Protest movements aside, I don’t think the reaction of most people to mobile sex dolls is that it demeans real life women, so much as that it is creepy. A dildo doesn’t create the same reaction.
“Uncanny valley” has more to do with most people’s reactions than women’s rights. I predict that the sexbot market will be miniscule until robots are able to, basically, pass as humans. Otherwise, it looks too much like having sex with a corpse to be erotic for most folks (while a dildo, exactly because there is no pretense that a human is attached to it, doesn’t provoke the ‘eww, sex with a severed penis’ reaction).
I recall this came up during the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Fans wanted a hook up between John Connor and Cameron. This was the promo photo for the show. obviously a hot actress.
But still, it was a killer robot no different than Arnold’s robot. I never got the shippers that wanted a John/Cameron hookup. Sex with a Terminator? I’ll pass.
I don’t know about shudder, but seeing that thing just turn its head gave me an ‘AAAH! Kill it with fire!’ reaction. It looks like a prop from a horror movie, rather than something I’d want to put my penis into.
But, if people are happy enough with them to shell out the $$$ for them, then fine. Let them have at it. They’re expensive and elaborate sex toys, nothing more. If anyone treats these as anything approaching a replacement for a real woman, then they have issues that won’t be solved by banning these.
Don’t be silly. Women’s sex toys are “empowering” and “liberating”, men’s are “objectifying” and “demeaning” (not to mention “sad” and “creepy”).
Besides, if women need sex toys to get off then it’s men’s fault for not being aware, sensitive, and responsive to their needs, whereas if men need sex toys… see “sad” and “creepy” again.
I think that’s it. Would anyone care to check my math?
They say this every damn time someone invents something. We’re not that far past the age when kids were told to stop reading so much because it was antisocial.
A woman having sex with a fake person is just as sad and creepy as a man. A man using a toy that does not pretend to an actual person is just fine. Couples of all combinations use sex toys together.
The point is simply that making sex toys that mimic humans implies humans are valued only for how well they mechanistically satisfy the needs of others. Now, add that all the images of the sexbots are female figures, and you get zero in that denominator.
(And on average, human males orgasm more rapidly than do females, just like they, on average, have greater upper body strength. Hence toys.)
If things were reversed, we’d hear about how women’s use of sex-dolls indicated that they cared about the whole person, not just their disembodied genitals, whereas men’s creepy fleshlights (or whatever) indicated that they had completely divorced their sexuality from humanity - pure objectification!
Sometimes for amusement, I will pay a visit to Amazon’s sexual wellness shop and read the reviews for SexFlesh sex toys. Those that don’t want to spring for a whole real doll can buy torsos, with or without heads, or just the pelvic region.
There are lots of reviews and the best ones are from verified purchasers. They will rate the feel of each orifice in detail as well as its durability and general construction. Some of them will describe modifications they made in detail. They will discuss care and maintenance. It’s hysterical.
Some of the less racy excerpts are below. I’m not going to post any links they are too NSFW but it’s easy to find.
“I like it when I got it and it felt like real skin. After a week the penis broke off.”
“Not very heavy and a little small, but it doesn’t talk”
“cleaning the device is much like trying to clean a jellyfish - hard to hold and scrub.”
"ONly downside is it becomes cumbersome when trying to use on any other position other than flat on its back. "
“I’m glad I paid extra for the one with the head”
“I don’t mean this as a criticism, as it’s not loud by any means, but don’t expect to do this in the middle of the night without waking your spouse”
“I’d rather use my hand… That’s how bad this is”
“On the other end of the toy, there is a drainage hole and I am not sure if it’s supposed to be used or not, but it also feels pretty good.”
Great, Ann Hedonia, now I have to visit that page to check out the reviews…
Must agree on this part. It’s not just the high price or enlightened attitudes that keeps RealDolls a relatively rare item even among those who can afford them. And the older inflatable doll or full-body pillow toys are viewed mostly as the butt of jokes, not evidence of the violence inherent to the patriarchy.
Disagree with the premise that humanoid-shaped sex toys implies looking at the real human as a toy, but that’s something that can be a difference of opinion. Still, not grounds for preventing their existence in the market. And besides it’s not as if male sexbots would not be be, er, coming right behind.
