Object Lessons

Okay - it's not every day that I see something that surprises me. Yet this video does for some reason. I think it is because the folks in it seem so earnestly "into" their inanimate partners. Now many, many women "enjoy" inanimate objects - and men too, don't leave them out. But these women seem to have developed one-way emotional ties that are inordinately strong and sexual in nature.

Is this a fetish? Or something different?

I plan to expand on this article but for now, just want to expose you to the concept.

I will say that one woman is seriously into her gear - but there is no nudity. Still, I'd say this one's not work-safe. For that matter neither is this blog in general - so you've been warned.



But - my only exposure to this (so far) is through this documentary. And as a rule, I like to check out the studies and get to the science behind these kinds of behaviours. Still, with a little research I did come up with some interesting information.

The condition is called "Objectum-Sexuality" or "Objectophillia" and the video is from a documentary called "Married to the Eiffel Tower." (I'm trying to track down a link to the "real" video - it isn't on Netflix yet.) The documentary talks with several people who are in love with various objects - such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, and -as you may have surmised from the snippet above - a large mechanical side-show. This is no new condition, with a famous case being that of a woman who married the Berlin Wall. Not sure how they worked that out.

The video does appear to be available in chunks on YouTube - not my favorite way to watch a movie, but here's the link to part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag3pFIDapIw

So - is it a real condition? That's the big question on the Internet. That and "why would anyone love a bridge?" I have to admit with my naturalist world view (that's the science one, not the naked volley-ball one) I can see no reason why it wouldn't be feasible for someone to fall in love with an inanimate object. I'm of the personal opinion that much of what the world thinks of as "love" is far more brain chemistry and confirmation bias - (still I loves Mrs. Doctor Atlantis with all my chemical heart.)

The condition seems real enough, but I'll do some more journal searches and see what I can dig up. Dig up with my big shiny Internet shovel. Mmmmm. Shovels... Where was I?

Oh, I remember. There is a website for folks with the condition (if that's the right word) and you can find that here: http://www.objectum-sexuality.org/

We'll get back to this with some more details on the specifics of the condition (besides the obvious) and perhaps discuss what role animism has in the whole matter.