The Feederism Glossary
Every term, defined in plain English — feeder, feedee, gaining, and the rest — drawn from the same research base as the articles. Judgment-free, non-explicit, and honest about the harder edges.
For adults 18+ · Educational reference, not pornography and not advice.
What is feederism?
Feederism (also spelled feedism) is an interest centred on feeding, being fed, and/or weight gain between consenting adults. It runs along a wide spectrum: for many people it lives largely in fantasy; for others it is a consensual dynamic within a relationship. The two roles are usually called the feeder — the one who feeds, provides, or encourages — and the feedee — the one who is fed and/or gains.
It overlaps with, but is distinct from, simple attraction to bigger bodies (fat admiration), and at its healthy centre it is built on enthusiastic consent, honesty, and care. The rest of this glossary defines the terms you'll meet, and links each one to a deeper, research-based read.
The basics
The core vocabulary — who's who, and what the words mean.
Feeder
The partner who takes pleasure — emotional and often erotic — in feeding, providing for, or encouraging another person to eat or gain. At its healthy centre it's a form of care turned intimate: providing, delighting in someone's enjoyment, being the reason they feel indulged and wanted. It runs entirely on the other person's enthusiastic consent.
Find your feeder type →Feedee
sometimes "gainer" when self-directed
The partner who takes pleasure in being fed, indulged, and encouraged, and often in the idea of their own body softening or gaining. Research and community accounts describe it as running on surrender, being cared for, permission, and the relief of an appetite that is celebrated instead of policed. Being a feedee doesn't require any real-world goal; for many it lives mostly in fantasy.
The psychology of the feedee →Gainer & gaining
A gainer is a person deliberately — and often self-directedly — gaining weight, whether or not a partner is involved; gaining is the act itself. Every gainer is, loosely, a feedee, but not every feedee is actively gaining: plenty enjoy the idea, the feeding, or the fantasy without any real-world change.
Fat admirer (FA)
the clinical term is "adipophilia"
Someone attracted to fat or soft bodies as they are — the state — rather than to any feeding or gaining. It's the broadest and most common of these interests, and it needn't involve any kink at all. Most feeders and feedees are also fat admirers, but plenty of admirers never step into feeding.
Fat admirer or feeder? (quiz) →Mutual gaining
A dynamic in which both partners gain together, side by side, rather than one feeding the other. It's the most egalitarian corner of feederism — the appeal is the shared experience and togetherness more than any one-directional role.
Which facet speaks to you? (quiz) →Feedism
Simply an alternate spelling of feederism — the two are interchangeable. You'll also see "feeder/feedee" used as a shorthand for the whole interest.
Roles & practices
The dynamics and activities people mean by these words.
Encouraging
The warm, coaxing mode of feeding — the offered bite, the praise, the gentle "a little more" — where appetite is cheered rather than policed. It's the most relational corner of feederism, and the one where the line between welcome encouragement and unwelcome pressure matters most: the whole thing stays healthy exactly as long as a "no" stays free.
Your feeding love language (quiz) →Switch
Someone who enjoys both sides — feeding and being fed, leading and surrendering — depending on the day, the mood, or the partner. Switches often make unusually empathetic partners, having felt the dynamic from both sides.
Your power-exchange style (quiz) →Stuffing
Eating, or being fed, to the point of fullness for its own sake — a focus on the sensation and the moment rather than on long-term gain. Many people enjoy stuffing as a stand-alone interest without any goal of changing their body.
Padding & "fat suits"
Wearing padding to simulate a larger body without any actual weight gain — a fantasy and roleplay practice that lets people explore the aesthetic or the feeling of size temporarily and reversibly.
Force-feeding (as roleplay)
A consensual fantasy or roleplay of feeding beyond willingness. In healthy practice this is negotiated play with clear limits and a way to stop at any time — the "force" is theatrical, and real coercion is its opposite, not its extreme. Putting the boundaries in writing first is how couples keep this kind of play safe.
Put limits in writing (free tool) →The far edge
Terms for the extreme end — defined honestly, with care, because they're the most misunderstood.
