NYAB Event - Becky Yee “More Than A Woman”

Becky Yee “More Than A Woman”

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Perfection, while inherently good, always has its flaws.

INTRODUCTION

Photographed in a three-bedroom apartment in the outskirts of Tokyo. The single human occupant, a middle-aged computer engineer. He is the self-proclaimed world's largest collector of "Dutch wives" ("Datchu-waifu"), anatomically correct, life-sized sex dolls or love dolls.

Over 70 Dutch wives – ranging from cheap inflatable vinyl $50 "Big Sue" dolls to $10,000-a-piece, sophisticated, life-sized "Real Dolls" and subsequent Japanese imitations – crowd every nook and cranny of his apartment, and not only with their presence but with clothes, accessories, lingerie, shoes and toys.

Technically and legally single, he is never without his wedding ring. When asked if he is a married man, he answers enthusiastically, "Yes, for over 10 years!" This date commemorates the time he first started to purchase, collect and be sexually intimate with Dutch wives.

These photographs seek to explore more than the Dutch wives' obvious function of satisfying sexual and physical needs. Discovered visually are the basic cravings for companionship, unconditional love, unwavering loyalty as well as the importance of trust, acceptance and deep intimacy. All these needs he feels unable to find in a human relationship are somehow satiated by his cast of Dutch wives. This harem of Dutch wives creates his perfect world of perfect women.

"My ladies are always there for me," he said. "They never talk back. They are completely loyal, and if I get bored, I can just change the head."

Dutch wives fulfill his need for physically intimacy as well as emotional intimacy. His collection of Dutch wives is the perfect woman to him and in his estimation, MORE THAN A WOMAN can ever be.

BACKGROUND

Many people view Japan as a country always trying to improve on things that already exist in a strive for perfection. From bonsai, a perfectly manicured miniature tree, to the delicate perfection of a Haiku poem; where ceremoniously serving the perfect cup of tea can take 20 years of training, one can say artificial perfection is a Japanese cultural obsession.

This obsession with perfection has facilitated huge strides and improvements in Japanese society. Canon and Nikon lead the way for digital SLR cameras. Toyota is a world-leading car manufacturer. The incredible Tokyo subway system runs consistently on schedule nearly to the second for a population of over 20 million people.

This need for contrived perfection is no doubt wonderful but it has repercussions beyond orchestrating society like a well organized anthill. Can the constant need for perfection warp our expectations of things that are not inherently perfect, like human love and affection?

The "otaku" culture of Akihabara (an area of Tokyo filled with hundreds of electronics stores and Japanese anime product shops) is thoroughly saturated with Japanese animation and pornography. The typical image of a superpower hero with Barbie-doll proportions doubling as a shy, geeky meek schoolgirl shapes the beginning of what some people think a perfect female should be. Are there Japanese men who will settle only for a perfect woman? Are they unable to find a real woman who meets their exacting standards of perfection and in turn, do they try creating or buying the perfect woman?

It would seem that perfection, while inherently good, always has its flaws.

THE DOLLS

A Dutch wife is an anatomically correct sex toy in the size, shape and weight of an actual sexual partner. Some sex dolls are made in the appropriate Japanese anime character's body proportions and features. In addition to the physical attributes there for obvious sexual reasons, these dolls are able to fulfill and act out any "perverted," unsanctioned sexual fantasy someone may have, as all orifices are available to the user. Some people may have fantasies of pedophilia and accordingly, some Dutch wives are the size of little 10-year-old girls complete with ponytails, peach-colored skin, petulant rose-petal mouths, innocent doe eyes all wrapped up in Catholic schoolgirl sailor outfits.

The dolls are often very heavy, 30 kilos or about 66 pounds, and simulate the weight of a real human. Hollywood special effects for realistic skin made out of silicone are employed on the higher-end Dutch wives. Pliable water-filled breasts and buttocks are made even more realistic when Dutch wives are given a hot bath before "play." Their flexible joints allow them to be positioned and stand independently on their own as they kneel on all fours or straddle a human body in a provocative pose.

Are these dolls just a glorified form of masturbation or are they fulfilling some other need that is going unfulfilled in society? What is that need and why do these dolls satisfy them?

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Becky Yee has been creating photographic storyboards giving the viewers a passport: leading us through the worlds we would not dare to travel alone. She seeks what we are hiding- exposing through her lens- the feelings that come from being a woman-- in a world where men are looking for more than a woman-- yet, one who is less of a woman…inanimate even…

This is a real woman’s view. Becky Yee is a Chinese-American native New Yorker who’s traveled the world and spent over eight years in Tokyo, Japan.