International Fetish Day started as National Fetish Day in the UK in 2008, and was adopted internationally in 2009 on the third Friday of the year.

The slogan is “Perverts wear purple,” encouraging ministers and fetishists everywhere to wear purple even at vanilla jobs and events, to help spread awareness and encourage people to be more open.

In addition to spreading awareness about the community, International Fetish Day was also created to protect the UK law criminalizing possession of “extreme pornography,” which covers a lot of kink-accepted practices.

The original website no longer exists, but it said:

Breasts? Bums? Legs? Hair? High-heels? Stockings? PVC? Latex? Leather? Cuffs? Chains? Whips?

Fetish Day: what’s yours?

Friday 16th of January 2009 is International Fetish Day: a day belonging to everyone with a fetish.

It’s your day: what will you do to mark it?

Indeed.

What will YOU do today to celebrate?