The ‘PERFECT’ PARTNER: UNDERSTANDING THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF MEN WHO OWN SEX DOLLS

Abstract

The ownership of sex dolls has become an increasingly discussed phenomenon in recent years, with legal scholars and legislators calling for increased regulation and criminalization of such articles. However, our knowledge of sex doll ownership is lacking, and the peer-reviewed literature is especially sparse on detailed phenomenological analyses of the motivations of sex doll owners and their experiences of owning a doll. In this study, we interviewed nine male owners of sex dolls to investigate these issues. Two main themes were elicited from the data: “the ‘perfect’ partner” and “sex doll or love doll?”. In understanding doll ownership in this way, we hope to add to ongoing social discussions about the types of people who own dolls, why they do so, and how dolls act as a functional aspect of their sexual (and nonsexual) lives.

The Usage of Voice in Sexualized Interactions with Technologies and Sexual Health Communication: An Overview

“…Research in hyperrealistic sex dolls, including users who use technological "extensions" such as the smartphone applications mentioned earlier to communicate to the persona, agrees that users do not become illusory when using them and understand the interaction partners are not existing persons. This is evident, for example, in interview studies in which "it" is mainly used as a pronoun despite strong personification [19,20].…”

Fantasy Sexual Material Use by People with Attractions to Children

“…Motivational factors can also be probed using such methods. For instance, although many scholars (and legislators) infer deviant sexuality from the ownership of sex dolls [ 85 – 88 ], emergent phenomenological work by Lievesley and colleagues with men who own sex dolls revealed how these individuals often report ownership of dolls as a functional response to perceived deficits in themselves and potential living partners [ 88 ]. As such, this work further illuminated a range of motivating factors for doll ownership that are perhaps not obvious when simply observing the materials themselves (for survey data showing such a range of motivations, see [ 79 , 89 ]).…”

Sex Doll Specifications versus Human Body Characteristics

“…Previous research shows that both individual and coupled users generally report high levels of user satisfaction (Hanson, 2022b ). In addition to sexual satisfaction, individual users may benefit from a sense of companionship and using sex dolls to explore hobbies, such as erotic photography (Hanson, 2023 ; Hanson & Locatelli, 2022 ; Lievesley et al, 2023 ). Despite self-reported benefits, some scholars are still critical of sex dolls and sex doll users.…”

“…It is possible that there is a preference for White sex dolls. Current empirical research finds that many sex doll owners are White and live in Western countries (Hanson & Locatelli, 2022 ) and that a primary motivation for purchasing sex dolls is the ability to easily meet all of one’s emotional and sexual desires (Hanson, 2022b ; Lievesley et al, 2023 ). Furthermore, as the durability of racial tensions and other structural factors have contributed to racial homogamy despite globalization and immigration, it is possible users would purchase a sex doll of their own race (Jacobson & Heaton, 2008 ).…”

“…This study analyzed sex doll specifications because they are a relatively new embodied artifact designed for sexual activity. Little empirical research on sex dolls designs exists (Döring & Pöschl, 2018 ; Döring et al, 2020 ; Hanson & Locatelli, 2022 ; Lievesley et al, 2023 ). By examining sex dolls’ specifications, we can better gauge how they may or may not realistically represent human bodies.…”