By Liana Jacob
SEX DOLLS have been brought to life in a series of images from a fascinating new book.
Incredible pictures reveal blow-up dolls from a Marilyn Monroe inspired doll emerging from a yellow taxi to another picture taken under water with a life-like doll in a red dress staring into the lens.
Further photographs depict the realistic images of sex dolls either lying in a double bed or two female sex dolls lying next to each other on a double bed.
Other pictures show a doll that resembles quirky singer/songwriter Lady Gaga, who will be starring in the new movie A Star Is Born alongside actor Bradley Cooper.
The sensational images have been compiled into a book called Play With Me by writer and editor of popular culture, Grace Banks. It has been published by Laurence King Publishing.
âThis book looks at the ownership of the female nude in todayâs current political, economic and social climate, as well as how, through sex dolls, mannequins, CGI, nude neon reliefs and other appropriations of the female form,â Grace said.
âArtists are reclaiming the ownership of the female body from the pervasive male-defined tropes and spaces for the female body in contemporary art.
âThe female nude is one of the most contentious topics of our post-internet age. In the spring of 2016, Kim Kardashian West instagrammed a photograph of herself naked with two black stripes censoring her body.
âWithin a few seconds, the image generated 1.7 million likes, over 336,000 comments, thousands of shares across social media, and the world, from celebrities to fans, went crazy.
âWas this a harmless post or a step back for feminism? As the picture gained traction, Kardashian Westâs high-profile critics swung into action delivering: âIf Kim wants us to see a part of her weâve never seen, sheâs gonna have to swallow the camera.â (actress Bette Midler).
ââPut some clothes onâ (journalist Piers Morgan), âI truly hope you realise how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodiesâ (actress Chloe Grace Mortez), as the swift consensus.â
Some of the first sex dolls were invented by Dutch sailors in the 17th century who needed company while isolated at sea during long journeys.
Grace mentions that she would like to highlight the trend for objects often used for female objectification such as sex dolls, neon strip signs and mannequins, subverted and recast as figures with political power by showcasing different artists and their artwork.
The marketing for sex dolls has increased in the USA around 1992; the last 20 years have seen the development of the dolls to look more realistic and this has been evident through the internet. The method of retail purchase has improved which has contributed to its market growth to being worth over an estimated ÂŁ15.5 billion ($20 billion) worldwide and is expected to rise over ÂŁ23.3 billion ($30 billion) by 2020.
âWorks in this book fit into the wider movement of feminist art. These are contemporary artists, sure, but theyâre also activists, theorists, political commentators and more,â Grace said.
âThey deal with online post-internet feminism, but in working largely offline their work shows a triumph of real-life feminism versus online activism.
âWith the tools once used to objectify them, these artists transform womenâs bodies into a self-governed piece de resistance.
âThe political activism is what I wanted to highlight in these works, so Iâve organised the chapters into some of the most pressing problems for women today â the commodification of womenâs bodies, the bias for womenâs bodies created by men in art, the changing nature of gender binaries and what will happen to the female body in the future.â
Play With Me is published by Laurence King Publishing and is available to buy now for RRP ÂŁ24.99: https://www.laurenceking.com/product/play-with-me/