Aside from Sidore, Davecat has never officially dated anyone. He compares his interaction with women to a bodily reaction, something over which he has no control, much as he wishes that he could meet a woman who breathes. "People who are allergic to roses can enjoy artificial roses," he says. "In the same way, artificial women serve the same purpose for men who are, in whatever way, allergic to real women."

Unlike some other doll owners who have no interest in "organic" women, Davecat says he hasn't completely given up hope. In the meantime, though, he's considering getting another doll -- or two or three -- to keep Si-chan company. But if the right real woman were to enter his life, he says giving up Si-chan would be excruciatingly painful, like removing a limb.

This is an article that was at the top of Salon.com earlier this week and I started to read it, made a quick judgement of the content, and moved on. It was still up there the next day, so I decided to read further, and I'm glad that I did. From a sociological standpoint, this is a very interesting and in-depth look at the basic archetypes of the thousands of people buying Real Dolls, called iDollators by many of their own. While not appropriate for children, this is not some made for cable soft porn article, either.

Just like a woman