Object sexuality

Object sexuality or objectophilia is a group of paraphilias characterized by sexual or romantic attraction focused on particular inanimate objects. Individuals with this attraction may have strong feelings of love and commitment to certain items or structures of their fixation. For some, sexual or close emotional relationships with humans are incomprehensible. Some object-sexual individuals also often believe in animism, and sense reciprocation based on the belief that objects have souls, intelligence, and feelings, and are able to communicate. Questions of its legality or ethical provenance have not arisen, given that inanimate objects are inert and are not 'harmed' through this specific paraphilia. Public sexual consummation of object sexual desires may be dealt with through public nudity or anti-exhibitionism legislation.

Not to be confused with Sexual objectification.
Pygmalion by Jean-Baptiste Regnault, 1786, Musée national du château et des Trianons

Research

In 2009 Amy Marsh, a clinical sexologist, surveyed the twenty-one English-speaking members of Erika Eiffel's 40-strong OS Internationale about their experiences.[1] About half reported autism spectrum disorders: six had been diagnosed, four were affected but not diagnosed, and three of the remaining nine reported having "some traits."[2] According to Marsh, "The emotions and experiences reported by OS people correspond to general definitions of sexual orientation," such as that in an APA article "on sexual orientation and homosexuality ... [which] refers to sexual orientation as involving 'feelings and self-concept.'"

Sociolinguistic researcher Heiko Motschenbacher has developed the concept of humanonormativity to describe the marginalization of objectum sexuality. Humanonormativity is "the belief that people normally and naturally engage in sexual practices and romantic relationships with other human beings."[3] It arises as a discourse that pathologizes objectum sexuality. This concept has been referenced in relevant academic fields, including research on fictosexuality.[4]

OS awareness and advocacy

In 2009, Erika Eiffel appeared on Good Morning America[5] and The Tyra Banks Show[6] with Amy Marsh to discuss her "marriage" to the Eiffel Tower and how her object love helped her become a world champion archer. Marsh shared the results of her survey and her belief that OS could be a genuine sexual orientation, and reasoned that if childhood trauma were a factor, that there would be more OS individuals. Eiffel, who had adopted her surname after a 2007 "marriage" to the Eiffel Tower,[5] founded OS Internationale, an educational website and international online community for those identifying or researching the condition to love objects.

Literature

Marsh sees OS-like behavior in classic literature.[1] In Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame:

[Quasimodo] loved [the bells], caressed them, talked to them, understood them. From the carillon in the steeple of the transept to the great bell over the doorway, they all shared his love. Claude Frollo had made him the bell ringer of Notre-Dame, and to give the great bell in marriage to Quasimodo was to give Juliet to Romeo.[1]

Describing his passion for sculptures, Horace Walpole commented in 1791 that "Sir William Hamilton had actually married his Gallery of Statues".[7]

Real life

Music

Cinema
  • Christine (1983)
  • Jumbo (2020) tells the story of a cleaner (played by Noémie Merlant) at an amusement park who falls in love with a fairground ride. Zoé Wittock, the director, took her inspiration from the experience of Erika Eiffel (above).[18]
  • Titane tells the story of a female serial killer (played by Agathe Rousselle) who somehow becomes pregnant after rubbing herself into a car.[19]

Television
  • Australian Netflix series Lunatics (2019) features a character named Keith Dick (played by Chris Lilley), a fashion designer who falls for “Karen”, a Sharp XE-A203 cash register, as well as an old fashioned vacuum cleaner
  • In the series SpongeBob SquarePants, Plankton is in love with Karen, a computer

See also

References
  1. Marsh, Amy (2010-03-01). "Love Among the Objectum Sexuals". Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality. 13.
  2. N.B. There are only 20 responses, though the author claims 21 respondents.
  3. Motschenbacher, Heiko (2018). "Language and Sexual Normativity". In Hall, Kira; Barrett, Rusty (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Language and Sexuality. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212926.013.14.
  4. Matsuura, Yuu (2023). "対人性愛中心主義批判の射程に関する検討――フェミニズム・クィアスタディーズにおける対物性愛研究を踏まえて" [Humanonormativity and Human Oriented Sexualism: A Discussion Based on Objectum Sexuality Studies from a Feminist and Queer Perspective]. 人間科学共生社会学 (Human Science Sociology and Anthropology) (in Japanese). Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University (13). doi:10.15017/7151776.
  5. Snow, Kate; Brady, Janann (2009-04-08). "Woman Proves Love for Eiffel Tower With Commitment Ceremony". ABC News.
  6. Filip, Kristyn (February 15, 2012). "The woman who married the Eiffel Tower". The Fulcrum.
  7. Barker, C.; Trussler, S. (1997). New Theatre Quarterly 49: Volume 13, Part 1. New Theatre Quarterly. Cambridge University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-521-58902-4. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  8. "Hasselhoff marries Berlin Wall". The Irish Times. April 1, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  9. "Inanimate attachment: Love objects". The Globe and Mail. Aug 21, 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
  10. "10 Romances Between People and…Things". 12 April 2010.
  11. "A Man in a Relationship with His Car". Anderson. February 10, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-02-14.
  12. "Jodi Rose bridges differences to marry Le Pont du Diable Bridge in France". 6 July 2013.
  13. "Man sues Utah County clerk for refusing to issue license to marry computer". 29 June 2016.
  14. "Woman marries her briefcase after five-year relationship".
  15. "Sickle resolutions".
  16. Caffrey, Dan (2012-12-12). "Big Boi's Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors is Visionary Hip-Hop". Music Section. Time. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  17. Matthew Meadow (3 August 2015). "Keys N Krates - Save Me". YourEDM. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  18. Armistead, Claire (9 July 2021). "'I know it's weird' – Jumbo: the film about a woman who falls in love with a funfair ride". the Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  19. Barber, Nicholas. "Titane: The most shocking film of 2021". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
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