An Interview With the Man Who Keeps Uploading My Feet to WikiFeet

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images

Back in the fall, I received an unexpected text from a man I had but started seeing. "Are u on wikifeet?"

Bold he was joking, I laughed and said no. Then he sent me a link to my wikiFeet page. I had never actually heard of the website — basically an encyclopedia of celebrity pes photos for fetishists and human foot enthusiasts — until that moment.

To be clear, I am non a celebrity. I have decent Twitter following from having reported on politics for over a decade, from tweeting jokes about politics and appearing on cable news sometimes. But I was pretty shocked to be looking at my own wikiFeet profile, which included my full proper name, birthday, and photos of me and my exposed feet, dating dorsum to a family unit vacation in 2013. The images seemed to have been lifted from my Instagram folio, which I continue public because I share my work and media appearances there sometimes. My feet had a very sorry 3.5 out of five stars rating, which categorized them as "okay."

The discovery was surreal; I wasn't offended or unnerved, though I can empathize why someone would be. I generally thought it was funny, and posted a video of me wiggling my painted toes in a flattering filter to my story "for my fans," equally a joke. Within minutes, a screenshot of it showed up on wikiFeet.

At this signal, my investigative announcer instincts kicked in. I figured I could triangulate the person'southward identity by refreshing wikiFeet over and over later on posting a barefoot photo, and then checking my list of story viewers as soon as it showed up. This narrowed the list of suspects downward significantly, only non quite enough to be conclusive. I decided to attempt a direct arroyo: I posted a story that said, "If you are the person posting my foot content please DM me! No shade, I just have questions."

I assumed no one would come frontward — so much so that I forgot to even check my DMs from people I don't follow until months later. It wasn't until last calendar week that I noticed, to my surprise, the man had reached out. His proper name is Robert Hamilton, a 58-yr-onetime salesman from northern New Bailiwick of jersey. "Okay," he wrote. "What questions do you accept? I admit I posted, if information technology bothers you I apologise and will non do it again."

Robert agreed to go on the tape and was helpful and responsive as I tried to set up an interview. I was only reminded of the nature of our relationship at one bespeak when he asked, right afterward proverb he was bachelor to chat Thursday, whether my anxiety are ticklish. (I dodged the question.)

I called him on Th afternoon, while he was in the eye of watching a Yankees game. He'southward gregarious and has a thick Bailiwick of jersey emphasis. We spoke for nearly an 60 minutes, virtually entirely about anxiety.

Robert! Is it just Robert, or do you become by something else? You audio young.
Aye, just Robert. And I'm about 60 years old, young lady.

Do you consider yourself a human foot fetishist?
Yes.

Since when?
Age half-dozen.

That's very specific. What happened when you were six?
A couple things have happened, but nosotros'll first there. I have v sisters — well I had five, ii of them passed away. But a lot of their friends would come around, and we had a pool in the backyard, and they'd be barefoot. You know, they'd be here while my sisters weren't here, they'd simply come over and employ the pool, and I would give them human foot massages.

What was the other thing?
When I was about 9, these new people moved on my block, right? They were older girls. And they had their ain pool across the street. We were playing this game, and they were similar, "Well, we have to tie you up, because we captured you, you lot know? You're the bad guy." They tied me to a lawn chair, with my easily over my caput and my feet tied down. And they started tickling my feet, and it simply collection me crazy.

I think that'southward what made me realize in that location'south cipher incorrect with it. Information technology'south fun. I just didn't feel like it was weird or annihilation. So I'm thinking to myself, Hey, what is the problem with this? This is who I am. I'm not hurting anybody, I'm not robbing banks. Just let it ride. That's when I decided, Who gives a shit?

How do you interact with wikiFeet? How much time a mean solar day do you lot spend on information technology?
Well, for example, if I'grand watching a movie with a cute extra that I similar, I'll keep there and check out her feet. Or if I'grand reading a story near someone like you who I think is very pretty, I'm gonna go check and see if she's on there. Because I'grand curious, and I dearest feet.

How many photos have you posted there?
A couple hundred.

