Inside The Minds Of Men Who Are In Love With Their Lifelike Dolls

In the 1990s, sculptor Matt McMullen designed a mannequin to give clothing stores something more flexible and attractive than your standard mall dummy.

McMullen, who was documenting his progress on his website, started getting emails from people who weren't looking to use the dolls as retail accessories, but in their personal lives, asking if they were "anatomically correct."

At the time, they weren't. But McMullen recognized a growing market of customers and adjusted his mannequins to fit his new customers' desires. The RealDoll was born.

Today, McMullen's company, Abyss Creation (NSFW), sells around 400 dolls per year. They're often referred to as "sex dolls," although they are not always used for sex.

Photographer Benita Marcussen recently met with a number of doll owners to understand the strange obsession. She found that doll owners tend to be extremely protective of their dolls, treating them with respect reserved for lovers, friends or cherished possessions.

Marcussen's work was recently featured by Vocativ, but she has shared a number of the photos with us here.