by Meghan Rizzo

Created on: August 06, 2009   Last Updated: January 16, 2010

A woman's heart is a vessel of complex desires.  Within it lies a conflict between needs and dreams. The woman needs security and comfort, but craves adventure. She wants to be treated well, but understands the allure of the 'bad boy.' She knows there is no such thing as a perfect relationship, but she will never give up on true love.

No matter how content she may be, no matter how many of her needs are met, at times, wistful memories of beloved childhood fairy tales and their 'happily ever afters' arise. When life becomes routine and just a bit too comfortable, a certain longing takes hold, an escape is needed, and this woman suddenly finds herself 'in love' with a fictional character.

Fictional characters represent the absolute ideal. They are perfect to the point of being inhuman (and some of them are).  These characters lead lives full of adventure and drama, without tending to the mundane and routine daily necessities such as eating or doing the laundry.  A women smitten with such a character imagines herself his beloved companion. She lives vicariously through the pages of a book or the glow of a TV screen.

Surprisingly, some of the characters women lust after possess highly undesirable traits. Dr. Gregory House, for example, of the TV show House M.D. has become quite the sex symbol. However, his character is addicted to narcotics, he is cold and mean-spirited, and he takes a sadistic sort of pleasure in making others uncomfortable. So, why the appeal? The woman in love with such a character imagines herself being the sole individual who can tame the beast within, and how special she would feel if she were the only one considered worthy enough not only to be treated nicely by such a character, but to be adored by him.

The same thought process applies to the current vampire mania.  It would take a woman of great intellectual and sexual prowess to be able to hold the attention of an individual possessive of hundreds or thousands of years of knowledge and experience!  If he is the violent type of vampire, but would never harm her, that makes her truly unique.

While it might seem peculiar for a woman to daydream about someone who doesn't even exist, women who fall in love with fictional characters are not delusional. They do not expect their objects of affection to climb out of their novels or TV screens and sweep them off their feet. They are merely indulging in fantasy, and this is a healthy outlet

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