Sex Doll Specifications versus Human Body Characteristics.

Sex dolls have been criticized for reproducing unrealistic expectations about human bodies. Yet precise sex doll measurements are lacking in the literature nor has there been any systematic attempt to determine the extent to which sex dolls exaggerate human characteristics. To address this gap, we compared the specifications of sex dolls marketed in the USA with the characteristics of women and men living in the USA. Specifically, we tested if and to what degree female dolls were slimmer (H1) and male dolls more muscular (H2) than female and male humans, respectively. Furthermore, we tested if and to what degree female dolls' breasts (H3) and male dolls' penises (H4) were larger than those of women and men. We also tested if sex dolls' observed race/ethnicity was more often White than that of the US population (H5). In 2023, we collected the measures of all 757 full-body sex dolls marketed by the US retailer SexyRealSexDolls.com. Body measures from the US population were extracted from scientific literature. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed using R. All hypotheses were fully or partially confirmed, which indicated that sex dolls marketed in the USA are not realistic depictions of the US population but hypergendered (H1, H2), hypersexualized (H3, H4), and racially fetishized (H5). Implications of the lack of realism are discussed.

Gaining an Empathetic Insight into Parenting: Evaluating Infant Simulator Dolls for Professional Learning.

The development of an empathetic approach when working with parents and families is fundamental to both social work and children's nursing; however, opportunities to develop this are limited. RealCare Baby infant simulator dolls were used with the aim of enabling students to gain an empathetic insight into parenting. A qualitative, evaluation study involving semistructured interviews with 10 social work and 11 children's nursing students was undertaken to evaluate experiences and views of infant simulator dolls, in relation to professional learning. Using reflexive thematic analysis of interview data, six key themes were identified: (1) positive experiences, (2) challenges, (3) impact on self, (4) empathy toward parents, (5) realism and (6) learning by reflection. All themes were evident from the participants' accounts in the context of the parenting experience. In addition to the overall positive impact on students, practical and technical challenges were also identified. However, despite these difficulties, participants valued the learning experience gained from caring for a doll and many articulated how an empathetic understanding of the parenting role was enhanced. This will potentially enable social work and children's nursing students to support parents more sensitively and empathetically.

Fashion versus fitspo: The effect of viewing images of contemporary Barbie® dolls in passive versus active poses on college women's body image and affect.

The modern millennial- and Gen Z-targeted Barbiecore feminist movement has emerged in tandem with Barbie®'s reinvention to inspire inclusion and active play. Stimulated by these media trends, the present study using a pre-post experimental design evaluated whether exposure to images depicting contemporary passively-posed Barbie Fashionista® (BF) dolls versus images of actively-posed Barbie Made to Move® (M2M) "fitspiration" dolls versus images of Lego Friends® (LF) scenes would differentially affect aspects of state body image and affect in a sample of 106 racially-diverse young adult college women (MAge = 19.2, SD = 1.39). ANCOVA models assessed the effects of condition on post state measures while controlling for baseline state measures. Results indicated that participants exposed to the BF images reported significantly lower body appreciation relative to those who viewed the LF play sets. A similar trend emerged for participants shown the newer M2M doll images. Additionally, viewing images of the actively-posed M2M dolls was associated with marginally higher appearance comparison scores versus the LF control. These initial findings have implications for considering the relevance of expanded digital strategies for marketing more realistically appearing and functioning Barbie® dolls in affecting the body image experiences and potential purchasing choices of young adult female consumers.

Consumer Visual and Affective Bias for Soothing Dolls.

