Previous feministing posts have brought up the bizarre product that is Real Dolls . These creations are no more real than Barbie dolls. They represent the ultimate objectification of women.

Just a brief overview for those who haven't heard of these horrifying dolls:

The Real Doll company produces anatomically correct female life-sized silicone dolls for a largely male consumer base at the cost of $6,500 to $10,000. An individual can choose between 10 female body types and 14 interchangeable female faces. (The one male model they had was recently discontinued-- I wonder why...) Once constructed, the dolls resemble a human-scaled supermodel Barbie doll. These products are essentially expensive sex dolls.

While some may only use them for sexual gratification, others purchase them as lifelong substitutes for human companions. In BBC's short documentary entitled "Guys and Dolls ," one male owner of a doll comments, "as good as the sex is with them, the peace of mind is even better. All the lies, all the deceit and times I've been used...It'll never happen again." He can now stay home and make youtube videos with his dolls all day long...

Then there are those who buy the dolls solely for sexual amusement and will evenually discard it. It has been argued that this is no different from a woman using a dildo. Which would bring up the argument of whether it was such a controversial buy or not. In Meghan Laslocky's article "Just Like a Woman ," Dr. Douglas Tucker a forensic psychiatrist specializing in treating sexual offenders, "dismissed the notion that Real Dolls are no different than women's dildos or vibrators because lifelike dolls, unlike vibrators, are stimulated humans--they have what he called 'pull.' 'All of a stimuli are telling you it's human,' he says." The dolls may feel human but their unrealistic bodies portray otherwise. Not to mention the fact that they are incapable of communicating and completely submissive to the owner . Reals Dolls bring Barbie in the bedroom, and continue to perpetuate a plastic image for women everywhere.

It is INSANE the amount of money and care these men put into their dolls. If someone happens to own...lets say eight of these, as one of the men in "Guys and Dolls," it would cost up to $80,000 !!! Such a waste!

And yet men are not the only ones cashing in on these dolls... There is a woman named Amber Hawk Swanson who got a Real Doll made in her image in her "artistic," so-called "feminist" project entitled "To Have, to Hold and to Violate." She formally married the doll, creatively named "Amber doll," after tattoing the word "Bully" onto her own wrist and "Prey" onto the doll's wrist. The project continue as the doll is allowed to be violated in public areas and as Amber reenacts violent rape scenes from movies with her. Click here to watch the videos of her explanations as well as some doll interaction (the videos are in faint text under the pictures). Judge for yourself because I am at a loss...

Amber and Amber doll

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5 Comments

August 4, 2008 2:53 PM

[0+]  steph in action said:

I tried to post a picture. Here is a less offensive one...

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August 5, 2008 10:52 AM

[0+]  JenTheFem said:

Yey I'm glad you can finally post! Awesome post. I still don't know what to think of this Amber person. If she was doing it in protest/trying to raise awareness then I could understand; like one of those "truth commercials," but it sounds like she is just embarassing herself.

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August 5, 2008 4:22 PM

[0+]  Lilith said:

A request: Join http://www.dollforum.com. This is a forum devoted to RealDolls and other brands. Scan for posts by members complaining about their lack of success with women. You can usually find these in the "Hello, I'm a new member" type of posts. Reply to these posts with your honest opinions and observations--but don't do it aggressively or insultingly. You will only be banned.
See if you can't start a dialog. I have a feeling you won't be able to, but maybe you can get some of the more thoughtful men to recognize how self-centered they are, and how resentful and hostile they are to women--and maybe that is why they have no success in their love lives.
Here's the kind of thread I'm talking about:
http://www.dollforum.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=20269#211107

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August 6, 2008 12:49 AM

[0+]  steph in action said:

I am still not getting this picture business.
Check out these links:

http://www.moonbattery.com/amber-hawk-swanson.jpg

http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/ourtown/070803/amberdoll/amberdoll1.jpg

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August 8, 2008 3:48 AM

[0+]  spike the cat said:

I saw an HBO show on this. It was for the making of a male doll. I guess the episode was old.

Anyway, I must say that although I find the dolls creepy and distasteful, I'm not really sure if there is a solid argument against people using them.

Some people cannot or don't want to form the emotional connections required to form a sexual relationship. And I also don't really see harm in using the doll to spice things up.

But frankly if a person is so bitter and jaded that he can find emotional and physical satisfaction with only a doll, do you really want to happen across that person on a Friday night? I'd much rather he (or she) stay home with the doll, thank you.

I would be disturbed if people took the dolls out in public to abuse them. Thus, I didn't care much for the "art exhibit" linked above, either. People love to push shit, don't they?

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