A reader asked the following question:

“I hear the terms kink and fetish being used in a pretty interchangeable way most of the time. However, I feel like they are two somewhat distinct concepts. When searching online I found that fetish is something necessary for sexual arousal while a kink is something that can enhance it but it’s not necessary. Could you clarify the actual difference (if any) there is among these two widely used terms?”

Thanks for this great question! I often hear these words used interchangeably as well—and, while they certainly overlap to some degree, they’re not exactly the same thing.