Soothing dolls are becoming increasingly popular in a society with a lot of physical and mental stress. Many products are also combined with soothing dolls to stimulate consumers' desire for impulse buying. However, there is no research on the relationship between consumers' purchasing behavior, consumers' preference for soothing dolls, and visual preference. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible factors that affect the emotional and visual preferences of soothing dolls. Two local stores' sales lists were used to extract three different types of dolls. The 2D and 3D versions of these three dolls were used. Subjective emotional preferences were examined by the self-assessment manikin (SAM) scale, with 5-point Likert scales for valence and arousal factors. An eye tracker was used to examine visual preferences, both before and after positive/negative emotion stimulation by the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). There were 37 subjects involved, with an age range of 20-28 years. The experimental results show that the average valence/arousal scores for 2D/3D dolls were (3.80, 3.74) and (2.65, 2.68), respectively. There was no statistical difference, but both 2D and 3D pictures had high valence scores. Eye tracker analysis revealed no gaze difference in visual preference between 2D and 3D dolls. After negative emotional picture stimulation, the observation time of the left-side doll decreased from 2.307 (std 0.905) to 1.947 (std 1.038) seconds, p < 0.001; and that of the right-side picture increased from 1.898 (std 0.907) to 2.252 (std 1.046) seconds, p < 0.001. The average observation time ratio of the eye on the 3D doll was 40.6%, higher than that on the 2D doll (34.3%, p = 0.02). Soothing dolls may be beneficial for emotion relaxation. Soothing dolls always have high valence features according to the SAM evaluation's measurement. Moreover, this study proposes a novel research model using an eye-tracker and the SAM for the SOR framework.

Exploring the Ownership of Child-Like Sex Dolls.

There is a fervent social debate ongoing that relates to the ownership of child-like sex dolls. On the one hand, some proponents of dolls suggest that they offer a safe sexual outlet for minor-attracted people (MAPs) and could be used in efforts to prevent the sexual abuse of children. On the other side of the debate, child-like dolls are seen as articles that sexualize children, encourage deviant fantasies, and increase offending risk. To date, no empirical analyses have been undertaken with people who own such dolls. In this paper, we present data from child-like sex doll owners (n = 85) and MAPs who do not own dolls (n = 120) recruited from online forums visited by people who own sex dolls or forums for people with sexual attractions to children. Specifically, we compared their psychological characteristics and proclivities for sexual aggression. Among non-owners, 79.2% of participants declared an interest in owning a sex doll, which is higher than the 20-40% rate reported in adult-attracted samples of non-owners. We found few differences between the groups on most personality variables, with doll owners being less antisocial and anxiously attached than non-owners, but exhibiting more schizotypal traits. Related to offending proclivities, doll ownership was associated with lower levels of sexual preoccupation and self-reported arousal to hypothetical abuse scenarios, but higher levels of sexually objectifying behaviors and anticipated enjoyment of sexual encounters with children. We discuss these data in relation to a functional model of child-like sex doll ownership among MAPs.

Exploring the Materials and Condition of 20th-Century Dolls in Zoe Leonard's Mouth Open, Teeth Showing 2000.

Systematic condition and analytical surveys were carried out on Zoe Leonard's (b. 1961) Mouth Open, Teeth Showing 2000, an installation artwork in Tate's collection consisting of 162 children's dolls. The dolls were manufactured at various points within the 20th century and encompass several potentially problematic synthetic polymers found in modern and contemporary museum collections. To explore the doll materials and conservation condition, a multi-analytical approach was used to identify key synthetic polymer types and additives present, including portable and bench analytical techniques. Challenging degradation phenomena associated with different types of doll have been discussed and related to their material composition, which has helped our understanding of the conservation challenges inherent to this contemporary artwork.

Can realistic dolls protect body satisfaction in young girls?

Ultra-thin fashion dolls may represent a risk factor for thin-ideal internalisation and body dissatisfaction amongst young girls. We asked thirty one 5- to 9-year-old girls to engage in interactive play with commercially available dolls which were either ultra-thin (Barbie and Monster High) or represented a putative realistic childlike shape (Lottie and Dora) and to indicate their perceived own-body size and ideal body size on an interactive computer task both before and after play. There was a significant interaction between testing phase and doll group such that playing with the ultra-thin dolls led to the girls' 'ideal self' becoming thinner. A further 46 girls played with the ultra-thin dolls and then played with either the same dolls again, the realistic childlike dolls, or with cars. Initial play with the ultra-thin dolls again produced a drop in perceived ideal own body size; however, no group showed any significant change in their body ideals during the additional play phase. These data indicate the potential benefit of dolls representing a realistic child body mass to young girls' body satisfaction and do not support the hypothesis that the negative impacts of ultra-thin dolls can be directly countered by other toys.

