Review: "The Perfect Fake"

By Ruth Martin

Technology has had a significant affect on human sexuality. We have ways of expressing our sexuality, and relating to each other, ways that people of the past could only imagine. The Perfect Fake, screened on SBS on the 24th of February 2006, showed how sexual technology has strived so far to imitate human appearance and movement, and what influence this has had on people's sex lives.

One of the first things they focused on was the difficulty of mimicking human movement, appearance and emotions in computer graphics. Computer graphics artists stated that they are under pressure to produce more realistic human characters, as humans can quite easily tell the difference betweeen what is real and what is fabricated. One of the recent developments in sexual technology is interactive porn with virtual characters, in which the viewer can tailor the virtual character to their tastes and desires. Another development is simulated sex through a device called the PenisTron; the user inserts their penis into a cylindrical device which is in turn connected to a computer. A virtual character or an actual person can control the device via the internet, thus giving pleasure by producing certain data.

The show then moved on to explore the world of sex dolls. The makers of the dolls have gone to great lengths to make these dolls as realistic looking and feeling as possible.

The Perfect Fake also explored the social issues surrounding the creation and consumption of sexual technology. One of the issues discussed was the division between the real and virtual worlds as the mimicking of human traits and emotions is further enhanced. As consumers of this technology interact with these characters' display of realistic appearances and emotions, the question is raised: how much belief is lent to the notion that this character is a real person? Can these characters be considered human? As young people are growing up with enhanced technology (sexual or otherwise), it is suggested that the boundaries between the virtual and real worlds are blurred, as they socialise and interact with each other in virtual spaces.

One of the main issues that was raised by the show was the notion of creating a perfect female sexual being. It was stated that humans are attracted to what is easy, and that the sexual gratification offered by virtual characters, sex dolls and other forms of sexual technology offer this. In particular, it was stated that men want a world that is moulded to their desires and specifications. In particular, it was suggested that men have an ideal image of what women are supposed to be like with regards to their sexuality and their appearance, and that virtual characters and dolls 'protect' that image that has been built up. Part of this ideal is the notion of women being sexually available, compliant and having particular characteristics. Another attraction of such characters and dolls is that they never reject or question the viewer or user. The consequence of this, as the show details, is that the user or viewer may become alienated from other people, as they submerge themselves in the world of virtual reality where nothing ages, gets sick or dies. They may become submerged in the idea that they are in complete control of reality.

One of the aspects of this quest for perfection in sexual technology that The Perfect Fake didn't cover was why this question for 'perfection' is considered desireable. Why do men find these young, thin, busty characters and dolls to be so appealing?

Another issue the show seemed to ignore was the pressure this quest may place on real live women in regards to their sexuality and perception of their own bodies. The representations of women's bodies through these technologies were very unrealistic, and certainly unattainable for a majority of women. The characters and dolls presented in the show add to the pervasive message to women that they must measure up to patriarchal standards of beauty to be thought of as sexually desireable or worthwhile in society.

Finally, it was very interesting to see The Perfect Fake focus on sexual technology that caters to the sexual desires and appetites of men. It did not even mention the notion that women might be using sexual technology in their sex lives. This perpetuates not only the idea that the realm of technology is a male domain, but also that only male sexuality is worthy of documentation in the public sphere. It continues the notion that male sexuality is active, seeking out sexual alternatives to sex with real live women, while female sexuality is passive, being acted upon and being controlled by men for men's sexual pleasures.

Overall, i found The Perfect Fake to be simultaneously interesting, disturbing and limited by its focus on male sexuality.

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