Despite receiving some backlash for promoting unrealistic body expectations, the exact specifications of life like sex dolls have not been thoroughly researched.
To fill this gap, a study compared the measurements of sex dolls sold in the USA to those of American women and men. The study aimed to discover if female dolls were skinny and male dolls overly muscular.
The study also investigated whether female dolls’ breasts and male dolls’ penis’ were larger than those of real humans.
Additionally, the study wanted to find out if there was a preference for a particular ethnicity compared to the US population.
The portrayal of bodies in media has faced criticism for glamorizing and amplifying sexual abilities. The emergence of “realistic” full-body sex dolls and sex robots has brought about a different depiction of sexualized bodies.
Introduction to Life Like Sex Dolls Bodies
Some experts suggest that highly sexualized designs may inevitably impact individuals’ sexual desires and, therefore, unreasonable expectations in terms of body composition.
The primary purpose of this study was to examine and compare the features of sex dolls with those of real-life human bodies.
Sex toys and body ideals
Sex dolls are designed and marketed as tools for sexual arousal and gratification, which is why advertisements emphasize their sexual features.
However, some critics argue that these dolls perpetuate unrealistic standards of gender, sexuality, and race, which may be internalized by individual users and lead to unrealistic expectations when confronted with a real person. I liken it to porn. In porn, all guys have a 10-inch dick, and all women have large, perky breasts, not to mention screaming during orgasm. Pure fantasy, but isn’t that the point?
Many people who have sex dolls report using them as a sub for a real relationship and having a high level of satisfaction in that relationship, not only for satisfaction with sexual pleasure but also for companionship through using the dolls for various activities like erotic photography.
Despite these reported benefits, there are still concerns among certain scholars regarding sex dolls and their owners. For instance, there is evidence that heterosexual men with misogynistic views may be more drawn to artificial companions, raising fears that these abnormal views may be reinforced through the doll.
In looking at sex dolls, it’s hard to miss the hypergendered characteristics, defined as exaggerated secondary sex traits such as an “hourglass” figure for females and muscularity for men. Most criticism, however, has primarily focused on female sex dolls, as they make up the majority of the market.
The gendered design of sex dolls may be alluring, but their primary purpose is for sexual activity. Among sex toy buyers, smaller toys that focus solely on genitalia, such as dildos, masturbation sleeves, and anal plugs are preferred. While realistic-looking genitalia toys typically receive positive reviews online, the most popular models often have abstract shapes and colors (e.g., pink or purple cylinders instead of lifelike replicas.
The fact that many men wished they had larger penises and many women wished they had larger breasts suggests that sex dolls may also embody these desires, which seems obvious. Most of us have an idealized (fantasy) view of a partner’s ideal body type. If you’re purchasing an expensive doll, it only makes sense that you would fulfill that ideal.
Concerning race, there is limited research exists on the race preference of sex dolls. There may be a preference for White sex dolls, as current studies show that many owners of these dolls are, in fact, White and reside in Western countries.
Research Status
While no study has directly compared sex dolls to human bodies, previous research has examined the proportions of human replicas. One well-known study by Norton et al. (1996) determined that Barbie and Ken’s dolls do not accurately reflect the proportions of humans.
In particular, Barbie dolls are less proportional to human females compared to Ken dolls’ resemblance to human males. Although I’m sure if the Ken doll was allowed to have a penis, it would be massive, just like Barbie’s breasts are.
Key Take Aways
Body Size
Female sex dolls have slimmer bodies than female humans in the USA.
Male sex dolls have more muscular bodies than male humans in the USA.
Sex dolls are hypersexualized by exaggerating female breast size and male penis size.
Breast Size
In the USA, female-sex dolls have larger breasts than female humans. According to Forbes & Frederick (2008), 48.6% of female sex dolls had cup sizes E–O, which are large and infrequent enough not to be included in many studies on breast size in young women.
Penis Size
Male sex dolls have larger penises than male humans in the USA. The average penis size in the USA is about 5.5 – 6 inches in length while erect. The average size of a sex doll’s erect penis is about 9 inches. And, on average, the girth was about 1.5 inches larger.
Race
Both female and male sex dolls are disproportionally White compared to female and male humans in the USA.
Findings show that White sex dolls were overrepresented, while other non-White races/ethnicities were significantly underrepresented. Asian dolls, however, made up 25.5% of the sample compared to only 6.3% of the US population. This means that about 60% of both the total doll population and the overall US population were White due to the overrepresentation of Asian female-sexed dolls at 26.4%. It should be noted that male-sexed dolls were primarily White (81.8%).
Sex dolls, which on average cost $2,690.5, are made of TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer) and measure 5′ 3″ in height. On average, female-sex dolls are smaller and lighter than male-sex dolls, just as in humans.
Conclusion
This research enhances our knowledge of how sex dolls represent human bodies. By using quantitative data analysis, this study reveals that both female- and male-sexed sex dolls reinforce societal ideals of sexual attractiveness and, in the US, lack representation of diverse racial and ethnic groups.
This suggests that ideas about desirability from sexual media have been extended to life-size sex dolls. Some may view the trends uncovered in this study as evidence of objectification or fetishization. Still, it is essential to consider how practical constraints, user experience, and fantasies shape the design of sex toys.
Put simply, while critics may desire more “realistic” sex dolls, manufacturers have limited profitable options. Money wins – always.
This post summarized a study published in the Archive of Sexual Behavior.
