Katoptronophilia
Katoptronophilia is a paraphilia for mirrors (the Greek word for mirror is katoptron). It may include activities such as having sex in front of mirrors, masturbating in front of mirrors, enacting other paraphilias in front of a mirror, having an orgy in front of a mirror, or enacting stripping fetishism in front of mirrors.
Enacting katoptronophiliac fantasies may involve constructing environments for erotic activity in which one is completely surrounded by mirrors, sometimes including even on the ceiling. A person who is a katoptronophiliac may put mirrors all over their house so they can have sex in any room in the house.
Many pornographic films show porn stars having sex in front of mirrors. Many people enjoy having sex in front of mirrors and have mirrors in their bedrooms in which they can watch themselves have sex. They sometimes engage in this activity for their personal enjoyment. On a deeper level this could relate to the person's need to reflect and critique themselves, and also being on a mental state of narcissism. The person often is solely absorbed in themselves and likes to watch their actions so as to admire.
Katoptronophilia in popular culture
- RnB singer Ne-Yo included a song on his debut album In My Own Words entitled "Mirror", describing the fetish.
- In the film, The Dreamers, from Bernardo Bertolucci, there is a scene in which one of the main characters practices the fetish.
- The film American Psycho (film) also contains a scene in which the protagonist, Patrick Bateman admires himself in the mirror whilst having intercourse with two escort girls, one of whom tries to get his attention shortly afterwards, apparently unsuccessfully, implying Bateman's fixation on his own image.
Further reading
- Pendergrast, Mark Mirror, Mirror: A History of the Human Love Affair With Reflection New York: 2003 Basic Books Perseus Book Group ISBN 978-0-465-05470-1