Agalmatophilia

Agalmatophilia is a fetish characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to dolls, statues, and other effigies. The mannequin is of particular interest as an object of sexual fixation. It is, of course, a seductive figure—our culture’s unrealistic and destructive beauty standards embodied in molded plastic. At the same time, the mannequin is predatory. It is a fixture of the retail world and, as such, an unambiguous symbol of consumer capitalism. The mannequin seeks to drain its victim of their essence, whether that means currency, self esteem, or, as in some rare cases, semen. In short: the mannequin is a modern vampire, forever bound to the ruins of the shopping mall, just as the vampires of old were bound to their crumbling gothic mansions.