You may be aware of the prevalence of pornography, the way it’s crept into popular media and normalized the objectification of women and girls, but today’s guest, writer and activist Caitlin Roper is bringing news from the outer limits of male sexual entitlement. In this episode we explore an emerging threat in the exploitation of women and girls, sex robots and sex abuse dolls. Caitlin notes that life-like sex abuse dolls, including ones modeled after infants, toddlers, and children, have been available for sale on popular platforms like Etsy, Alibaba and Amazon. Apologists will say ‘better these men should do this to a doll than to a real woman or girl,’ but for Roper, this logic does not hold up to scrutiny. In her new book Sex Dolls, Robots & Woman Hating, Caitlin says that sex dolls and robots have actually created even more opportunity for exploitation, including the production of sex abuse dolls made to look like specific children and instagram influencers.

As the Campaigns Manager of Collective Shout, an organization that combats exploitation of women and girls in media and popular culture, Caitlin discusses her work with teen girls and the skills needed to resist porn culture in everyday life.

53. Sex Dolls, Robots & Woman Hating │ Caitlin Roper