Mannequins

Mannequins are one of the prime examples Sigmund Freud gives for the term uncanny. They're unfamiliar in the sense that they aren't human, but eerily familiar in the sense that they are meant to imitate humanity. Mannequins alone, without hair or clothing, is less uncanny than when they are dressed up. When they have nothing on them, it is more identifiable as a mannequin. Yes, it is still creepy to see a human body that isn't human; however, it's worse when clothes and wigs are put on them. Now they aren't just plastic body shapes, they are mannequins trying to imitate life. When these characteristics are giving to inanimate objects, it gives us a weird feeling. You know they aren't real but because of the uncanny resemblance you think it might move at any moment. An example given in class was an episode of the Twilight Zone where mannequins are each given a month outside of the store to live as everyday humans. This idea arose because of the creepy feeling we get from mannequins. No one would like to think that the person next to them could be a fake resemblance of life. This idea of inanimate objects coming to life applies to anything and was also used in toy story. Even as a kid I wanted my toys to come to life, but at the same time I was scared of it because they're not supposed to live.