A woman once made headlines around the world after saying she had a deep emotional connection with the Eiffel Tower.
Years later, an old video resurfaced online, leading to a bizarre new claim: the woman had supposedly left the Eiffel Tower after falling in love with a fence.
The story sounds unbelievable — and parts of the viral version are misleading.
Here’s what actually happened.
Who Is Erika Eiffel?
The woman at the center of the story is Erika LaBrie, who later became known publicly as Erika Eiffel.
She became internationally known for her unusual emotional relationships with inanimate objects, a phenomenon she described as objectum-oriented.
In 2007, she held a symbolic commitment ceremony with the Eiffel Tower and subsequently adopted the surname Eiffel. The ceremony was not a legally recognized marriage, but it represented a serious personal commitment for her.
Her story later became the subject of the 2008 documentary Married to the Eiffel Tower, which explored people who form emotional or romantic attachments to objects.
Why Did She Become Attached to the Eiffel Tower?
According to accounts about Erika, her attraction to objects began long before the Eiffel Tower.
She described feeling unusually strong connections with certain objects and structures, including an archery bow that became an important part of her life.
Eventually, the Eiffel Tower became the object with which she felt the strongest connection.
Her relationship attracted enormous media attention, particularly after the documentary about her life was released.
But Erika later criticized some of the media coverage, arguing that aspects of her story had been sensationalized and that the documentary placed too much emphasis on the sexual side of her relationship with objects.
What About the Fence?
This is where the recent viral posts become confusing.
An old documentary included footage of Erika interacting with a red picket fence. In the footage, she talked about being attracted to the geometry and structure of the fence.
That footage has recently resurfaced on social media.
Posts began claiming that Erika had “divorced the Eiffel Tower because she fell in love with a fence.”
That makes for an eye-catching headline, but it needs context.
The fence footage was originally part of older material about her attraction to objects. It wasn’t simply a new event in which she suddenly abandoned the Eiffel Tower for a fence.
Did She Actually Divorce the Eiffel Tower?
There is an important distinction here.
Erika’s original ceremony with the Eiffel Tower was symbolic rather than legally recognized. Therefore, the word “divorce” in viral posts shouldn’t be interpreted in the same way as a legal divorce between two people.
Some newer reports have repeated the claim that she eventually ended her relationship with the Eiffel Tower and became interested in a fence.
However, the viral social-media version often removes the historical context and makes the story sound like a conventional romantic breakup.
It wasn’t.
Why Is the Story Going Viral Again?
The combination is almost perfect for social media:
A woman “married” the Eiffel Tower. Then she supposedly fell for a fence.
Old documentary footage, unusual subject matter and a shocking headline have made the story easy to repost without context.
And because the original events happened years ago, many people seeing the posts today may assume that the story is a brand-new development.
It isn’t.
Much of the material being shared comes from older interviews and documentary footage, which has been given a new life through social media.
The Strange Story Behind the Viral Headline
Erika Eiffel’s story is genuinely unusual, but the internet version is considerably simpler than reality.
She did hold a symbolic commitment ceremony with the Eiffel Tower in 2007 and became known for her emotional connections with inanimate objects. Her story was later documented on television.
The famous fence footage also exists.
But the viral claim that she simply “divorced the Eiffel Tower and fell in love with a fence” turns a complicated, years-old story into a one-line shock headline.
And that’s exactly why the story keeps coming back.
The Bottom Line
Yes, Erika Eiffel really became famous for her symbolic commitment to the Eiffel Tower. Yes, old footage shows her discussing an attraction to a fence. But the viral “Eiffel Tower divorce for a fence” story leaves out important context.
What looks like a bizarre new love triangle online is actually a much older story that social media has repackaged for a new audience.
