We Interviewed the Man Who Made a Boyfriend Out of Empty Wine Boxes (Photos)
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Michael James Schneider — a 44-year-old Portland, Oregon-based author and photographer — has a hilarious Instagram account filled with lots “anti-selfies,” cleverly staged shots of himself falling down, smothered in food or generally being humiliated. But after a breakup in 2015, he wanted to poke fun at photos of “perfect couples,” so he made himself a box wine boyfriend and took romantic photos that have made him internet-famous (although the project still hasn’t gotten him a date, he tells us).
He recently added some new pictures to his Box Wine Boyfriend photo series, so we asked him about it.
Schneider says he made his box wine boyfriend using a wire armature shaped like a human that he found at a Halloween store, empty boxes of wine that he had drank and a lot of superglue. His friend, Niscelle Ward, helped take the photos of him and his Box Wine Boyfriend at home, in the grocery store, in the movie theatre, the gym and at the park.
“His name is Franz,” Schneider told Metro. “He’s not German, he’s from all over, a blend if you will. He’s an idealized, loving, sweet boyfriend.”
Though Schneider says he prefers Cabernet Sauvignon and Oregon-produced Pinot Noir, he busts out the box wine (or cardboardeaux, if you will) if he has friends coming over or needs to “self-medicate.”
He tells us, “I am not actually addicted to wine, but that’s what someone who has 12 or 14 empty boxes of wine just casually laying about, to make a Boxed Wine Boo with would say, isn’t it?”
Here are photos of Michael James Schneider’s box wine boyfriend:
Schneider tells us, “This particular creative project has not gotten me a date — yet — but others in the past have.”
However, he says, “I don’t wield my creative superpowers like an axe, though, I use them selectively. I once started to create a private photo series solely to woo a guy, but he passed on me, so I posted the photos instead.”
