Foot odor
Foot odor often results from wearing shoes and/or socks for many hours, as they provide warm, moist conditions for bacteria and/or fungi to thrive.
Usually people find foot odor unpleasant, while those who have it may be embarrassed. For this, some people avoid removing their shoes around others, or they are asked to keep them on or put them back on.
Among the earliest foot deodorants were aromatic herbs such as allspice, which nineteenth-century Russian soldiers would put in their boots.
Some types of powders and insoles, such as Odor Eaters, have been developed to combat foot odor, but they are not as effective as thoroughly washing feet, choosing shoes with proper ventilation, and changing socks regularly.
Since many martial arts are practiced barefoot, odor can pose a problem. It is said that some Tae Kwon Do masters have people smell each other's feet and will severely penalize those with malodorous feet. This can include doing hundreds of push-ups or can entail other horrendous corporal punishment.
Although most people find foot odor repulsive, some people find foot odor sexually arousing. This can be part of a foot fetish. Some people also have fetishes for the sock or shoe odor that usually accompanies sweaty feet, or enjoy foot worship. (See also: mysophilia).
