MORE THAN A WOMAN: THE BOOK
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THE PROJECT
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 sophisticated life-sized "Real Dolls" and subsequent Japanese imitations – crowd every nook and cranny of his apartment with not only 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 his 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 represents the perfect woman to him and, in his estimation, are “More than a Woman” can ever be.

But 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 as all orifices are available to the user, these dolls are also able to fulfill and act out any "perverted," unsanctioned sexual fantasies one may have.  To fulfill fantasies of pedophilia, 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 and packaged in a Catholic schoolgirl sailor outfit.

The dolls are often very heavy, 30 kilos (66 pounds) or more and simulate the weight of a real human.  Hollywood-type 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 stand independently on their own or be positioned to lie down, kneel and straddle the user.

Are these dolls just a glorified form of high-end masturbation, or might they be fulfilling some other need that is going unfulfilled in Japanese society?  Are these Dutch wives a vision of the perfect woman?

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Becky Yee is a Chinese-American native New Yorker who has traveled the world from Beijing to Barcelona, Iceland to Moscow and Vietnam to Los Angeles.  But it would be the eight years of living and working in Tokyo, Japan that would be the main source of her inspiration.  Focusing on the extreme contrast between Ura (backside) and Omote (frontside), the difference in space between private emotions and public perceptions, are explored in her work.

“It is not my intention to assert my personal judgments of any kind, but rather to frame questions.  These shocking and intriguing images evoke complex emotions in me.  I never thought a moment so pure, full of intimacy and tenderness, could be so disturbing…It is this duality that drew me to this project,” said Ms. Yee.