In a bid to explore the affinity some men (and as it turns out women as well) have with their real life mannequin sex dolls, photographer Benita Marcussen set about documenting various users experiences and why and how they came to have such deep bonds that most of us would find squeamish and alienating. Which is to suggest the existence of such sex dolls goes beyond the desire for physicality but also addresses a desire for companionship and a closer connection to the greater world, even a skewed make believe one…
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After getting to know her subject matters and gaining their trust via online forums over the course of a year the Copenhagen-based photographer set about capturing an intimate expose of these men's secret world. The body of work would lead to a photo series aptly titled: 'Men & Dolls.'
Explains the UK's mirror: The realistic silicone love dolls – many of which have interchangeable faces to reflect different 'moods' – sell for more than £1,000, and in some cases have retailed at more than £33,000 ($51 600 USD)
Asks Benita Marcussen of her subjects: 'Are you not afraid?'
Perhaps the better question may have been: 'Weren't you afraid if you hadn't taken the plunge?'
In setting about documenting her photo expose the photographer told via the UK's dailymail: 'Besides being initially curious to see how well engineered these dolls are, I am hoping the story will move some of the prejudices I was met with at the beginning of the project.'
In photographing her expose, Marcussen tells how she met a string of doll owners – some married, some divorced and one an elderly man who lived with his parents. For some of the owners, the life-sized dolls are their sole companion, others are married with children.
Offering: 'All men have different stories and reasons for owning and living with dolls. They cannot be categorised together even though all of them agree that dolls ease the pain of loneliness.'
One doll owner, 'Deerman' would tell how he came to adopt sex dolls after losing his wife to cancer and struggling to meet another partner, which soon led to the man buying a doll that looked like his wife whom he called 'Erica.'
Notes vocativ: Worldwide the "real doll" community is growing fast. At DollForum.com, aspiring and active owners can share their experiences with the 41,000 users who love these artificial ladies. There, they can speak freely and share pictures of their dolls without being judged. There are also a virtual marketplaces where dolls old and new are bought and sold, as well as offline meetings where owners can show off their dolls.
The silicone dolls themselves take 80 hours to produce at manufacturers Abyss Creation in California, which sells the life-like silicon models worldwide.
Abyss allows buyers to customize dolls, selecting body type, hair color, cup size, ethnicity and nail and lip coloring. The only thing limiting owners from there on is the range of experiences they can seek to devise and replicate with new found friends and lovers that may not have existed until now.
Phil stopped smoking for a year to be able to afford his doll Jessica, and his friends all know of her existence. He says he is under no illusions that she is a doll, and not a real woman, but does not care what anyone thinks about his choice of lifestyle
Sam has had Paula for years, and although his wife is accepting of the doll, he keeps her out of their house and daily lives so their children who still live at home do not find out about her. The bands around the doll's wrists are protecting them as they are very fragile and are starting to come loose
Everard, pictured in his garden with his doll Anouska, has collected dolls for years and prefers silicone models instead of the softer versions, known as 'teddy-babes'. His haul of 12 dolls includes figures made in the US, Russia and Asia dolls. He has eight bodies, but four extra faces, enabling him to create new dolls
Bianca with actor Ryan Gosling in the film, which told the story of a young man, played by Gosling, who developed a romantic relationship with a love doll
It is not just men who find companionship with the lifelike mannequins. Angela, pictured with Anna, bought her first doll in 2014 and owns two faces for the model so she can change her look and personality
Kharn (right) does not have a sexual relationship with Alektra and does not see her as a girlfriend, but solely as a doll who he likes to photograph but who will never be able to replace a real woman. He is still hoping to meet the love of his life.
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Moving the dolls around the house can cause back pain if they are not lifted correctly, and because the dolls are so fragile their PVC or metal skeleton can push through the silicone skin if they are dropped or damaged. Pictured is Everard with his doll Faina
The silicone dolls, such as Courtney (pictured) can be very fragile and often get small injuries, such as this cracking around the doll's mouth. Often owners can send them back to the factory to be repaired.
A doll in a box is ready to be shipped from Abyss Creation
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