Sex Doll Ownership: An Agenda for Research.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The topic of sex doll ownership is becoming an increasingly discussed issue from both a social and legal perspective. This review aims to examine the veracity of the existing psychological, sexological, and legal literature in relation to doll ownership. RECENT FINDINGS: Strong views exist across the spectrum of potential socio-legal positions on sex doll ownership. However, there is an almost total lack of empirical analyses of the psychological characteristics or behavioral implications of doll ownership. As such, existing arguments appear to represent the philosophical positions of those scholars expressing them, rather than being rooted in any objective evidence base. Despite an absence of empirical data on the characteristics and subsequent effects of doll ownership, discussions about the ethical and legal status of doll ownership continue. This highlights a real and urgent need for a coherent research agenda to be advanced in this area of work.

Psicoterapia psicodramática bipessoal com bonecos / Bipersonal psychodramatic psychotherapy with dolls / Psicoterapia psicodramática bipersonal con muñecos

O psicodrama com bonecos e brinquedos com adultos revelou ser um recurso poderoso na psicoterapia psicodramática bipessoal, na qual não há presença de grupo. A objetivação em cena de uma situação de conflito ou queixa subjetiva do paciente é realizada por meio de imagem psicodramática. Este artigo apresenta as possibilidades de manejo, com base em casos clínicos, tendo por referência as técnicas de Moreno e a fundamentação teórica das técnicas de construção de imagens de Rojas-Bermúdez.

Psychodrama with puppets and toys with adults proved to be a powerful resource in bipersonal psychodramatic psychotherapy, in which there is no group. The objectification on the scene of a conflict situation or a subjective patient complaint is accomplished through a psychodramatic image. This article presents the management possibilities, based on clinical cases, bearing as reference Moreno’s techniques and the theoretical foundation of Rojas-Bermúdez’s image construction techniques.

El psicodrama con muñecas y juguetes con adultos ha demostrado ser un recurso poderoso en psicoterapia psicodramática bipersonal, en la que no hay presencia de grupo. La objetivación en la escena de una situación de conflicto o una queja subjetiva del paciente se logra a través de una imagen psicodramática. Este artículo presenta las posibilidades de manejo basadas en casos clínicos, teniendo como referencia las técnicas de Moreno y los fundamentos teóricos de las técnicas de construcción de imágenes de Rojas-Bermúdez.

Oficina de bonecxs sexuadxs - um relato de experiência / Taller de muñecxs sexuadxs - un relato de experiencia / Sexed dolls workshop - an experience report

Este texto relata a experiência de oficinas de bonecxs sexuadxs realizadas em cursos e atividades de extensão, com o objetivo de discutir temas ligados a gênero, sexualidade, direitos sexuais e reprodutivos, e estimular o uso de bonecxs para a identificação de violência sexual e para a promoção à saúde. O processo de construção de bonecxs instiga problematizações sobre gênero e permite explorações em relação à corporeidade, quando se contrasta o ideal do corpo perfeito com o corpo real. As oficinas são encontros dialógicos nos quais as pessoas conversam, contam episódios de suas vidas e falam sobre sexualidade, violências e resistências enquanto costuram. Esse relato refere-se a sete oficinas, das quais participaram estudantes e profissionais, atingindo mais de cem pessoas. As oficinas permitiram um espaço de reflexão, diálogo e criação e podem ser consideradas um dispositivo de educação permanente em saúde.

Este texto relata la experiencia de talleres de muñecxs sexuadxs realizados en cursos y actividades de extensión con el objetivo de discutir temas relacionados a género, sexualidad, derechos sexuales y reproductivos e incentivar el uso de muñecxs para la identificación de violencia sexual y para la promoción de la salud. El proceso de construcción de muñecxs instiga problematizaciones sobre género y permite exploraciones con relación a la corporeidad cuando se contrasta el ideal del cuerpo perfecto con el cuerpo real. Los talleres son encuentros dialógicos en los cuales las personas conversan, cuentan episodios de sus vidas y hablan sobre sexualidad, violencias y resistencias mientras cosen. Este relato se refiere a siete talleres, en los que participaron estudiantes y profesionales. alcanzando más de cien personas. Los talleres permitieron un espacio de reflexión, diálogo y creación y pueden considerarse un dispositivo de educación permanente en salud.

