Dangerous Plastic: The Commodification of the Intimate Body in the Age of Technology

Edited by Elias Yuan

Abstract

The growing scholarly discourse concerning sexual consent coincides with the emergence of new/developing technologies in the consumer marketplace that hold the potential to influence both social and sexual norms. Among these innovations, the sex robot emerges as the epitome of the commodified intimate body. This essay explores the commodification of love—and its concomitant aspect of sex—in relation to technology, examining how romantic loneliness and capitalism transforms the intimate body into a marketable entity. From this understanding, the notion of the sex robot (and sexual activity with robots) is negotiated in its multifaceted forms: a type of artificial companionship, a case of sexual deviance/perversion, an act of masturbation, a curative balm for the ills of romantic alienation, and an instance of non-consensual sexual engagement. Through such an analysis, this essay advocates for an awareness of the potential risks posed by the sex robot industry, revealing the ways in which human robot sexual relationships often proliferate nonreciprocal intimate interactions as well as contribute to a dehumanization of the sexual body. By delving into the moral and ethical complexities of sex with robots, the essay effectively illuminates the implications that sex robots may have on human agency, relationship dynamics, and broader societal fabrics.