Caitlin Roper

Caitlin Roper, activist, writer and Campaigns Manager at Collective Shout, discusses her forthcoming book to be published this autumn by Spinifex Press, Sex Dolls, Robots and Woman Hating: The Case for Resistance (2022). Roper outlines the burgeoning industry of “sex dolls” and the more recent emergence of child sex abuse dolls where many companies now offer the customisation of these dolls based on photos of actual girls. Elaborating the widespread support for these dolls and the academic research that views these dolls as the solution to men’s sexual “deprivation," Roper criticises how these dolls are framed as the panacea to women and girls being raped with some supporters stating, “It’s better a robot than a real child.” Roper discusses the wider patriarchal context that supports the objectification of women and girls that prioritises men’s needs in a cultural context that depends upon the idea that women and girls are less than human. Pointing out the paradox where recent social movements have superficially recognised women’s and girls’ rights (eg. the #metoo movement, narratives of consent, etc.), Roper notes the steep disconnect from the wider societal support of the sex doll industry, pornography, and the sex trade. Roper vituperates, “They’re completely at odds. You can’t be fighting the mistreatmeant and exploitation of women while simultaneously encouraging their dehummanisation.”