Do not feel shame

Do not feel shame

Another important aim of many of the Web sites is to discourage the feelings of shame apparently prevalent among devotees, pretenders and wannabes and to encourage acceptance and understanding among amputees. This aim is particularly evident in the case of devotees, who are very likely to interact directly with amputees. As the OverGround site explains, many amputees feel less attractive upon losing a limb or limbs, and yet they are initially disgusted that there are individuals who find this impairment attractive. The site states that it intends to communicate with amputees and devotees and to bring them together. Like Grant C. Riddell in his book Amputees and Devotees, devotee sites often implore amputees to become more accepting of devotees’ attraction and to make the most of shame the opportunity to find people who are specifically attracted to their bodies. However, despite the best efforts of the devotee Web sites and support groups, there is a certain stigma attached to being an amputee devotee. This stigma may in part be due to the psychological profession’s classification of devotees.