Women undergo plastic surgery to obtain mannequin-like bodies. Meanwhile, inventors are finding new ways to turn mannequins into more real-life women.
I read a fascinating article the other day about a man named Slade Fiero and his RealDolls. Have you heard of these? They are sex dolls that were originally meant to be mobile mannequins, but their real life feel has made them more popular as sex dolls. Sculpted with silicone and hand-painted, they go for $6,500 for a standard up to $50,000 for a customized. Fiero is a RealDoll doctor; he fixes dolls when they get "sick," and sickness can range from leprosy (blotchiness caused by dents in the skin) to breast tumors (silicone implants that improperly hardened). It's a unique sort of medicine because customers trust him with their dolls the way a person would trust a surgeon with his beloved. And much like doctors, he sees bits of the human psyche and its going-ons in relationships. One customer sent him a doll with its leg torn off and knife-like punctures in her calves. Another had said his was in good condition but the jaw was dislocated, nearly hanging around her neck. "Amazing," he says, "that there are human beings out there like that."
Fiero also struck something with me when he spoke about his appreciation of the human form and its aesthetic beauty. I definitely understand that. My bedroom wall is covered with artistic nudes, from Dali's Musical Tempest to Picasso's Blue Nude. The beauty of the human form is something that society naturally appreciates, and we continually find more ways to express our appreciation, whether it be through Greek statues or porn or the desire to blur the line between woman and doll.
I'd also be lying if its "playing God" vibe didn't spark some interest in me. There is a lot to be said for a man who can literally mold a person that can be a your closest companion.
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