Pop culture has been the single most powerful force in shaping the public’s perception of companion dolls, acting as both the source of enduring stigma and, more recently, a tool for fostering empathy. For decades, its influence was overwhelmingly negative.
In countless R-rated comedies and TV shows from the 70s through the 90s, the inflatable doll was a recurring punchline. It was shorthand for male desperation, social ineptitude, or a wild bachelor party gag. This relentless portrayal cemented a deeply ingrained image of doll ownership as pathetic and laughable, creating a stigma that persists to this day. The turning point came with more nuanced portrayals. The 2007 film Lars and the Real Girl was revolutionary. It presented a man’s relationship with a doll not as a joke, but as a therapeutic bridge to help him process trauma and reconnect with the world. It was the first mainstream story to show the healing potential of such a companion. More recently, science fiction films and shows like Blade Runner 2049 and Her have explored the philosophical side of loving an artificial being, normalizing the idea of deep emotional connection with a non-human entity. Pop culture first built the prison of stigma, and now it is slowly providing the keys to escape it.