Where does the word “devotee” come from?
We’re not sure who invented it, but it was clearly an effort to make the attraction seem more positive. Older terms like “disability paraphelia” imply psychological illness, and many people are uncomfortable using the term “fetish.” It used to be called “the hobby” or “the fascination” which make it seem more ordinary, less threatening. In the past few years there has been explosion of websites, and this term just stuck.
