Are You a Looner? February 19, 2018 – Posted in: Adult Industry News, BDSM, News

Are You a Looner?

What is a fetish? It’s the sexual gratification obtained from an inanimate object. Are you a looner?

Some people are aroused by stuffed toys, or the feel of leather or latex, feet or armpit.

Then there are people who get sexual stimulation from balloons.

The Looners Among Us

The term used to describe this subset of those that have a “balloon fetish” is looners. As far as fetishes go, this one is pretty “cute”. They are not hurting anybody. There are no whips, ball gags, bondage cuffs, and ropes, or suspension cuffs preferred in BDSM fetishes. There’s a reason why those in bondage culture require a safe word, and that’s to prevent things from getting out of hand.

With balloon play, however, there’s no safe word required.

How dangerous is it anyway to watch your partner blow up and pop a balloon? For the most part, auto-stimulation is the norm considering that a good number of looners are shy about sharing their fetishes with somebody else.

In fact, in the world of kinky sex, BDSM is more accepted compared to balloon popping. A looner will just as soon confess to wearing latex mask and carrying a whip rather than be associated with this children’s treat.

Meet Julius

This fetish might seem very strange to you, but it doesn’t make it any less real.

It’s time to meet 62-year-old Julius.

Julius was actually featured on the TLC show “My Strange Addiction”. He confessed that his affair with balloons date back to when he was still 12 years old. To date, he has over 50,000 balloons in his house and he claims to have a special bond with each of them. Of course, just like people have their own preferences in their sexual partners, Julius also has his own favorites according to color, texture, and size. The favorite ones are special because they get a chance to share his bed.

He remarks of his obsession, “When I see a beautiful balloon my heart starts to flutter and I get aroused.”

 When the Fetish Develops

There’s actually significant research involving looners, and studies have found that the tendencies seem to come out at around the age 14. You know that fetishes typically develop during childhood. The mind is a tricky thing. What starts as an intense fear becomes a subject of obsessive sexual gratification later on. It’s not clear if looners were scared of the balloon or they associate it with an earlier feeling, what’s clear is that they get turned on with these latex toys and party accessories.

There are different types of looners. Some get off by balloon popping, others are scared of it. They much prefer to just rub against the balloon as they love the feel of the latex against their naked skin. Another derivative of this is the bubblegum poppers, and these are looners who like to blow up a bubblegum instead of a balloon. One benefit, of course, is the convenience. You can blow and pop a bubblegum over and over again.