How did you first find my anxiety?
I can't retrieve how I first discovered you. But I looked on Instagram and saw you on in that location and y'all had a lot of barefoot pictures, and I but followed y'all, that was all. I likewise similar your dog. I like Pedro, he'southward cool. Your feet are quite beautiful, by the way.

Thanks. What makes a foot attractive to you lot?
I similar the painted toes. I like an arch, the more than pronounced the better. I'm kinda weird with the toes, I like a rounded big toe. If it's more than square it'south okay, just the rounded is better. I definitely like the soles. Only I similar the arches, that gets you turned on.

I've noticed that sometimes within ten minutes of me posting an Instagram story that shows my feet, the screenshot is up on wikiFeet. How does that happen? Practise you spend all your time on Instagram waiting for new foot content to drop?
I don't sit here looking for information technology. If I just happen to meet it and I like information technology, I'll put information technology on there. But I'm not sitting here all day staring or anything. That doesn't pay the bills.

And then why not just wait at feet on Instagram, or screenshot them for yourself? What do yous leave of posting them to another website?
You know, that's a bang-up question. I don't really get annihilation out of it. I just like to share it. I mean, people like feet, like me, and you have cute feet, and I just put information technology on in that location. I just think I'k helping other people out. I mean, I do save some for myself.

In that location isn't much of a community on wikiFeet. Information technology's not like people can heart the photos or any. Sometimes someone volition send yous a little note like, "That's a good picture, thank you a lot. Good job." That'southward really information technology; y'all don't really connect with everyone. I merely like to share the picture with other people, I'm generous that style.

Like that one of y'all on the stoop in what was it, a flying-nun getup? And yous were barefoot …

I was dressed as a handmaid for Halloween. You posted that one?
Yes. Sorry. That was very sexy.

Do you always retrieve about how it might be a fleck invasive to take someone's personal photos and put them on a fetish site without their noesis or consent? That some people might exist unsettled by that?
Aye, I practise remember that. You know, except I can't call up Jennifer Aniston and enquire. Just it does cantankerous my listen, because I have five sisters and six nieces, and I judge not everybody would be kosher with it. Believe me, it crosses my heed. I do accept a censor. I think people seem to have a good humour about it. I mean, you evidently do. Some celebrities say it's a badge of honour.

I noticed that wikiFeet has pretty strict rules almost whose anxiety and what kinds of photos you can mail service. The person has to take an IMDb page to be fair game. Practice you lot pay attention to those rules when you want to post someone like me, who isn't likewise-known?
Yeah. For example, a musician from England who performed barefoot, similar I'll find a pic I call up is sexy, and I'll put her name in IMDb. And she didn't have a folio, and then I couldn't post hers. But you did.

Who else'due south anxiety besides mine exercise y'all similar to mail?
I put upwards Jennifer Aniston. Kelly Ripa, though I don't really like her, but anyway … Kate Beckinsale, I put her upwardly a lot. Musicians. Sheryl Crow.

What are the best feet you've ever seen?
Marilyn Monroe, Kate Beckinsale, Laura Bassett. I'm donkey-kissin', infant! Grace Kelly. Rita Hayworth, oh my God, I love her.

Y'all've posted Rita'south feet?
Yeah, I did. Only she'due south gone, so I don't think she gives a shit.

Do you rate women's feet on wikiFeet?
Yes.

Practice you lot always charge per unit them poorly?
No, you know why — and this is giddy, like I know these people — but I don't wanna injure their feelings. If they're ugly, I just don't go there again.

What are your main interests besides feet and the Yankees?
Live music. The last concert I went to was Piddling Steven and the Disciples of Soul at the Buoy Theatre, November of 2019, just earlier I got this damn heart surgery that almost killed me.

You lot near died?
Yep, I had a quadruple bypass, and information technology was a heck of a lot of fun. Merely you know what? When I was in Florida in the hospital — I've had a couple surgeries — I had the nurse coming in at nighttime showing me her feet. I really took her out to dinner a couple times. I can just go girls out of their shoes, it's a matter I can do.

A Q&A With the Man Who Keeps Uploading My Feet to WikiFeet