"Real Dolls Like Lifeless Corpses" Evoke Violent Crime... Concerns Over Extreme Sexual Objectification of Real Dolls

Real Doll Torso Found in Han River
Photo of Damaged Real Doll Posted Last August
"Feels Like Killing and Trying to Erase Evidence, Damn"
Women's Groups Concerned About 'Extreme Sexual Objectification of Real Dolls'
Experts Say "Male Adult Products Focus on Dominating Women's Bodies"

Real doll. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Isn't it like using it as a sex toy and then discarding it like a corpse?"

Recently, a bag containing a real doll (a sex toy shaped similarly to the human body) was found in the Han River, sparking renewed controversy surrounding real dolls. While it is possible to discard real dolls after use, the manner in which they were disposed of strongly evokes violent crime. Previously, another real doll was found dismembered and posted on an online community, causing an uproar.

Women's groups have pointed out that some men do not merely use real dolls as sex toys but project twisted views of women onto them to fulfill their desires, thereby damaging the dignity of women.

On the 8th, the Yeongdeungpo Fire Station in Seoul announced, "We received a report of a bag floating in the Han River and upon investigation, found that the bag contained a real doll."

According to the fire authorities, at 7:43 a.m. on the 7th, a report was received from the southern end of Seongsan Bridge stating, "A bag is floating on the water." The report suggested it might be a bag belonging to someone who attempted suicide. The rescue team arriving at the scene found a black bag floating on the Han River. Inside the bag was only the upper torso of a real doll.

A fire official stated, "There was no further investigation to find the person who discarded the bag." They added, "The real doll was collected by the fire station and disposed of internally."

Damage to a real doll posted on an online community last August. Photo by Online Community

The problem lies in the process of discarding the real doll. Simply considering that it was placed in a bag and abandoned in the Han River inevitably brings to mind violent crime. This is not the first time a real doll has been discarded in a way reminiscent of violent crime. In August last year, a photo of a real doll with its torso separated and placed in a bathtub was posted on an online community.

The poster said, "I bought a cheap real doll to dispose of it, but I was told I shouldn't just throw it away, and since it was a cheap real doll, there was nowhere to sell it, so I separated it into parts in the bath for two hours and put it in a bag." They added, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. It really felt like committing murder and trying to destroy evidence. Damn." Netizens who saw this reacted with discomfort, saying things like "That's really horrifying" and "Isn't this just a crime?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Concerns that real dolls might be used not just as simple sex toys but to satisfy distorted desires toward women have already been raised by women's groups. It is pointed out that this is an extreme form of sexual objectification.

In August last year, an activist from the Sexual Violence Counseling Center of the Korea Women's Association United held a discussion titled "Let's Talk About Real Dolls: Is Rape Really Okay?" During the discussion, the activist criticized, "A real doll, which accepts anything done to it, shows how women have been portrayed in our society," adding, "It is a representation of women as mere objects."

When asked if real dolls would reduce sexual violence, the activist responded, "The idea that dolls are needed to reduce sexual violence is based on the logic that sexual violence is about sexual release," and emphasized, "Sexual desire is not the desire to rape."

On the afternoon of September 28, 2019, participants are shouting slogans at the 'Protest Against the Ruling Allowing Real Doll Imports' held at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Experts have also pointed out that real dolls can be used not to relieve sexual desire but to express a perspective of domination over women. Professor Yoon Ji-young of Konkuk University's Body Culture Research Institute, in her paper titled "Real Dolls, Eroticism of Domination," noted that real dolls reflect men's distorted views of women.

Professor Yoon criticized, "Adult products for women do not aim to perfectly replicate the male body. If women use devices to focus on what their own bodies feel, male adult products like real dolls focus on dominating the female body, which is a clear difference."

Regarding sexual relief through real dolls, she defined them as "a will to control a passive and always violable female body." She added, "The fact that the female body is shaped as a tool for men's therapy and sexual release is not considered at all in terms of how it causes personal violations or psychological and physical harm to women, or how it can be a source of trauma in certain aspects."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.