Love has a funny habit of turning up where nobody expects it. For Amanda, a woman from Leeds, it arrived not through a dating app or a chance meeting in a café, but through a chandelier. Her story may sound unusual, but it opens a wider conversation about difference, loneliness and the simple human wish to be understood.
An unusual love story
Amanda describes herself as objectophile, sometimes called objectum sexual. This means she feels romantic attraction towards objects rather than people.
Her feelings began young. At 14, she says she first fell in love with a drum kit. Later, she developed strong emotional attachments to the American flag and the Statue of Liberty. Then came the chandelier.
She named it Lumière, which feels rather fitting. Found online in Germany, the century old chandelier caught her attention immediately. Amanda says she was drawn to its beauty, symmetry and what she describes as its positive energy.
Why Lumière means so much to her
To many people, a chandelier is just something you dust, usually with great reluctance. To Amanda, Lumière is a source of comfort and happiness.
She enjoys its crystals, its sparkle and its presence in her life. She has said that this relationship makes her feel happier than she has ever felt before. That may be difficult for others to grasp, but feelings do not always arrive in tidy, socially approved packaging.
The mental health charity Mind often reminds people that emotional wellbeing is closely linked to feeling accepted and able to live without shame. Amanda’s story sits firmly in that territory.
Facing judgement from others
Unsurprisingly, Amanda has faced mockery and confusion. She admits that the hardest part is not the relationship itself, but the fact that people around her do not understand it.
Her hope is that by speaking openly, she can help others become more tolerant of people who feel different. That includes anyone who has ever felt pushed to the margins because their life does not fit the usual pattern.
The British Psychological Society has often highlighted the value of approaching human behaviour with curiosity rather than instant judgement. In Amanda’s case, that advice feels especially useful.
A different kind of acceptance
Amanda is not closed to human love. She says she has experienced it before and may do so again. For now, though, Lumière has an important place in her life.
Her story is not asking everyone to understand every detail straight away. It is asking for a little more patience, a little less sneering and perhaps a reminder that happiness, acceptance, difference, emotional wellbeing and personal identity can take many forms.
In the end, whether people find her story touching, baffling or oddly poetic, one thing is clear: Amanda wants what most of us want. To be heard, not laughed at. And really, that is not such a strange wish at all.
