Vorarephilia: A Taste of the Cannibal Fantasy

​In January 2021, the world watched as Armie Hammer’s career imploded. The actor, idolised for his roles in The Social Network and Call Me By Your Name, transformed into a persona non grata in Hollywood, after a series of abuse allegations came to light. However, what shocked the tabloids wasn’t just the gravity of the allegations: it was also the contents of his text messages. In one of these infamous messages, he claims clearly to be “100% cannibal”, and reveals to his partner how he’d like to “eat her”. In the height of the #MeToo era, where there’s no shortage of troubling revelations, this one seems to hit harder than the rest. The word “cannibal” surprises, chills, intrigues.

But behind all the sordid buzz, a little-known reality takes shape: for some, this type of fantasy isn’t just a passing delusion. It’s a deep, obsessive form of arousal and sexual attraction in its own right. Its name? Vorarephilia. So why does this extreme fantasy have such an impact on the general public? What pushes some people to want to be eaten, or dream about eating someone else? Is it just a kink like any other or is it truly dangerous? Let's find out.

​Vorarephilia is a paraphilia (or atypical sexual fantasy) that centres around the idea of consuming someone or being consumed by someone. This can manifest itself in many ways: imagining yourself eating someone else, oftentimes whole and alive; fantasising over the idea of being eaten oneself; or even displaying arousal over watching a scene where one person eats another. Some people gain pleasure from the idea of being fused: dissolving into the other, or absorbing another’s body until you become one. Whilst it takes inspiration from cannibalism, this version is based completely in fantasy, often far from being reality. In online communities or fetish circles, those involved refer to themselves simply as ‘vores’. As within many kinks, the roles are deeply codified: there are “predators”, those who devour; “prey”, those who let themselves be devoured; and “observers”, who are aroused by the idea of being involved in this sort of scene in an indirect manner.

​At first glance, it’d be difficult not to make a link between vorarephilia and sadomasochism . After all, it’s a question of total domination, symbolic destruction, even devouring. But in reality, it’s not always that simple. For a lot of “vores”, the heart of the fantasy doesn’t rest upon suffering, nor cruelty. Arousal doesn’t come from hurting someone or being mistreated, but more so the strange and powerful idea of completely absorbing another body, or being swallowed oneself, until one no longer exists.

​Pleasure therefore rests in the notion of annihilation, erasure of identity or completely dissolving into the other. A type of ultimate fusion, where borders between two beings disappear completely. We can even see an echo of certain, more ‘traditional’ forms of sexuality: penetration, for example, even contains the symbolic idea of intrusion, of connecting bodies. Vorarephilia pushes this logic to the extreme, without always resorting to pain or violence.

​Vorarephilia isn’t a one trick pony. It can include a number of different scenarios, dynamics, and forms, sometimes far from the classic image of one human devouring another orally. The “vore” universe is vast, fed by stories, illustrations and shared events within online communities, often at the border between the erotic and fantastical imagination.

​The most widespread version of this fetish is what we call “soft vore”, where the “prey” is swallowed alive and whole by a “predator”, without any graphic violence or bloodshed. In this scenario, one is devoured and rests intact in their partner’s stomach, often in a protective, warm bubble. Pleasure thus comes from the idea of being contained, absorbed, alive in an enclosed space. But this “softer” version of the fantasy is just the beginning.

There are also variants of vorarephilia where ingestion doesn’t take place via the mouth:

• Anal vore: the “prey” is absorbed by the anus of the “predator”.

• Unbirth: the other’s body is received by the vagina, as though to return to the maternal body, often linked to fantasies surrounding regression and fusion.

• Cock vore: the penis, often depicted as elastic or enlarged, does the absorption, often with a marked erotic energy.

• Breast vore: the “prey’s” body is absorbed by the “predator's” breasts, in a nourishing or enveloping scenario.

​There’s another common variation linked to this fantasy: size play. In micro/macro fantasies, one of the partners is miniscule and the other a giant. This extreme size difference reinforces the idea of domination or powerlessness, but also protection, depending on the scene at play.

​Each of these scenarios have one thing in common: they appeal to far fetched scenarios that are often fantastical, unrealisable, but deeply structured around the body, fusion and symbolic disappearance of the other.

​In real life, couples or partners that share this kink can put in place certain symbolic scenarios. One of the most common examples consists of preparing a meat-based dish (pork, for example, is often chosen for its resemblance to human flesh) and eating it in a codified context: the “prey” becomes the meal, and the “predator” plays their role. Everything takes place in a clear, consenting and fictitious environment.

​For others, arousal stems from indirect observation. Some find pleasure in watching carnivorous animals (like frogs, geckos or even Venus flytraps) catch their prey. The gesture in itself isn’t necessarily erotic, but the simple fact of seeing something be devoured can sometimes stimulate the imagination.

​Whatever way this fantasy is explored, one rule remains non-negotiable: total, explicit and clear consent. No scenario should be played out without discussing it properly in advance, setting limits and ensuring total mutual respect.

​Vorarephilia fascinates as much as it does bothers, precisely because it touches upon deep seated instincts: control, disappearance, fusion to another person. If it remains marginal and largely in the fantasy realm, it’s not necessarily absurd. As with a lot of kinks, it lives in the imaginary, expressed through games, stories, art or codified scenarios, without ever crossing into the real world. If, from the outside it may seem extreme, those who practice vorarephilia obey the principals of any other alternative erotic practice: freedom, consent and mutual respect.