Musings – Plastic Body Parts; Shudder.

I have a fear of dolls. It’s called Pediophobia, I googled it.

The name itself also looks pretty horrific especially in today’s world and you could easily be mistaken into thinking it is a fear of something else entirely. But it is dolls. This type of fear is also labelled as an automatonophobia which is a ‘fear of humanoid figures’. That sums it up more accurately as on a whole my fear includes anything that is made to look human or animated when it really really shouldn’t.

Now I know that other than Chucky no doll is going to suddenly turn its googly eyed expression in my direction and set chase. I know that the resuscitation aids (who commonly lack arms and legs) are not going to waddle menacingly on their torso’s down the corridor to get me. I know China Dolls in their ridiculously lifelike outfits are not as evil as they appear to be; even if they are often lined up on someone’s bedroom shelf in attack formation. And I know that Marks and Spencer’s manikins with their Per Una outfits and detachable extremities are not possessed with a zombie like need to sample my medulla oblongata.

But still I shrivel at the very thought. I sweat and shiver, every hair on my body stands on end, my stomach turns over and my eyes widen to horror movie proportions. My very core rejects plastic body parts in the same way it would if I was asked to eat a camel’s testicle. (I watch TV, I know my ‘Get me out of here’ boundaries).

What I am trying to say is you can’t help what you fear, however preposterous it might be. And you should never mock another person’s fear; I laughed at a fear of sticky hands and was consequently presented with a Barbie.

Though I have to admit: Barbie? I could kick her ass.

So a fear of dolls…

Irrational: Yes.
Helpless to overcome it: Yes
Praying that when I eventually have a child it’s a boy as footballs and mud are perfectly acceptable in my warped mind: Yes.