Only creepy old perverts have a sex doll hidden under their bed. At least, that’s what sculptor Matt Krivicke thought before he quit his job making Halloween costumes to join a stereotyped industry that proved him very wrong.
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For the past five years Matt has been working for Sinthetics, an LA-based company that makes dolls so realistic it’s hard to believe they are lifeless. These manikins, as he prefers to call them, come with hefty price tags that start at a whopping $5,750 and can reach well in excess of $25,000. But with everything from tan lines and real hair to tattoos, piercings and manicures (all customisable), the level of detail is so outstanding that it’s impossible not to admire them artistically. “I want the dolls to have personalities. The mouth to have the hint of a smile, and the eyes to have soul in them,” he tells me, quickly adding that no, he doesn’t “play” with them himself.
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The overwhelming majority of buyers are “just people with a fascination for the human body”, and Matt argues that many are “saner” than those you meet on the street. He understands that some customers are merely after the best sex doll they can get their hands on, but there is often a deeper longing behind an order.
'Love' doll
Sinthetics does not mass-manufacture their dolls, instead lovingly creating them over the course of six months to a year for people from all walks of life. One of the more touching stories involves a man who bought a doll for sex only to discover that he really cared for it, to the point of brushing her hair out of her face as he walked past. He soon found a community of friends online; “normal people craving connection” who frequent internet forums to talk about their dolls and share photos. Others come to Sinthetics looking for a doll to help them emotionally after the loss of a partner. These buyers may not be ready to date again but don't like being home alone either, so they order a doll as a “bridge” until their confidence returns.
Couples buy dolls as well as singletons, a trend Matt puts down to desire. “The human is a sexual animal with an appetite,” he says. “Couples find the dolls a safe way to introduce another partner as there are no emotions. It’s sexual exploration without cheating.” Dolls are sometimes introduced as sexual surrogates when one partner is unable to enjoy sex, often for health reasons, but the couple do not want outside lovers.