A love doll is a doll of a feminine body shape, made of materials that feel like human skin, and often with female genitals. Often referred to by different names such as sex doll, silicone sex doll or anime sex doll they are designed for sexual pleasure and can be used in many different ways including fetishism, fantasy play, companionship and erotic stimulation.

These dolls are typically made out of medical-grade TPE or silicone and have a metal skeleton inside them that allows for the positioning of the body in a wide variety of poses. They can also be customized by the owner with freckles, scars, piercings or tattoos to make them more realistic. Many of them are also sold with a heating system to simulate the feeling of body heat, or a breathing system that mimics natural respiration.

Love dolls are commonly ラブドール used by men for sexual gratification but can be used by women as well. Whether it is a hobby or an alternative to real relationships the use of these dolls has ramifications both at a personal and societal level. For some of these fetishists, they can serve as the perfect partner because they are unlikely to disappoint or leave them emotionally or physically hurt.

For others, however, they become an obsession that can lead to serious problems such as isolation, anxiety, depression, and addiction. There is a risk that the love doll becomes more important than their actual relationship and they may neglect it or treat it with disrespect. This can have consequences for the health and wellbeing of the owner as they will suffer from a lack of closeness to other people (Brown et al, 2018).

The participants in this study anthropomorphized their dolls in intimate contexts such as cuddling but objectified them in sexual ones. This is a common theme in the literature that discusses the use of love dolls. Some researchers have even suggested that the practice could contribute to an increase in the number of domestic abuse incidents involving women.

Some doll enthusiasts get so attached to their dolls that they hold wedding ceremonies and wheel them around for constant companionship. The Internet offers plenty of odd snapshots of these lovers posing with their dolls in their rooms, their bodies bunching awkwardly under their clothing, arms pushed down to their thighs, and fingers spread wide like frozen jazz hands.

For some, a doll is an emotional outlet for trauma, loneliness or sexual repression and the ability to give the doll their own name and personalize their features gives them a sense of control. This is especially true for introverted owners who might find it hard to interact with other people, and their dolls allow them to have a social life that does not require leaving their homes or making physical contact. In addition, the dolls are less likely to be disappointing than a romantic partner. This is because a doll cannot be capricious or change their personality and does not age, while a real person might have mood swings that can lead to conflict in a relationship.