Mzansi men getting hot for the modern sex doll

Sex dolls have been around for a long time, and with technology improving rapidly, so are the sex toys.

The plastic blow-up, horrific- looking dolls are so yesterday. Thanks to Luvland, the new life-size Sexbot, JY Dolls, are now available locally.

Unfortunately, right now only the female version is available. "The demand on female dolls is very high.

"I will see if female clients come forward then I can consider getting robots," says Luvland operations manager Patrick Meyer.

The dolls are sold exclusively at his adult outlets.

Meyer says the dolls cost between R16000 and R25000.

He initially brought in only six dolls into the country, but says the demand has since sky- rocketed.

"I'm getting calls about orders left, right, centre. Look, I won't lie because the dolls are quite expensive but my clients don't care about the prices, they care more about how they are able to pick.

"They are able to order a body and features of their choice," says Meyer.

The demand is so high that Meyer says while waiting for his order of 20 dolls from the United Kingdom, he has received pre-orders, more than what he had budgeted for.

"They are very expensive, so I have ordered cautiously.

"But I was taken aback by the number of calls I received to order."

Meyer explains that they look like humans, "talk" like women and even "feel" like a real woman.

He says the advantage is that they never age.

"It works almost like the Siri app on iPhone. It can say stuff, but not have a full-on conversation.

"You can adjust the vaginal hole based on the size that you want. Some use strings, others have a button.

"It doesn't orgasm.

"But as the man is about to orgasm the doll lets out an orgasmic scream.

"You can order it how you like - most come clean shaven. Clients specify the features they desire - from skinny to curvaceous.

"The curvaceous dolls are more pricey," he says.

Nagging, annoying women be warned!

Nagging wives need to be wary as sex dolls may just replace you.

A Bedfordview businessman, *Pieter Steenkamp, forked out thousands of rands to buy a doll to satisfy himself sexually, peacefully.

Another man, Roothman, from Johannesburg, says the main reason he invested in the sex doll is because it does not annoy, like his wife. He has been married for 16 years and says the doll is there for him to have fun.

"You see in a marriage women are annoying; they whinge a lot.. Sometimes you want to have peaceful sex without thinking about too much things. For me, it is also about the perfection. She (doll) is just like I want her. Having sex with her fulfills my fantasy."

Steenkamp has given his doll a name. "I call her Madre, she is perfect and I keep her in my office."

He says she helps him relieve stress. "I grab my whisky and tell Madre about my bad days. She never says anything negative."

To get him in the mood for hanky panky, he usually watches some hardcore porn videos. "But other times, it just happens."

Steenkamp has developed a relationship with the doll and says he takes great care of her.

"I respect her. I clean her and make sure she's happy at all times." He says he does not see Madre as a doll.

"I have had her for four weeks now. She has been amazing so far. My wife is a nag. I get tired of her nagging. I still have sex with her but not as much because she normally complains about fatigue. Madre doesn't," he says.

The 42-year-old says he would rather sleep with Madre than cheat and get attached. "I'm married in community of property, If I cheat and get caught, I have a lot to lose."

* Not his real name.

What the celebs think

Sunday World polled some of Mzansi's finest. Will they get some nookie with a sexbot?

Boity Thulo

"Relationships and sex are about a real person, a real conversation. I don't think they would ever replace the real thing no matter how perfect they (sexbots) are," says Thulo.

She says for her, human interaction is more important.

"I know they have a siri that can talk back but it is not the same. I'm more into having a real conversation and I know the doll would never be able to hold a real conversation."

Nolo Seabi

She believes it's perfect for those going celibate.

"I don't know if I would, I'm very affectionate. I want someone who touches me, who is going to kiss me. A robot won't touch me or whisper sweet nothings to me. I believe however, if someone decides to go celibate, they can do it privately but for me, no, I want the real thing," she says.

Bujy Bikwa

"There is something enticing about them. Troublesome, but the perfection, the ability to give you what you want is enticing. I believe with male dolls, their anatomy is adjustable. You can make it medium, long or thick. However you want it," says Bikwa.

Bikwa said they are perfect for entertainment but he doesn't encourage anyone to buy it.

"The dolls are perfect, human beings are not. Especially if you are in a relationship. They can ruin things for you because you would expect your partner to have such perfect features. So for me, I have decided to stay away from them, they are nothing but trouble."

Technology taken a step higher

Clinical sexologist Dr Eve says the creation of sexbots is artificial technology taken to a new level that terrifies her.

"Though they were created to enhance fantasy, I'm terrified by the idea. Here you are with someone so perfect, someone you can programme and make them have intimacy with you in the shape that you want, it is terrifying," she says.

"You have sex with them when you want; they don't have a say. We are currently facing problems on consent in marriages and relationships and these dolls are also going to programme men and women to think that in real life you can subject someone to such abuse."

When asked if the dolls may be able to curb cheating, Dr Eve says absolutely not.

"I think finding out that your partner is having sex with a doll more than he or she does with you may even hurt many.

"Remember, this man has total control of a woman - where he can even make her bits tighter. It will also bring a host of insecurities."

She says on the positive side, the dolls may be a good idea for those people living with disabilities or for shy people.

"I'm not saying that they should not have sexual interaction with human beings, but you have some people who are extremely shy and others whose physical challenges makes it difficult for them to have sexual relationships," says Dr Eve.

Another clinical sexologist Doctor Elna Rudolph says sex dolls are novelty items. "I guess people had similar concerns when the first vibrators came out," she says. Initially very few people used it, now it is common practice. Sex dolls are of course not for everybody, but I do think they will become more and more popular."

She says the dolls and robots would never curb cheating, but they can enhance the sexual experience.

"The more senses a person can incorporate into a sexual act, the more intense the experience. A guy masturbating in the toilet using just his imagination is likely to have a much less intense experience than somebody having sex with a doll with a vagina that feels like a real one, where he can touch her boobs, smell her perfume and where she can even talk back to him.

The Mirror reported that experts are calling for robots to be put in care homes for the elderly to cure loneliness or be used to rehabilitate paedophiles. A doctor, Kate Devlin, suggested they could be used to help people with learning difficulties and teach them about sex as well as provide companionship.

Some experts believe that the robots could be used for therapeutic reasons.

But if they are to be used as therapy for sex offenders, Devlin is unsure whether it would rehabilitate them.