International Fetish Day first originated in the United Kingdom as National Fetish Day, which was held in 2008 The following year it became international and began to be celebrated on the third Friday of January International Fetish Day is a "day that belongs to everyone who has a fetish" that raises awareness and support for the fetish and BDSM community, opposes discrimination against these communities, and encourages these communities to talk more openly about their sexuality International Fetish Day is a day of support for the BDSM community It originated in the UK as "National Fetish Day" and was first held on 21 January 2008 The first International Fetish Day was held on January 16, 2009 (the third Friday of the year) The main goal of International Fetish Day is to raise awareness and support for the fetish community, encourage its members to talk more openly about their sexuality and combat the social stigmatization of erotic fetishism BDSM is a type of erotic practice that includes dominance and submission, role-play, restraint and other interpersonal interactions Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be used by people who do not consider themselves BDSM practitioners, inclusion in the BDSM community and/or subculture usually depends on self-identification and sharing experiences On International Fetish Day, members of the fetish community are encouraged to wear purple clothing to indicate their membership in the community This event is known as "Perverts Wear Purple" There has been controversy surrounding the slogan "Perverts Wear Purple", primarily due to the fact that many in the BDSM community distance themselves from the "pervert" label Others in the community believe that using the word "pervert" is perfectly acceptable For reference: