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Infantilism on CSI

By BitterGrey

For some, the CSI episode "King Baby" was their first exposure to infantilism (and diaper fetishes). Many infantilists were relieved to see that "King Baby" was reasonably well balanced and researched. This is important, because this top-rated, prime-time drama tends to leave a lasting impression. The furry fandom is still trying to live down the distortions of a previous episode, "Fur and Loathing." Of course, "King Baby" still left viewers with a few questions.

Do grown men really wear diapers and play baby?

Yes, grown men (and women) really do. However, not all infantilists are the same. Some, like Bruce Eiger, enjoy acting like a baby with a comforting mommy. The show called these "drinkers and stinkers," but "Adult Baby" (AB) is the common name. They like to dress like babies, and play non-sexually. Many would like to have a nursery like Bruce's, but few have anything so elaborate. Few adult babies have given up solid food for milk, and many don't like to soil their diapers.

In contrast to the adult babies, some other infantilists have a diaper fetish. For them, the diapers and other items are sexual. They may masturbate in diapers, use them during foreplay, or ask their partner to wear them instead of lingerie. They are called "Diaper Lovers" (DL).
For more information about adult babies and diaper lovers, see "What is infantilism."

"But...DIAPERS?"

As a crime drama, CSI did a fair job of speculating about the causes of infantilism. Since there are different types of infantilism (as opposed to one true infantilism), different causes should be expected. CSI presented a few of these and was balanced: They didn't advocate any one answer as the only possible cause.

It's first suggestion was that the diapers were a "transitional object," something that the infantilist latched on to and didn't let go of as they grew older. Of course, as they joked, blankets are the typical transitional object, and blanket fetishes don't seem to occur. Furthermore, if this was the cause, it would force infants raised in cloth diapers would latch onto cloth diapers, the ones that they were transitioning out of. Some infantilists who were children of the Seventies (including myself) latched on to disposables, a type of diaper we didn't wear as infants. We would see disposables later, as children, after the transition.

The second explanation CSI offered was a lack of maternal love. Again, this seems intuitive, but doesn't explain the infantilists that came from loving and supportive families. There are also many abusive homes, but relatively few infantilists.

Overall, I have to side with Grissom. Freudian mechanisms and behavioral eroticizing play roles that are hard to summarize. No one theory explains all infantilists. Different cases, different causes.

For more information about why adult babies and diaper lovers wear diapers, see "Why?"

If your child/brother/friend/spouse has just told me about his/her infantilism...

For a crime drama, "King Baby" presented infantilism well. However, it was just a TV show, and needed to leave a lot out. It was useful as a starting point for discussions and your own research.

> ABs on TV

- Updated:24 March 2011 1st:22 Feb 2005

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