Sex dolls’ “rental runway” may bring some real competition

Ever since the Industrial Revolution (or at least since the Jetsons), Americans have been plagued by the anxiety of robot replacement. These concerns have proven to be predictive in some service industries. But the technology is far from perfect (see: Social Media has a bad temper with CVS’s automated self-checkout), and while reports predict robots can replace humans by 2030, most people can rest assured that their jobs are temporary Is safe. Most people are sex workers.

In Rolling Stone, writer Breena Kerr introduces Toronto-based sex doll brothel Aura Dolls, where customers can pay $ 120 an hour and $ 90 an extra half-hour to pay six Personality dolls do whatever they want (provided they don’t “do” any extra loopholes between them “, but someone wants to know what the opportunity is to do so). Brothel staff cleans the doll between appointments for the next Customers prepare.

Aura Dolls is not the first personality doll brothel of its kind: similar establishments are located in Barcelona, ​​Moscow and Turin, Italy. This sex doll brothel is also erroneously called a “sex robot brothel”, although most people do not have this artificial intelligence.

Due to its high cost (for example, the customizable Real Doll, which starts at $ 5,999), sex dolls are still generally considered expensive novelty items. Legally, they also exist in a gray area: Although technically they do not violate prostitution laws in most states, the moral opposition to sex work in the United States is so strong that it inevitably becomes an obstacle. For example, plans to open a brothel in Houston were cancelled after the city council revised an existing regulation to bar commercial sponsors from having sex meetings with inanimate objects.

For these reasons, sex doll brothels are far from unusual. However, there are strong protests about the bright future of sex doll brothels, especially in the legal sex industry in the United States. (Prostitution is illegal in the United States, but in some counties in Nevada, prostitution is strictly regulated.)

Allissa, a sex worker at Sheri’s Ranch, a legal brothel in Nevada, is outraged because, unlike legal brothels, legal brothels are unable to advertise publicly because of concerns about violations of solicitation laws. On the surface, sex doll brothels can advertise publicly on billboards (just (As recently done on billboards) Vancouver). She also believes that this will pose a serious threat to security.

“If someone starts using these brothels, the dolls won’t agree, and there are no restrictions,” Alyssa told Walkers. “We know very well what will and will not happen during the party. If sex dolls become popular, customers will think [lack of restrictions] is normal.”

On the surface, this seems to be an obvious concern: when a choice between a consensual flesh-and-blood woman and an unacceptable $ 6,000 silicone slab appears, the logic seems to determine the man of any choice People are more likely to harbor some views of women.

But this is not necessarily true. For clients who may lack the social skills necessary to build a meaningful relationship with people, a sex doll brothel may be a viable option. Aura spokesperson said: “Customers who may be socially anxious or disabled may be dissatisfied with the social activities of human sex workers and they will benefit greatly from this service.” A large number of inquiries have been received from visually impaired and hearing impaired persons. .

Sex dolls can also become unfaithful to those who do not wish to harm living people, who have non-normative preferences (like violence or involuntary sex), or who are in a monogamous relationship but do not want to actually have sex. It is unfair to describe all of these people as female loathers eager to impose twisted rape fantasies on unsuspecting plastic blocks, like describing all those who buy sex (estimated to account for 14% of American men) as Cruelty is just as unfair as exploitation.

It is safe to say that many sex workers mainly object to sex doll brothels not being moral or philosophical, but economic.

Indeed, masturbating into a rented silicone block takes less time than having sex with a legal prostitute. Alyssa will not tell Volks in a law-seeking way how much she charges for a party, but in general, although sex workers’ fees can vary widely due to many factors, the typical ” “Girlfriend experience” or intimate sex can cost about $ 1,000. Sheri’s Ranch competitor Moonlite BunnyRanch charges once an hour, and demand sex workers charge far more than that.

This is a far cry from Aura Dolls’ $ 120 per hour quote, but brothels also tend to charge high commissions from their workers (in Sheri’s Ranch, 50%). They are also not responsible for most staff costs, which saves management a lot of money: Allissa says she pays for room and board as well as her own drinks, condoms, sex toys, and her Hair and nails.

Considering the level of cleanup involved in ensuring that sex dolls meet hygienic standards for reuse, it can be argued that the maintenance costs of sex doll brothels can be high.

“[The operating doll brothel] is not costly because it employs cleaning staff and staff to ensure that the doll is in the best condition every time it is used, and to ensure that the product and facilities are thoroughly cleaned during maintenance. Cheap as people think. “A halo spokesman said.

Of course, the services provided by sex workers are more valuable than the services provided by sex dolls. In a world that encourages men to suppress and suppress their emotions, it is not uncommon for sex workers to be improvisational therapists for clients. “A lot of my work has to do with intimacy in non-sex lives. I’m connecting with them,” Eliza said. “They talk to me about their troubles … it’s a lot of real relationships. I do have some clients who haven’t had sex at all, they just want to hug and talk to me.”

A sex doll cannot perform emotional labor at this level, nor can it provide other less obvious benefits associated with the flesh-but at the same time, your iPhone or any other countless technological advances cannot do our lives either Relaxed and lonely.

If sex doll brothels become mainstream, it will be a long time. However, as AI technology advances and brands begin to develop sex dolls that convincingly replicate human sexual responses, it is possible that sex dolls will one day join the ranks of vibrators and other sex toys Already. Some mainstreams are respected and seen as a complement to a healthy and safe sex life, not a threat. Even Allissa said they could be used as a training tool at parties or as a way to show male clients how to make women happy.

Prostitution is called the “oldest profession” for good reason: the demand for paid sex has always been high, and it is likely to remain so. But this does not mean that the industry cannot be changed at all. So far, we’ve seen strip clubs and pornographic cinemas close because of the prevalence of free online porn. If sex dolls and robots become complicated enough to convincingly replicate IRL sex, who can say that the few brothels in rural Nevada will not suffer the same fate?

Time and again, people choose the former when they choose between convenience and affordability, and the benefits of less emotional intimacy. There is no reason to believe that the sex industry will justify this rule as an exception.

Perhaps surprisingly, however, that’s not what Aura Dolls said. The spokesperson told Vox, “We believe that sex workers have always been one of the oldest professions in the world, and that there will always be demand and markets.” Perhaps inadvertently echoing other large companies’ support for automation workers. “We don’t expect it to be replaced anytime soon.”