성산업의 연장으로서의 리얼돌 산업과 사용자 커뮤니티의 남성동성사회성

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Sex doll production process and online male communities show a male desire for “controllable women” observed in the South Korean sex industry. This article examines the South Korean sex doll (also referred to as RealDoll) research positions the realdoll industry and its relationship to the sex industry. For this study, Korean sex doll manufacturers, experience room operators, and individuals who have owned sex dolls between 2019 and 2022 were interviewed. Additionally, two online RealDoll forums were observed.
First, the Korean RealDoll industry seeks to depoliticize criticism on sex dolls by dissociating it from the sex industry. However, the sector selectively associates with the sex doll market, indicating that the rhetoric around RealDolls is inherently political.
Second, the RealDoll production process and the operation of the sex doll experience rooms adopt the Korean sex industry’s image of ‘intimate’ women. The image of a ‘controllable woman’ is materialized through the use of TPE, silicone, or the experience space.
Third, online communities and forums serve as a central hub that attracts players within the Korean sex doll industry, and are also reproduced through the male homosocial dynamics among members. Online communities facilitate relationships among individuals involved in the industry, allowing those who own sex dolls to reinforce their sense of masculinity create connections between industry participants through dolls, and users reaffirm their masculine ego through produced images and reaffirm a male-homogeneous society.