Immobility
A scenario — for the overwhelming majority, a fantasy one — of gaining to the point of limited or lost mobility. Community accounts are consistent that this is enjoyed in imagination and roleplay far more than pursued in reality, and that keeping it there is the healthy norm, not a compromise.
Where does the edge stop? (safety check) →Death feederism
also "deathfeederism," "death feedism"
The extreme far edge that eroticises feeding toward genuine danger — or, at its darkest, death. It's essential to be clear about what the community itself says: this is treated as a hard line, explored only in fantasy and story, not a real-life goal. Confusing the fantasy with a plan is exactly where it stops being safe. Our in-depth piece unpacks the psychology — masochism, trauma, and the difference between a dark fantasy and a dangerous trajectory — without judgment and without glorifying it.
The darkest edge of feederism: the full, careful read →If a fantasy has started steering real decisions about food or health, or you feel unsafe, support resources are here.
Framing & psychology
The words used to think clearly about the interest itself.
Paraphilia
The clinical term for an atypical sexual interest. Crucially, an atypical interest is not in itself a disorder: mainstream diagnostic manuals (DSM-5, ICD-11) only treat one as clinical when it causes marked distress, impairment, or involves non-consent. Consensual adult feederism is none of those by default.
Is it normal to be into this? (quiz) →Adipophilia
The academic term for sexual attraction to fatness — essentially the clinical name for fat admiration. You'll meet it in the research literature more than in everyday community talk.
What the research says →Kink vs. fetish vs. orientation
These describe how central the interest is, not what it contains. A kink enhances; a fetish is a strong or necessary interest; an orientation is central to identity and desire. Feederism can be any of these for different people — a fun garnish for one person, the core of their sexuality for another.
Fetish or orientation? How central is it? (quiz) →Fantasy vs. reality
The single most useful distinction in the whole subject: enjoying imagining something and wanting to live it are separate facts about a person, and they don't have to match. Many people's favourite feederism fantasies are ones they'd decline in real life — and that's healthy, not a failure of nerve.
Fantasy or for real? (quiz) →Consent-first / enthusiastic consent
The ethical foundation of every healthy feederism dynamic: participation that is enthusiastic, negotiated in advance, and revocable at any time without cost. The difference between a hot dynamic and a harmful one isn't how far it goes — it's whether the brakes always work.
Before you say yes: the consent check (quiz) →Common questions
What is a feeder?
A feeder is the partner in a feederism dynamic who derives satisfaction — emotional and often erotic — from feeding, providing for, or encouraging another person to eat or gain. At its healthy centre it's a form of care and provision, grounded entirely in the other person's enthusiastic consent.
What is a feedee?
A feedee is the partner who takes pleasure in being fed, indulged, and encouraged, and often in the idea of their own body softening or gaining. It's described in research and community accounts as running on surrender, being cared for, and the relief of an appetite that's celebrated rather than policed. It doesn't require any real-world goal.
Is feederism a paraphilia or a disorder?
It can be described as a paraphilia — the clinical word for an atypical sexual interest — but an atypical interest is not itself a disorder. Diagnostic manuals only treat one as clinical when it causes marked distress, impairment, or involves non-consent, and consensual adult feederism is none of those by default. Our "is it normal?" quiz and foundations article go deeper.
What is death feederism?
It's the extreme far edge that eroticises feeding toward genuine danger. The important thing the community itself stresses is that this is a hard line, explored only in fantasy and story rather than pursued in reality — and that keeping it there is the healthy norm. Our in-depth piece unpacks the psychology without judgment or glorification, and the safety check helps tell a dark fantasy from a dangerous trajectory.
What's the difference between a feeder and a fat admirer?
A fat admirer is attracted to a fat body as it is — the state. A feeder is drawn to the act and process of feeding and encouraging, and often to the change itself. They overlap constantly, but the engine differs: for the admirer it's the body; for the feeder it's the feeding. The "fat admirer or feeder?" quiz tells yours apart.
Educational reference for adults 18+ · consent-first, non-explicit, and research-based. Explore further: the psychology · the quizzes · the tools · support.