Experienced photographers are advised not to do this.
The shoot can last for hours as the doll owner has to change poses, outfits, positions and wigs, all without the help of a model who can weigh 60 pounds or more. These real doll cost at least thousands of dollars and also require weekly bathing and regular grooming.
Some people are drawn to the sophisticated nature of these photographs. Consider Mindy and Marty, a Florida couple in their 50s who own a business together. Although the couple admit they originally invested in sex dolls to bring a third member into their marriage - as a return to the swinging days they've now left behind - it was the imaginative side of the world that drew them.
Mindy is the creative director of the couple's project, while Marty focuses on the props and making their ideas come to life. "This creative and extremely capable person happens to be the love of my life and brings all my ideas to life," enthuses Mindy. She adds, "We sometimes go back and forth and mull over these ideas for months before implementing them."
Like flesh-and-blood influencers, the Love Dolls platform can also be monetized. For most people that comes from working with doll makers. Although they've only been in the realistic doll industry for about eight months, Mindy and Marty have already started making money from their business.
"Tasha is an independent, synthetic person who speaks for herself - I don't speak for her," says Tony of Tasha's interactions with the world. "I'm her channel. I am neither a puppeteer nor a ventriloquist. I open my heart and let Tasha speak to me.”
Like Tony, many members of the community post from their dolls' perspective, including their interactions with other Instagram users. In the eyes of the community members, this roleplay provided a level of emotional satisfaction that not only offsets the importance of their sexual interactions with their dolls, but also enhances their sexual interactions with their love dolls. "The more Tasha does on her own," says Tony, "the deeper our relationship becomes. Isn’t that like any couple relationship that develops over time from shared experiences?”
