30 Days of De-Objectification: Nikki Sixx

30 Days of De-Objectification:

Nikki Sixx

Once upon a time, Nikki Sixx had a Tumblr account where he shared his photos, hoping to connect with fellow photography enthusiasts and to showcase his artistic passions outside of music. I always enjoyed seeing his work. I rarely had much to offer other than complimenting the image. I am an extremely amateur photographer. However, I wanted to give praise where it was due to someone who has an eye for compelling images.

Unfortunately for Nikki, he couldn’t escape the Shallow Crew, who only saw him as The Hot Bassist from Mötley Crüe. Since he’s a very busy person, and half the comments on his posts were “OMG NIKKI UR SO HOT!!!1!!!” he decided to focus his energies elsewhere and abandoned Tumblr as a social networking tool.

I once had a brief conversation with Nikki on Twitter, which mostly consisted of nudge-nudge-wink-wink jokes about his statement that he was late getting up that day. I must admit that I was stunned and amazed that one of my favorite musicians and people was conversing with me, but I wanted to treat him like a normal person rather than verbally drooling all over him. He had to get going and I wished him a good afternoon and sat there on my bed in a daze for several minutes, screaming internally: “HOLY SHIT, NIKKI SIXX FUCKING TALKED TO ME!!!!!!”

Here is the thing: despite Nikki being a tremendously charismatic person and, yes, an extremely attractive man, my first thought was not “ZOMG, SOOOO HOOOOOTTTTTT!!!!!” In fact, I wished that I could just meet him for coffee and make a new and really cool friend. I respected his relationship with his now-wife Courtney. Even if there was an opportunity, I wouldn’t have wanted to interfere with what they had together. I was happy for them. Nikki is simply a very interesting and surprisingly nice person, and one can’t have too many of that sort in their life.

Nikki didn’t have an easy start in life. His mother was severely mentally ill. His father abandoned the family. His beloved older sister Lisa disappeared from his life. His mother told him that Lisa didn’t want to be around them anymore. It turned out that Lisa, who had Down’s Syndrome, had been institutionalized. Nikki later reunited with Lisa through his half-brother, Dale. Unfortunately, she died not long after their reunion from cardiac problems.

I enjoy reading Nikki’s accounts of his experiences. He’s a compelling storyteller. I enjoy looking at his photographs. Of course, I enjoy listening to his music. He’s someone that I wish I could have as a friend.

It isn’t that I don’t see the physical attractiveness in someone like Nikki Sixx. It’s simply that he has many other qualities that are far more important. He’s intelligent, talented, and a good person. I feel it is insulting to reduce such a unique individual to mere masturbation material.

It is possible to find a person attractive without objectifying that person. I’m not sure why it’s so hard for some people to understand such a simple concept.

Appreciate, don’t objectify.

Engage higher emotions such as regard and respect. Don’t settle for lust in the dust.

~The Cheese Hath Grated It~