What is sexual attraction?
This attraction is typically sexual or romantic. Sexual attraction typically describes a person’s desire to have sex or form a sexual relationship with other people. It also often describes physical attraction, or lack thereof, toward others.
What causes sexual interest in objects rather than people?
No one knows the exact cause of a person's sexual interest being devoted to objects rather than people. However, in 2009 Dr. Marsh appeared on The Tyra Banks Show and stated for the record that research does not indicate that childhood trauma is a factor in OS. Dr. Marsh is also dubious as to whether this is a new phenomenon at all.
What does it mean to be attracted to objects?
Object sexuality or objectophilia is a form of 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.
What is it called when you are sexually attracted to women?
gynosexual (someone who’s sexually attracted to women—this doesn’t specify the subject’s own gender, as both “lesbian” and “heterosexual” do) demisexual (sexually attracted to someone based on a strong emotional connection)
Literature
Is there a sexuality for inanimate objects?
Object sexuality or objectophilia is a form of 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.
What is Allosexuality?
You can use the term 'allosexual' to describe a person who feels a sexual attraction to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation. Someone who identifies as allosexual may experience sexual attraction toward people in any capacity! The only group of people who aren't allosexual are those who identify as asexual.
What is a sapiosexual and a demisexual?
Though somewhat similar, they are actually two very different terms. While a demisexual is someone who feels sexual attraction to someone only once they've emotionally bonded, a sapiosexual person finds themselves especially attracted to someone they view as intelligent.
What is androsexual?
attracted to masculinityIn the expanding world of sexual orientation and gender studies, androsexual refers to people who are attracted to masculinity. People who are androsexual may be attracted to anyone with masculine qualities regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. The word androsexual comes from the Greek language.
What is Cupioromantic?
Cupioromantic describes a person who desires a romantic relationship but doesn't experience romantic attraction to others, according to sexologist Carol Queen, Ph.
What is Alloaro?
allo-aro / alloaro / allosexual aromantic: someone identifying, in part or full, as on the aromantic spectrum while being allosexual (not on the asexual spectrum in full). (Allo-aros are, in part or full, not asexual. They are part of the aromantic and a-spec communities.)
What is Biromantic asexual?
A person who identifies as biromantic can be romantically attracted to multiple genders. When a person is asexual, they are not sexually attracted to anyone. Biromantic asexuals seek romantic, but not sexual, relationships with people of more than one gender identity.
What is an Aromantic person?
Aromantic people have little or no romantic attraction to others. They may or may not feel sexual attraction. An aromantic person can fall into one of two groups: aromantic sexual people or aromantic asexual people.
Can Pansexuals have a preference?
However, just as with heterosexuality or homosexuality, pansexual people are all individuals. Any given pansexual person will have their own preference for the amount of sexual activity they want, and they may also prefer to remain celibate.
What is ENBY?
“Enby” is shorthand for nonbinary. As a refresher: Someone who is nonbinary has a gender that doesn't fit exclusively into the categories “man” or “woman,” says Jesse Kahn, LCSW, CST, director and sex therapist at The Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York City.
What is object sexuality?
Object sexuality or objectophilia is a form of 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.
What is the belief that objects have souls, intelligence, and feelings?
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.
What is objectum sexuality?
Objectum sexuality is an unusual psychological phenomenon in which an individual feels powerful affection toward a particular inanimate object – for all intents and purposes falling ‘in love’ with the object which may be a particular table, a train or a door. In objectum sexuality the emphasis is not in fact on ...
Is objectum sexuality fully understood?
The causes and mechanisms of objectum sexuality are not currently fully understood, but many existing insights of psychology may be used in order to explain the phenomenon, while some consistencies can also be noted between OS people.
What is the term for people who find themselves attracted to inanimate objects?
Comment. The term for people who find themselves attracted to inanimate objects is "objectophilia" or "object-sexuals" or OS. Originally considered a paraphilia (an unusual type of sexual attraction), it's more recently been deemed a form of sexuality after research conducted by clinical sexologist Dr. Amy Marsh.
How many sexual partners does Edward Smith have?
Over the past 48 years, Smith claims that he has had over 1,000 sexual partners, but only one of them was actually human.
What does Sarah Dobson do in her spare time?
In her spare time, Sarah likes to write poetry, go to music festivals and drink wine.
What is the difference between sexual attraction and romantic attraction?
This attraction is typically sexual or romantic. Sexual attraction typically describes a person’s desire to have sex or form a sexual relationship with other people. It also often describes physical attraction, or lack thereof, toward others. Romantic attraction can describe a person’s expression of love within a relationship.
What is romantic attraction?
Romantic attraction can describe a person’s expression of love within a relationship. This relationship does not have to be sexual, and a person does not have to experience both romantic and sexual attraction in order to have a sexuality. There are a lot of sexual orientations, and people who identify with one or more may find ...
What is an allosexual?
Allosexual. This is an umbrella term. A person who identifies as allosexual typically feels sexual attraction toward other people. They may also want to have sex with a partner. People who identify with this orientation may also identify with another sexuality, such as being gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
What is the organization that supports people who are bisexual?
The American Institute of Bisexuality, which is an organization that supports people who are bisexual. CenterLink, which is a website where people can find their local LGBTQ community centers. Equality Federation, which has a directory of statewide LGBTQ organizations.
