Aahana Swrup
David Farrier and Dylan Reeve’s 2016 documentary, ‘Tickled,’ embarks on an investigative journey into a mysterious tickling competition, Competitive Endurance Tickling, which takes the filmmakers down a peculiar rabbit hole. Their attempts to understand the workings of a suspiciously evasive company also become an introduction for the duo — and their audience — into the world of erotic tickling. Consequently, Richard Ivey, a longtime member of the community and a prolific provider of such online content, enters the narrative to showcase the regular, ethical side of the business. After learning about his unique vocation, viewers must have grown curious about his current life in professional and personal capacities.
Richard Ivey Entered the Cyber Tickle Fetish Community in the 90s
Since Richard Ivey had always been interested in the concept of tickling muscular men as a form of erotica, he inevitably found a community of like-minded people with the introduction of AOL in the late 1990s. Consequently, he came to accept his fetishes of foot worship and tickling without the fear of complete ostracization. His early involvement with the community remained confined to chat rooms and online message boards, where users often shared their experiences and other tips. However, eventually, Ivey decided to create a business out of the same with the 2000 launch of his online erotica website My Friend’s Feet.
While Ivey’s initial ventures only involved foot fetish videos, he gradually expanded to tickling videos and found a niche for himself. As such, with the years, he garnered more and more experience, gaining expert knowledge as a tickle fetishist. He hires models who participate in tickling scenes inside a home studio, with Ivey as the one doing the tickling. Even though his work is largely erotic in nature, 75% of his scenes tend to include clothed individuals. As per the creator himself, these scenes are conducted in a safe and consensual environment with fair pay and a general air of understanding surrounding the obvious power play elements.
Richard Ivey’s Moment in the Spotlight
As a longtime member of the community, Ivey had always been forthcoming about the fetishistic and erotic nature of his business. For the same reason, in 2016, he agreed to be a part of ‘Tickled,’ to showcase the honest side of the tickle-fetish community. In the documentary, the expert discusses the nuances of the fetish and how one can create content around the same with transparency. Furthermore, he also participates in a scene with one of his models for a brief but notable part of the documentary.
After the release of Farrier and Reeve’s project, Ivey’s work entered the mainstream public consciousness, inviting attention and curiosity from several media channels. As a result, he gave out several interviews and participated in some discussions revolving around the tickling side of the online fetish world. “It’s erotica,” Ivey told ABC News when speaking about his work. “There’s no sex involved. It’s [about] having control over someone that I wouldn’t normally have control over, and do it in a safe way, a playful way, a consensual way.”
Richard Ivey Continues Making Tickle Fetish-Centric Content Today
Although Richard Ivey’s online website became his full-time job with time and continues to remain so today, the creator himself scarcely maintains a social media presence on any platform. Nonetheless, his professional life continues to exist on the internet, where he hosts his tickle-fetish website, My Friend’s Feet. In 2020, with the pandemic, his business underwent some logistical issues as filming scenes between himself and his models became more complicated. Nonetheless, with safety and sanitary protocols in place, Ivey managed to complete a few shoots even while quarantining.
In the same year, Ivey joined his previous collaborator, David Farrier, on a Zoom call to discuss their current circumstances within the pandemic. Since the former has been a longtime resident of Orlando, Florida, he remained in the city during quarantine with a partner. During his conversation with Farrier, viewers got to learn a lot more about the fetish expert outside of his professional and personal interest in tickling. Over the course of the pandemic, Ivey developed an interest in podcasts, preferring short, bite-sized content to the commitment of an entire film or TV series.
As a result, Ivey became interested in the famous comedy podcast, ‘How Did This Get Made?’ Furthermore, he also unearthed a fascination with old content like the 1988 show ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ and film plays, such as ‘Sweeney Todd’ with the original cast. Likewise, he started listening to true crime podcasts and adopted many other interests. Despite his profession in the online realm, he seems to prefer privacy in his personal life and is not active on social media. He also runs an OnlyFans account connected to My Friend’s Feet. Ivey presumably still resides in Orlando, Florida, today, where he continues to create content geared toward the tickle-fetish community.
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