On average, the contemporary perception of silicone sex dolls is not healthy. In a 2017 study by East Carolina University published in the Journal of Positive Sexuality, university students were asked about their opinion on using little sex doll to get off, and a good number of them responded with adjectives such as disgusting, strange, weird, and gross. Moreover, one particular adjective that stood out was the word creepy. People have different understandings of the word creepy when they use it in the context of 100cm love doll. For some, the notion of spending time alone engaging in sex with a doll instead of having relations with real people is creepy. To others, the lifeless nature of the anime love doll itself is creepy, and others just find the appearance of the dolls creepy.
Why are sex dolls considered creepy?
It is worth noting that many people associate sex dolls with the 1970s blow-up dolls that resembled rubber chickens more than they did real humans. The early blow-up sex dolls looked sillier than they did sexy. Moreover, it was necessary to inflate these dolls by mouth or a pump to make them usable; imagine going through all that trouble to have sex. Because these early sex dolls were inflatable, they limited their users to certain postures, their touch and feel were not human, and nothing about them would motivate one to want to have sex with them. Nevertheless, having sex with such a thing would be creepy. For a long time, sex dolls were not discussed in the mainstream because most people silently agreed that they were creepy. Moreover, most individuals who used the blow-up dolls did so in hiding due to their stigma.
Changing attitudes towards sex dolls
However, more recently, sex dolls have been creeping into the mainstream. Bachelors and a significant number of women are becoming more excited over sex dolls than ever before, and for the first time, scholars are showing concern over the implication that sex dolls have on real human relationships. The recent media exposure enjoyed by sex dolls has been due to the innovative feats of companies like BBdolls to create hyper-realistic love dolls. Most recently, during the pandemic when most people had to stay at home, the adult industry saw exponential growth, maybe because public spaces were closed and it became difficult to meet new people. However, even without the pandemic, the adult industry has been evolving and growing because of the developments in technology and new synthetic materials.
Sex dolls are no longer the ‘creepy’ blow-up dolls that gave them a bad rap. For example, BBdolls, one of the adult companies that make realistic sex dolls, mention that the industry has seen significant improvements in production, whereby they now integrate new materials that give the dolls a realistic appearance, feel, and experience.BBdolls is one of the leading companies in the sex doll production industry that uses high-quality synthetics to make the dolls, which gives them their human-like appearance; the dolls resemble real people ranging from their skin, hair, eyes, nose and all the other human attributes. Moreover, with the increasing application of AI technology to these dolls, we will soon be living in the science fiction worlds shown in movies where people have sexual and emotional relationships with sex dolls. Nevertheless, judging from the way sex dolls now look and feel, it was inevitable that their sales were going to blow up with or without the pandemic.
Sex dolls, are they healthy?
Now that sex dolls are creeping into the mainstream and attitudes are changing, the growing concern is whether they are healthy or not. Sexbot inventors and the manufacturers of sex dolls usually argue that these hyper-realistic dolls cannot harm; moreover, they have even suggested that sex dolls are therapeutic and can help prevent adverse mental health outcomes by offering users a reliable outlet for their intimate needs and desires. However, what do mental health experts have to say? There is still little research on how interacting with sex dolls affects humans. Recent research by St. George’s University Hospital in London and the NHS set out to find the answers and published some interesting themes in their findings
Some primary themes that came up in the research about the benefits of sex dolls were changing societal norms, treatment of paedophiles and sex offenders, and therapeutic potential. The claims were that by using sex dolls, potential buyers would have less interest in engaging in sex tourism or sex trafficking. It was also argued that the use of sex dolls encourages safer sex, especially the modern sex dolls that use washable materials and are made to be resistant to bacteria. There were also claims that sex dolls could be used beneficially to treat people sexually oriented towards paedophilia and other forms of sexual violence, assault, and harassment.
Anotheer legitimate claim that the study mentioned was that sex dolls could benefit persons unable to enjoy a satisfactory or healthy sex life due to erectile dysfunction, disability, ageing, or loss of a partner. However, some experts warn that the effects may be the opposite for persons using sex dolls for the same reasons mentioned. For instance, one expert argues that sex dolls have the potential to heighten the already existing sense of lack of intimacy. After all, sex dolls and sexbots are still lifeless and cannot reciprocate the human feeling of being wanted and desired.
The making of a sex doll
Modern sex dolls are made from silicon and implanted with hair and eyebrows, which explains why they look so beautiful. BBdoll mentions that their dolls have five layers of makeup and realistic veins to make them more realistic and attractive. Furthermore, the breasts, butt, and vagina of these dolls have been softened to improve users’ experience. Buyers do not just have to enjoy love dolls for the sex but also for their beautiful looks. In fact, not everyone who buys sex dolls uses them for sex. Some buyers are in the fashion industry, and they use these beautiful dolls to model some of their fashion items and cosmetics. BBdoll also mentions that their sex dolls can be customized according to the buyer’s specifications. Hence, a buyer with a fantasy for women with small breasts, red hair, and freckles can have a sex doll made that suits their likes. The potential for customization is endless, making sex dolls even more interesting. BBdolls mention that their company spends a lot of time and energy to improve sex doll designs in their quest to create the perfect doll. Nevertheless, the future of sex dolls looks exciting.
