Are sex dolls the objectification of women or the solution for the loneliness of many people?
One year before he died, Rene Descartes, a French philosopher, was invited by Queen Christina of Sweden to become her private tutor. Back in 1649, he boarded a ship that was bound to Stockholm along with a young woman who he claimed as his daughter. The young woman’s name is Francine.
No one ever saw Francine again after the voyage began. For this reason, the superstition-ridden sailors of the ship became so curious that they broke into Descarte’s cabin so that they could see Francine for themselves. In the cabin, they saw a life-sized female doll. It was made up of metal and leather, yet resembles a real human woman. In addition, the doll was so perfect that it terrified the cabin crew and threw it overboard.
Ferguson’s “The Sex Doll: A History”
Anthony Ferguson wrote a peculiar story back in 2010. The said story was titled “The Sex Doll: A History.” There, he recounted the story of Francine and admitted that it may be creepy and apocryphal. Yet, the French philosopher is known to be experimenting with making different automatons. He also indeed had a daughter named Francine. However, she had already died nine years before the journey to Sweden began. Francine was five years old when she died.
Moreover, no one really knows what Descartes, a master of logic, was planning to do with his doll. However, the cabin crews who threw it into the sea were aware of at least one possibility. During the 17th century, sailors started taking a prototype of the inflatable doll with them during their voyages. Notably, this century was the great age of exploration. Back then, ocean-crossing vessels were taking ever-long journeys.
These prototypes of inflatable dolls were termed by the French as dames de voyage. They resembled a human woman and are made of fabric that is attached to bamboo poles. These dolls were even wearing a dress, making them more accessible to those who are looking for something where they could vent out their lust.
In 1904, a French catalog described these dolls as something that brings “no fear of blackmail, jealousy, argument, or disease.” the catalog added that the dolls were always available and obedient.
How the Dolls Were Made and their Ancient Poetic Origins
Seafarers who came from the Low Countries made these dolls out of leather stretched on rattan. They left a few of the dolls behind during the course of trading with the Japanese empire during the 18th century.
Moreover, the dolls became known as “Dutch wives” to the Japanese. The name is an epithet that is given to dolls of inferior workmanship.
Furthermore, these artificial human-made dolls carry far more ancient and poetic origins. According to “Metamorphoses,” written by Ovid, the relationship of Pygmalion, a Cypriot sculptor with Galathea is far from being platonic. Yet, Galathea is not a real woman. Instead, she was a perfect female sculpture that Pygmalion had carved.
In despair of his unsatisfying relationships with real human women, the sculptor set out to make his helpmeet. In the story, Pygmalion would often move his hands to test and touch Galathea. He then questioned if his creation could be flesh or just mere ivory. In addition, the story’, which was translated by Rolfe Humphries in 1955, said that Galathea returns all of Pygmalion’s kisses and fancies.
Pygmalion laid Galathea naked on a crimson coverlet, took her to bed, and then put a soft pillow under her. Venus then answered his prayers and then breathes life into the sculpture. After that, Pygmalion came back to where Galathea was. He laid beside her, kissed her, and stroked her breast. As he does those, Galathea seemed to glow.
However, not everyone could get divine assistance. So in its absence, technology becomes present.
Nathaniel, the protagonist in E.T.A Hoffman’s tale called The Sandman is a young student who has an artistic nature. He also has a proclivity to melancholy. His fiancee, Clara, is not someone who was especially sympathetic to any of these tendencies. The male protagonist is traumatized by the violent death of his father at the hands of an associate. In addition, he believes that his father’s killer is the Sandman. Notably, the Sandman is a mythical creature that throws sand into the eyes of children and then plucks their eyes out of the sockets.
He then meets Olympia, the daughter of his teacher. She is very slim, tall, perfectly proportioned, and beautifully-dressed. Nathaniel became attracted to Olympia. He said that she was almost sightless as if Olympia was sleeping with her eyes open. Only when he kissed her she finally rose her hand and her mouth and said “Ah, ah!.
Siegmund, Nathaniel’s friend, to understand his attraction to the blind woman. He even described Olympia as someone whose every movement looks controlled by clockwork. He added that she seems like a soulless regularity of a machine.
Nathaniel’s friends told him that they do not want to do anything with the woman. After that, Nathaniel saw Prof. Spalanzani having quarrels about her with Coppelius. He was the merchant who Nathaniel identified as the Sandman. He then witnessed Olympia fall apart in their hands. The woman, who he adored so much, turned out to be a lifeless doll.
Furthermore, these two stories denote that female dolls were already a part of the early days. These dolls revolved as time passed by. From something made up of leather and rattan to a doll that looks like a real human woman, these sex dolls are now improved using technology. In fact, today’s sex dolls are powered by artificial intelligence. For this reason, they can speak and respond to the touch of their owners. Some high-tech sex dolls even have sensors that heat up to mimic the real temperature of humans. Needless to say, these dolls have been and will always be a part of people’s lives.
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