With porn being illegal in a number of Islamic and Middle Eastern states, it might come as a surprise that some people in that part of the world are willing to risk having a full-sized sex doll sent to them.
Adult entertainment has evolved since the days of pay-per-view porn and Playboy magazines, however access to the latest technology is not always easy, especially for those living in the Middle East.
Al Bawaba spoke with Bryan from Silicon Wives—a company which sells sex dolls all over the world—about the international market for sex dolls, and the issues potential customers face in countries which place restrictions on sexual activity and expression.
There is a Middle Eastern market for sex dolls
The most surprising thing Bryan revealed to Al Bawaba is the fact that demand for sex dolls does not just come from the the West or Japan. Silicon Wives has seen interest from all over the world, including the Middle East.
“As the industry has grown, we have seen more traffic from where the products would be more controversial [...] more conservative areas, such as the Middle East,” Bryan revealed.
“We’ve had a few requests from UAE, but from what I’ve heard there is no chance with customs, that’s really the main barrier.”
Unfortunately for potential customers in the Middle East, strict customs laws mean that it is nearly impossible to ship a sex doll to the region.
“Some people do have second homes in the UK, so we’ll work with them there, sometimes we’ll ship it to the UK and they’ll get it there and then figure it out on their own [...] we’ve done that with probably two customers.”
Whether or not any wealthy Middle Eastern buyers have been able to bring their sex doll back from the UK is unknown. But not all Middle Eastern countries are so strict.
“The one exception though is Israel, we do ship to Israel and they are a bit more lenient with our products,” he said.
Controversially considered to be more ‘liberal’ than other states in the Middle East, Israel is a market which Bryan has no trouble sending sex dolls to.
It's not just the Middle East which restricts imports of sex dolls. According to Bryan, some African countries also do not allow the import of such items.
“Most recently we tried to ship one to Nairobi, Kenya, and it’s kind of like sending it into a black hole," he said. It just disappears: customs confiscates it.”
With technology advancing at a rapid rate, it is unlikely that this is just a passing fad. Sex dolls will become more realistic and more affordable. For Bryan, the most exciting thing about his industry is the constantly developing technology which allows sex dolls to become more realistic.
What is unclear, however, is whether or not governments in the Middle East will loosen up customs laws and let sex doll companies deliver their products to their clients.