What is the middle of the sexual orientation spectrum?
In the middle of the spectrum are those who feel a range of sexual and romantic attraction toward different genders and sexes. It is important to remember that a person can feel different types ...
What does it mean to be gay?
Gay. A person who identifies as gay typically only feels sexual attraction toward people of the same gender. Socially, people use this term to refer to men who are romantically and sexually attracted to men. However, those in the community use it as an umbrella term.
What is sexual orientation?
Sexuality, or sexual orientation, has to do with whom a person is, or is not, attracted to either sexually or romantically. People may identify more with one sexuality than another at different points in their lives. In this article, we will discuss what sexuality is and provide definitions of some sexual orientations.
What is objectophilia?
Objectophilia is a type of fetish. It’s when a person is sexually (and often romantically) attracted to an inanimate object. This object can be anything, from a huge industrial machine to a pillow.
1. Amy Wolfe
Amy was only 13 when she met the love of her life at Knoebels Amusement Park and, although she was young, she knew straight away that this was a love to last a lifetime. She said, “I was instantly attracted to him sexually and mentally”. His name? ‘1001 Nachts’, and the relationship was very up and down.
2. Amanda Whittaker
Amanda, who’s now in her early 30s, fell in love with a New Yorker called Libby. Who’s ‘Libby’? We’ll give you a clue - she’s tall, she wears a crown, she’s famous, she’s made out of copper… yep, Amanda’s got the hots for the Statue of Liberty.
3. Doro B
You’d think if you were going to fall in love with an object you’d at least fall in love with something really cool and exciting, right? Well Doro is living proof that you just can’t help who (or what) you fall in love with. In 2007, the girl of her dreams was a metal processing system.
4. Eija-Ritta Berliner-Mauer
In 1979 Eija became Mrs Berliner-Mauer. In English? Mrs Berlin Wall. She likes her objects “long” and “slim”, which is why The Great Wall of China never really struck her fancy. She said, “he’s too thick – my husband is sexier”.
5. Bill Rifka
Psychology student Bill Rifka is going out with his (male) iBook laptop computer, or at least he was back in 2007. Unfortunately, Bill had wandering eyes and said he couldn’t help but flirt with some sexy laptops on eBay. Cheeky!
6. Val Theroux
There’s tree-hugging, and then there’s full tree-loving tree-hugging. That’s Val’s speciality, as she’s got a special something going on with an oak tree in New Forest, Hampshire.
What are the different types of sexual orientations?
Alongside the traditional orientations of heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual, a myriad other options now exist in the lexicon, including: pansexual (gender-blind sexual attraction to all people) omnisexual (similar to pansexual, but actively attracted to all genders, rather than gender-blind) gynosexual (someone who’s sexually attracted ...
What is the proliferation of sexual identities?
The proliferation of sexual identities means that, rather than emp hasizing gender as the primary factor of who someone finds attractive, people are able to identify other features that attract them, and, in part or in full, de-couple gender from sexual attraction.
What is the difference between demisexual and sapiosexual?
demisexual (sexually attracted to someone based on a strong emotional connection) sapiosexual (sexually attracted to intelligence) objectumsexual (sexual attraction to inanimate objects) autosexual (someone who prefers masturbation to sexual activity with others)
How do individuals internalize the norms laid down by the sciences of sexuality?
Individuals internalize the norms laid down by the sciences of sexuality and monitor themselves in an effort to conform to these norms. The new terms for sexual orientations similarly infiltrate the political discourse on sexuality, and individuals then define themselves accordingly.
What does "sapiosexual" mean?
Just as the terms “heterosexual” and “homosexual” demand that people clarify their sexual preference according to their and their partner’s gender, “sapiosexual” asks that we each of us define our stance towards intelligence. Likewise, the word “pansexual” requires people who once identified as “bisexual” clarify their sexual attraction ...
What does it mean to be omnisexual?
And “omnisexual” suggests that people should address whether they’re attracted to all genders or oblivious to them.
Who made the case that sexuality is a social construct?
In 1976, the French philosopher Michel Foucault made the meticulously researched case that sexuality is a social construct used as a form of control. In the 40 years since, society has been busy constructing sexualities.
Overview
Object sexuality or objectophilia is a form of 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, intellige…
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. 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." According to Marsh, "The emotions and experiences reported by OS people correspond to general definitions of sexual orientation," suc…
OS awareness and advocacy
In 2009, Erika Eiffel appeared on Good Morning America and The Tyra Banks Show 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, fo…
Literature
Marsh sees OS-like behavior in classic literature. 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.
In popular culture
• In 2007 Erika Eiffel married the Eiffel Tower
• In 2010 Woman's Day magazine listed ten romances between people and things, including the Berlin Wall, a fairground ride, a body pillow, a Nintendo video game character, a Volkswagen Beetle, the World Trade Center, a steam locomotive, an iBook and a metal processing system.
See also
• Agalmatophilia
• Animism
• Doll fetish
• List of paraphilias
• Paraphilia
External links
• The OS Internationale website
• Interviews of Eija-Riitta Berliner-Mauer and Erika Eiffel
• Eija-Riitta Berliner-Mauers website