'Wicker' Fantasy Goes Viral Ahead of Film Release as OB-GYN Warns: 'Not Designed for Receiving Trees'

A bizarre online trend sparked by the upcoming fantasy film Wicker has prompted an OB-GYN to issue a blunt warning about taking the movie's central fantasy into real life. The film's unusual premise has turned wicker furniture into the subject of jokes, memes and even marketing campaigns.

Dr Amy Novatt, an OB-GYN at sexual wellness brand Dame, said that plant-based materials such as wicker can cause cuts, tears, infections and other injuries if used as sexual objects. 'What it was not designed for is receiving trees, shrubs or other plants,' Novatt said. The warning comes as Wicker approaches its theatrical release and the film's unusual romance continues to fuel a viral online trend.

Wicker Fantasy Sparks Online Frenzy

The film follows an ostracised fisherwoman, played by Olivia Colman, who commissions a local basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage, to create her a husband from wicker. Alexander Skarsgård plays the resulting Wicker Husband, whose supernatural romance with the fisherwoman drives the story.

Since the trailer was released, the film's unusual premise has inspired a stream of flirtatious reactions online, with women joking about seeing their wicker furniture in a very different light. Some have joked about caressing or cuddling wicker furniture, while others have highlighted suggestive-looking designs.

The joke has also spilled into home shopping, with IKEA joining the conversation by describing some of its wicker products as 'Husband material'. The online reaction has helped turn the film's deliberately outrageous premise into a viral talking point ahead of its cinema release.

OB-GYN Warns Against Real-Life Experimentation

The online jokes have also prompted a health warning from Dr Novatt, who said the concern begins if people attempt to recreate the fantasy using actual plant-based materials. 'Wood can splinter, and plant material harbors bacteria and molds that can cause infection,' Novatt told the New York Post. She said she had treated patients for cuts, tears, infections and other injuries caused by foreign objects, including cases requiring surgery.

Novatt said the vaginal lining is resilient and can heal quickly, but its natural protective environment depends partly on healthy bacteria, pH and mucus. Rough, breakable or difficult-to-clean materials can create risks of injury or infection.

She advised people to consider whether an object is smooth, unbreakable, cleanable and retrievable before inserting it into the vagina, noting that purpose-designed sex toys are manufactured with safety considerations in mind. 'Fantasy is healthy and to be encouraged,' Novatt said. Her warning was directed at acting on the fantasy with materials that could cause harm, rather than at the fantasy itself.

In the US, nearly 278,000 adults sought emergency care in 2021 for injuries involving foreign objects. A separate US study found that sexual devices accounted for 55.4% of rectal foreign bodies recorded in emergency-department data from 2012 to 2021.

In the UK, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust recorded 242 Emergency Department attendances involving objects inserted into the anus or vagina between 2019 and 2024, with 104 resulting in inpatient admissions.

When Does Wicker Release?

Wicker is directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson and is based on Ursula Wills-Jones' short story The Wicker Husband. The fantasy romance comedy premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and has since screened at festivals including the BFI London Film Festival.

The film is scheduled for a limited US theatrical release on 23 October, followed by a wider US release on 30 October. In the UK, it is scheduled to open in cinemas on 30 October with a 15 certificate.

The film's unusual premise has already generated significant attention, with Black Bear announcing a one-night 4DX screening on 28 October after what it described as fan demand.