The “living doll” trend is an example of new lifestyles championing ideal features of inanimate dolls rather than human perfection. This perspective of human bodily enhancement differs from the aesthetics classically associated with plastic surgery, in that its goal tends toward fictional characters and bodies which are not strictly aligned with human bodies. In the case of Nastya Shpagina (pictured), whose eyes emulate drawn anime eyes and whose face emulates a plastic mask, parts of the face become simulated eyes, and the face becomes a signifier of a face.
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3 Comments on "Living Doll"
Hi Rosemary!
Great example of enhancement you’ve chosen! I agree that the living doll trend illustrates a shift in our perception of beauty – one that emphasizes something not human due to its ack of imperfection. Do you think the reason for this fascination with fictional characters, perhaps especially in the anime genre, has to do with transcending the limits of the body? Could the beauty-ideal of the doll be seen as a symbol of the perfection and purity that seems to be inherent in some post- and transhumanist thought?
Thanks for sharing!
Florian, I agree. The trend toward making women’s bodies more uniform and norming a certain type through fashion is only enhanced by anime. The fact that women desire to look like the fantasy representation of the female is only a part of long trend pushing towards uniformity, rather than uniqueness. It might be considered posthuman, if only in the trend towards enhancing valued beauty traits (big eyes, tiny faces, lots of hair, and generally a tiny body).