How could it be so irresistible? The mystery of falling in love with physical dolls

Maybe it’s because the emotions can’t find an outlet, or maybe the pain of loss is too strong. Many people choose physical dolls as a way to relieve loneliness-dressing them, putting makeup on them and taking pictures, as if they were real. Live and share the bits and pieces of life with yourself.

 

In the movie "The Love of Inflatable Dolls", the hero Lars lives with his lonely parents for many years. Over time, his personality has also changed. He is afraid of getting along with real people and even touching his skin. Si bought Bianca, a silicone doll, as his girlfriend. Not only did he succeed in convincing himself, but even the people around him began to believe that Bianca was a real individual; In the pain of his lover's sudden death in a car accident, he ordered another "he" who can think and talk through the virtual website.

 

Similar stories are not uncommon in novels, movies or TV series. Most of the reasons are to explore how modern people can face pain and heal loneliness through "copying" in an alienated society. It is said that because of the development of the Internet, the establishment of virtual relationships seems much easier, but it makes real interpersonal communication difficult. People are afraid of being rejected, afraid to make promises with others, and even when the other party holds different opinions, we don’t know what to do. How to bridge the gap between each other through communication. Therefore, a physical doll that can't speak and can obey everything seems to be the perfect way to comfort.

 

From showing clothes to comforting loneliness

 

In the early 1990s, sculptor Matt began to design humanoid dolls. His idea was very simple at first. He just wanted to provide the mannequins to clothing stores, and use them to display clothing to increase sales in the store. Later, in addition to the clothing store, he also received orders for custom-made models with "real appearances". Now more than 20 years have passed, Matt's physical doll company Abyss Creation in California, USA can receive about 400 dolls a year. Orders for real-life custom models have become another major source of income.

 

With the development of the Internet, forums for collectors of physical dolls are also growing rapidly in the virtual world. For example, in the Yimei forum, you can share the experience of using dolls with tens of thousands of other users, free from the critical eye of secular public opinion, freely share and upload photos of physical dolls’ home life, and those discarded, old ones Physical dolls can also be freely sold online.

 

Many buyers will buy clothes or cosmetics for the doll, but only less than 10% of them will regard the doll as a "family member", changing the doll's posture and position according to the mood every day. These people not only take good care of the dolls, but also respect each other's relationship from the perspective of friends, as if these cold bodies also have special personalities. At the same time, they are also concerned about how the public views their relationship with physical dolls, and try their best to avoid disclosing the details of their relationship in public, because this may ruin the next chance to meet the right girl.

 

Generally speaking, it takes no less than 10 hours of work to make a physical doll, while the work time to make a full silicone doll is much longer. The production staff must follow every detail of the body, including body shape, face shape, eyes and hair color. , The meticulous production process also keeps the price of the dolls high, ranging from a thousand yuan to more than a hundred thousand yuan. The starting point of owning physical dolls is different. Some people use them as sex toys to satisfy their fantasies; but there are also a small number of people who use physical dolls as props for artistic creation and photography.

 

Let desire manifest through photography

 

Generally speaking, these dolls are the concrete manifestation of human desires, especially when these dolls are photographed by photographers, their hairstyles and clothing must be the most perfect appearance in the photographer's mind. They relish the opportunity to display their dolls, whether it's a private gathering with other dolls or uploading pictures of their dolls' lives online.

 

In the "MEN & DOLLS" feature shot by Danish photographer Benita Markusen, she first approached the doll lovers through the website forum, and then persuaded them to be photographed with the dolls. The people in the picture have their own stories, some are married and have children, some have ended a long marriage, and some are struggling to get out of the pain of widowhood. For them, these dolls provide a complete comfort of mind. Perhaps, they will continue to maintain their living habits with physical dolls until they find their other half many years later.

 

Don't be lonely, our country can also find

 

The "loneliness" of mind and body is not limited to a certain time and place, but a common state of all human beings. In our country, there have long been physical doll companies that provide buyers with diverse needs. Just search for keywords on the Internet, and you will see a wide variety of manufacturers, whether it is Eastern or Western faces, or special pillow dolls, photo albums , Second-hand doll auctions, there are special places to provide exclusive services for lovers.





--Reprinted from the public account: Entity doll combat experience