This text reports the experience of conducting sexed doll workshops in extension courses and activities with the aim of discussing themes related to gender, sexuality, sexual and reproductive rights, and of stimulating the use of dolls in the identification of sexual violence and in health promotion. The process of constructing the dolls instigates questions about gender and allows explorations in relation to corporeity, when one contrasts the ideal of the perfect body with the real body. The workshops are dialogic meetings where people tell episodes of their life and talk about sexuality, violence and resistance while they sew. This report refers to seven workshops attended by students and professionals, reaching more than 100 people. The workshops enabled a space for reflection, dialogue and creation, and can be considered a permanent health education device.

Optimizing parents' performance in anticonvulsant rescue medication administration.

OBJECTIVE: Parents of children with epilepsy are at risk of committing high-risk handling errors with a high potential to harm the patient when administering anticonvulsant rescue medication. We developed a training concept addressing identified high-risk handling errors and investigated its effects on parents' skills. STUDY DESIGN: In a controlled prospective intervention study, parents of children with epilepsy were asked to demonstrate their administration of rescue medication by using dummy dolls. A clinical pharmacist monitored rectal or buccal administration and addressed errors in the intervention group with training and information sheets. Three to 6weeks later, intervention's sustainability was assessed at a home visit. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-one parents completed full study assessment: 92 in the intervention group and 69 in the control group. The number of processes with at least one handling error was reduced from 96.4% to 56.7% in rectal tube administration and from 66.7% to 13.5% in buccal administration (both p<0.001). CONCLUSION: A one-time intervention for parents significantly and sustainably reduced high-risk handling errors. Dummy dolls and information sheet were adequate for an effective and feasible training to support the correct administration of anticonvulsant rescue medication.

Thin and sexy vs. muscular and dominant: Prevalence of gendered body ideals in popular dolls and action figures.

We examined the extent to which popular dolls and action figures were portrayed with gendered body proportions, and the extent to which these gendered ideals were associated with heterosexual "success." We coded internet depictions of 72 popular female dolls and 71 popular male action figures from the websites of three national stores in the United States. Sixty-two percent of dolls had a noticeably thin body, while 42.3% of action figures had noticeably muscular bodies. Further, more thin dolls were portrayed with more sex object features than less thin dolls, including revealing, tight clothing and high-heeled shoes; bodies positioned with a curved spine, bent knee, and head cant; and with a sexually appealing facial expression. More muscular male action figures were more likely than less muscular ones to be shown with hands in fists and with an angry, emotional expression, suggesting male dominance.

From Packed "Sandwich" to "Russian Doll": Assembly by Charge-Transfer Interactions in Cucurbit[10]uril.

As the host possessing the largest cavity in the cucurbit[n]uril (CB[n]) family, CB[10] has previously displayed unusual recognition and assembly properties with guests but much remains to be explored. Herein, we present the recognition properties of CB[10] toward a series of bipyridinium guests including the tetracationic cyclophane known as blue box along with electron-rich guests and detail the influence of encapsulation on the charge-transfer interactions between guests. For the mono-bipyridinium guest (methylviologen, MV2+ ), CB[10] not only forms 1:1 and 1:2 inclusion complexes, but also enhances the charge-transfer interactions between methylviologen and dihydroxynaphthalene (HN) by mainly forming the 1:2:1 packed "sandwich" complex (CB[10]⋅2 MV2+ ⋅HN). For guest 1 with two bipyridinium units, an interesting conformational switching from linear to "U" shape is observed by adding catechol to the solution of CB[10] and the guest. For the tetracationic cyclophane-blue box, CB[10] forms a stable 1:1 inclusion complex; the two bipyridinium units tilt inside the cavity of CB[10] according to the X-ray crystal structure. Finally, a supramolecular "Russian doll" was built up by threading a guest through the cavities of both blue box and CB[10].

The impact of doll style of dress and familiarity on body dissatisfaction in 6- to 8-year-old girls.

