A medical student who makes £5,000 a month selling photos of her feet online says she devotes six to 10 hours a day making them look "aesthetically pleasing".
Using the working name Sweet Arches, the 28-year-old is funding her studies with her unusual sideline job, but warns it's far from an easy way to make a quick buck.
Admitting to having a food fetish herself, Sweet gets up to 100 messages a day with unusual photo requests.
She said: “Some people like the soles of the feet, some like the toes, some like to see them in different positions.
“People like to watch me crush things, like raspberries, grapes or cakes with my toes. I’ve actually had someone ask me to squish ants, but that’s a no no for me. Anything that’s living, I won’t do that!
“The strangest request was from someone asking me to run him over in my car! I said absolutely not. That’s definitely the craziest thing I’ve refused to do.
"Working in a hospital, I thought that would be quite counter-productive!
“Some fans like ‘self-foot worship,’ where I play with my feet on camera.
"Others ask me to suck, kiss or lick my toes, or ask for me to send them worn boots or shoes.
“One client asked for a pair of my boots. A lot of people with a foot fetish like the stinky smell, but it’s super hard for me to get my feet to stink. The client was still happy though, even though they smelled like my coconut foot mask!"
Sweet, who lives in Portland in Oregon, US, also works in a hospital theatre, but earns a lot more with her foot work - often up to £58,000 a year.
“After a year of doing this I tripled my hospital income as a surgical assistant - which is $2,000 (£1,600) before tax. It’s insane.
“Having a foot fetish myself, I started doing it for fun a year ago, just to share pictures of my cute feet. I didn’t think I could make a living from it.”
Sweet Arches says she has been fascinated by her own and other people's feet since childhood.
“I have always had a foot fetish, enjoying pedicures and making sure my feet look good,” she recalled.
“Even when I was very young, I'd always compliment people on their feet or randomly give foot massages to my friends, whereas most people think feet are weird. They would call me gross.
“Then, about two years ago, a friend showed me that there was a whole community of others like me online, so I dived right in. I was so happy to find like-minded people.
“I set up my own page on Instagram in May 2019 and started posting pictures and videos every day. I had no idea what I was doing, but looked at other sites for inspiration, then a few bigger pages gave me a shout out, so my followers went up.
“Now I have 105,000 followers on Instagram and 25,000 on Twitter.”
Sweet now also has an OnlyFans account - a website which allows users to pay a subscription for exclusive content.
“I direct everybody to my OnlyFans site, so they can request videos or pictures,” she said.
“I’m still on a learning curve with it all. Some girls will offer pornographic videos or pictures, but I do not do that.
“There’s all kinds of different stuff and you can make it your own.”
As well as fans paying monthly subscriptions and buying individual videos or custom content, Sweet Arches receives tips in the form of gifts and recently enjoyed a day out at a spa.
She keeps custom videos to a minimum, so she has time to keep on top of requests and messages.
She said: “I now have almost 1,000 subscribers on Only Fans, and usually get 50 to 100 messages or requests a day, so it is a lot to get through - although I have a friend who used to be a porn star, who gets more than 1,000.
“Mine are mostly to do with feet, but there are requests for other pictures.
“I never get fully naked. I do respond to some risqué requests, but I'm cautious.
“Everybody is super respectful, though. Even if they are asking me for something and I tell them I’m not willing to do it, they are still really polite.
“But I do get sent, shall we say, pictures of male anatomy. That is a hazard of the job!”
Keeping her fans happy means Sweet Arches ensuring that her feet are always in tip top condition.
“I do my own pedicures and manicures twice a month," she said.
"Often I will go for natural or nude nail colours, but I will also take requests from people.
“I love a foot mask, too, and have a double-sided pumice stone in the shower that I use every day.
“I think if someone takes care of their feet, the rest of their body will look good. Feet and hands are so overlooked, even though research shows that feet are as sensory as the body's more intimate areas. "
Now Sweet Arches - who says her friends and family fully support what she does - admits that, since starting her OnlyFans site, she has also developed a hand fetish and says her work has helped her to feel empowered.
She said: “I feel in control of my body and I can say yes or no to requests.
"I’m so passionate about it and have so much respect for the foot fetish community.”
But she does receive some negative messages about her fetish work.
“Most of the messages I get are really nice, but I will get the odd vomit emoji," she said.
"The most negative thing I’ve heard is that I’m fat or a chubby girl – and that doesn’t bother me at all.
“I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to make an income from this and that I can pay for my studies.
"My ultimate goal is to be able to help my mum to retire. She is in remission from cancer and has been continuing to work as an auditor and quality line leader through her recovery. She is a power house and I'd love to be able to help her.”
But, with unemployment rising due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sweet Arches is cautioning against people thinking that selling pictures of their feet is a quick way to make money.
“It takes time and commitment to get to where I am now and you do have to have aesthetically pleasing feet, like I do,” she said.
“I spend six to 10 hours a day doing this. It’s a full-time job. You can’t just start doing it and expect to make all this money.
“You really have to respect the foot fetish community, too. We all look out for each other as well, so we will know if you’re not genuine and if you’re just looking for a way to make a quick buck.
“While, the fact that I have a foot fetish myself has really helped me to understand why people enjoy it so much, which has probably helped to make me a success.”
To follow Sweet Arches search @sweet.arches on Instagram and on Twitter @sweet_arches.