The kinks of virtual men

Women often complain that they are judged by their appearance. But there are men who like some of them just the way they are. Not very beautiful. These men are not exactly wise, genial types who see beyond the surface. They are males who inhabit deviant sites in the sprawling world of the internet. Psychiatrists call them paraphiliacs.

A paraphiliac is a person who is obsessed with those physical attributes in the opposite sex that are conventionally regarded as turn-offs. A typical paraphiliac, usually a male, likes big noses, obese women and even the misfortune of amputation.

Paraphiliacs are often referred to as devotees. Many of them probably leading normal lives in the real world, are too shy to come out in the open about their  sexual fantasies. They are afraid of being branded as perverts. But the internet offers them a safe haven. Online, they chat, write blogs, hold discussions on forums, fix meetings, and share pictures and videos of their ideal women.

Psychiatrists have classified more than 400 paraphilias, many of which are active online subcultures populated chiefly by men. Some of the common paraphilias are nasophilia, an erotic obsession with abnormal noses; acousticophilia, a sexual obsession with the sound of a particular language or accent; stigmatophilia, a soft spot for tattoos, scars and piercings; amaurophilia, sexual love for the blind; abasiophilia, an obsession with a disabled person who uses appliances like casts, leg braces and wheelchairs; and forniphilia, a seemingly sexist wish to see the opposite sex being installed as pieces of furniture (the person is tightly bound and made to remain immobile in a particular position for any period of time).

These paraphilias may seem like the fantasies of a terrible porn filmmaker, but the truth is that these desires have spawned scores of web communities, some of them even hosted by women offering to meet deserving suitors.

A paraphiliac seldom consumes mainstream pornography. A typical image that would excite the paraphiliac is a fully clothed woman, probably in an unremarkable pose with a specific body part exposed. In nasophilia websites, for example, the only pictures ever posted are of women's faces with a clear focus on the nose.

The dream girls of nasophiliacs are regular women with atypically shaped noses. Sarah "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Michelle Gellar, whose nose is famously odd, is a hot favourite. As is Melanie Blatt of girl-band All Saints who has a Yahoo group dedicated to her nose. There is nothing abnormal about Blatt's nose, but the nasophiliacs see something in it. A typical posting in the group is as follows: "I would love to have a play with Mel's nose and it would keep me entertained for weeks."Often, nasophiliacs tamper with the pictures of popular actors for pleasure.

India is a hotspot in the nasophiliac's itinerary. This is what the webmaster of a big nose forum has to say about his preference: "Most of us (nasophiliacs) like large ‘natural noses'; the noses of many Hispanic, Indian and Italian ladies are frequently cited as some of the most beautiful...In general, a nose that is larger than average is very attractive to us."

Other paraphiliacs like huge women such as tennis players Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams. Such men are called macrophiliacs. In the erotic imagery of a macrophiliac, a gentle giantess tramples on and devours everything that comes in her way.