We tested the impact of exposure to dolls of different body types and wardrobes on girls' body dissatisfaction. In Study 1, 112 girls (6 to 8 years old) were randomized to one of four conditions: thin (Barbie™) or full-figured (Tracy™) dolls dressed in a swimsuit or modest clothing. In Study 2, a different cohort of girls (n=112) was exposed to one of four conditions containing unfamiliar dolls of different body size (thin vs. full-figured) and dress (modest vs. swimsuit). In both studies, girls who played with thin dolls experienced higher body size discrepancies than girls who played with full-figured dolls. Girls who played with full-figured dolls showed less body dissatisfaction after doll exposure compared to girls who played with thin dolls. Playing with unrealistically thin dolls may encourage motivation for a thinner shape in young girls.

Young children's ability to use two-dimensional and three-dimensional symbols to show placements of body touches and hidden objects.

In two experiments, we investigated 3- to 5-year-old children's ability to use dolls and human figure drawings as symbols to map body touches. In Experiment 1, stickers were placed on different locations of children's bodies, and the children were asked to indicate the locations of the stickers using three different symbols: a doll, a human figure drawing, and the adult researcher. Performance on the tasks increased with age, but many 5-year-olds did not attain perfect performance. Surprisingly, younger children made more errors on the two-dimensional (2D) human figure drawing task compared with the three-dimensional (3D) doll and adult tasks. In Experiment 2, we compared children's ability to use 3D and 2D symbols to indicate body touch as well as to guide their search for a hidden object. We replicated the findings of Experiment 1 for the body touch task; for younger children, 3D symbols were easier to use than 2D symbols. However, the reverse pattern was found for the object locations task, with children showing superior performance using 2D drawings over 3D models. Although children showed developmental improvements in using dolls and drawings to show where they were touched, less than two thirds of the 5-year-olds performed perfectly on the touch tasks. Both developmental and forensic implications of these results are discussed.

Older adults' views and experiences of doll therapy in residential care homes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The mechanisms underlying the success of doll therapy are poorly understood. The aims of this study were to explore how people in care, doll users and non-users, make sense of doll use in their settings. METHODOLOGY: A grounded theory approach was used, recruiting participants from three residential care homes involving four male and 12 female residents. Data collection occurred in two phases; five participants took part in a focus group and later 11 participants were interviewed individually. Eight of the 11 participants had dementia, and four participants were actively using dolls. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results are presented as themes, and sub-themes, consisting of four main categories (intrapersonal features, interpersonal features, behavioural benefits, ethical and moderating factors). This thematic analysis shows that residents generally support the use of dolls, believing that dolls can have a positive impact on some users. The mechanisms by which this impact is achieved are discussed together with the ethical concerns.

Empathy dolls: are they a source of cross-contamination between patients?

Following a cluster of two patients with identical strains of Clostridium perfringens prosthetic joint infections on an ortho-geriatric ward in a teaching hospital in England, investigations were conducted into infection control practices. It emerged that empathy dolls were being used to help alleviate agitation in dementia patients; this had been introduced without consultation with the infection prevention and control team. Environmental testing of the doll pre and post laundry at different temperatures helped to establish the types and numbers of organisms present. This testing enabled our unit to provide guidance on the optimum strategy for decontamination and safe use of these dolls.

Concentrations of Dust Mite in The Dust of Childhood Bedclothing, Cloth Wrappers, and Sewing Dolls / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

PURPOSE: House dust mites play a major role both in sensitization and trigger the asthma symptoms in children. More than 70% of the Korean children and about 50% of adult with respiratory allergy were sensitive to house dust mite. The aim of this study was to examine if the concentration of house dust mites in the dust of children's bedroom is related to the known level of sensitization. METHODS: From July 2000 to January 2001, children who were admitted at Yonsei University Hospital were studied. Dust samples were collected from the bedclothing, cloth wrappers, and sewing dolls of children by a vacuum cleaner. The levels of Der f I and Der p I were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: The concentrations of Der f I were significantly higher in the bedclothing, cloth wrappers, and sewing dolls of children than the levels of Der p I.(p<0.01) The Der f I levels per gram of dust from the bedclothes, cloth wrappers, and sewing dolls were 3.24+/-0.50 microgram, 1.04+/-0.32 microgram, 3.43+/-0.30 microgram, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the bedclothes and sewing dolls have enough concentrations of dust mites to develop the sensitization. The control of indoor environment should be emphasized to prevent the sensitization by the repeated exposure to dust mite.