yourself up in a hood can help create the feeling of being consumed. “The wearer is unable to see what's going on and it can mimic the darkness of being consumed and [being] within the mouth and stomach of another,” Cooper explains.
Give a blanket a go
Like a hood, being totally covered in a blanket can mimic the total blackout ambiance of, well, being inside of someone or something. “Prey might wrap themselves in blankets and play a soundtrack of stomach sounds to create a simulated experience of what it might be like to be inside their pred,” Criss tells us.
Cooper also suggests trying a weighted blanket, as the feeling of heaviness may add additional sensations that heighten the experience.
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Add in some ASMR
Sound is often a big factor in these fantasies. “There’s a lot of sensory focus in vore when it comes to consuming and how things are consumed,” says Cooper. “Some also enjoy adding ASMR that helps amplify their fantasies, where they listen to clips of people consuming and even chewing items.”
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Combine vore with other kinks and fetishes
Think about other kinks you have and how these might be incorporated into your vore fantasy, which can help make this kind of play more accessible for everyone involved. For instance, if your fantasy has elements of macrophilia (aka being horny for giants), you could try to bring what you like about giantess/giant play into a vore scene. “For vore, the most common thing to do is to use gummy bears or something similar as a stand-in for human ‘tinies,” says Codi Vore. “I act as a giant woman who cruelly (and sometimes sweetly) devours them.” Combining different types of play makes the scene more customizable and invites your partner to explore their kinks, too.
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Remember, when it comes to kink (and all sex, really), everything is normal and fine as long as everyone is enthusiastically consenting. “We need to continue to evaluate our biases, values, attitudes, and feelings about kink and address how those can affect interactions with people,” Philips says. So whether you came here because you’re interested in this kink yourself or you’re just curious, go forth and do what you will with the knowledge we’ve bestowed upon you—provided it doesn’t involve yucking anyone else’s yum, got it?
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Gigi Engle is a COSRT-registered, GSRD-accredited sex and relationships psychotherapist, sex coach, sex educator, and writer.
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