Thread: Is it pathetic/weird to find fictional characters attractive?

Hi Sektor,

I don't think there is anything strange about this. It really comes down to how disruptive that behavior becomes.

In a sense, even between people, one is often attracted to a fictional version of the person initially. We all present ideal versions of aspects of ourselves to others and, in turn, interpret others on the basis of limited knowledge. Make-up, clothing, focusing only on exciting experiences - these are all ways we communicate a limited and attractive representation to others - a fictional representation or window on who we are. Fictional characters are often intentionally made to fill very specific niches and to represent exaggerated or prototypical features. That can be a villain that the audience immediately dislikes - it can also be a love interest that the audience can empathize with. Fiction would have no power if it wasn't able to move the audience to some feeling and consideration and so there would be no love interests if we couldn't at least relate to the romantic tension.

Now, if you want to look at this in an applied sense, perhaps it would be good to consider someone who is 'in love' with a fictional character and limits their romantic feelings for real people. While that can be done in a socially harmless way, I think it would be a case seriously worth some exploration in a counselling/therapy setting, as it could very well reflect significant, deeper issues related to socialization and intimacy. People have a remarkable ability to repress their own problems, so we owe it to ourselves to engage in self-examination when we begin engaging in habits that could reflect this.

What if you find both real life and fictional characters attractive? is it ok then?

You would need to determine if attraction to fictional characters is disruptive to the rest of your life. By most standards, something like that would only ever be considered a problem, clinically, if it was causing someone (a) distress or (b) interfering with their life.

It's a primitive instinctual behavioral tendency interacting with a new-world idea.
The strange thing to do would be to pretend or try to convince yourself that you aren't feeling what you are. I would try to keep control over it. Don't forget that it can never truly happen. But how would you change it even if you wanted to? Pretend? Convince yourself that you aren't attracted to something that you clearly are?

Don't fool yourself. You're fine.

Neither weird nor pathetic. The primary point of art is to make us feel, in my view. Love,regardless of whether its primarily sexual or romantic, would perhaps be the ultimate expression of that. So long as you are able to still distinguish between fantasy and reality and can function in the real world, I'd say you're still healthy.

Also, speaking as an introvert, there's nothing wrong with having no social life.

No, I don't think so.
If we see something that resembles an attractive person, then our brains will react in a similar way.
In fact, this is not much different from finding dream characters attractive - characters in our dreams are not physical beings, yet we can be physically attracted to them.
Our brains don't care whether something consists of physical matter or not, it only cares about accurate visual stimuli.

Originally Posted by Sektor

What if you find both real life and fictional characters attractive? is it ok then?

Of course! And I think most fictional characters ARE made to be attractive, hence there's nothing wrong with us reacting to that.

I even saw an episode of The Graham Norton Show where Eddie Redmayne said he found Nala from THe Lion King attractive when he was younger.

Have you heard of the guy that married his anime pillow? At that stage its a problem. Dude should have just learned lucid dreaming and married her for real