My eyes couldn’t believe what I was seeing and my jaw was literally on the floor. A program titled ‘My Fake Baby’ was one of the featured documentaries on Channel 4, which follows the lives of women who ‘looks after’ a reborn baby.
If you’ve never heard of a ‘reborn‘ then you are not alone, this was the first time that I saw or heard of this and I shook my head in disbelief that this niche has been created for women out there who are desperate to have a baby of their own. The doll uncannily resembles an infant, and are made with delicate and real life features to replicate a real baby. They can be customised to the buyers requirements from blinking, birthmarks and can also be fitted with breathing mechanisms just to add to that ‘living’ look.
One of the women featured in this documentary was Christine, an older woman who had a replica of her grandson made to get over her loss when Harry and his parents moved to New Zealand. It was obvious that the absence of Harry has deeply affected Christine. It was clear that she was emotionally unstable and is finding it hard to let go of her grandson. She spoke about him as if he had died, and in some way, I think she sees it that way, which is very sad. But I asked myself, would this really help her get over the loss of her grandchild? Or will it just prolong the pain that she has been feeling, by looking after an emotionless piece of plastic?
Like Christine, many women use these ‘reborns’ as aides in over coming loss, and who are we to judge even if we find it a little unorthodox? Many people deal with grief in different ways and if this is what ‘heals’ them then I can accept that, but I don’t think I can get used the idea of grown woman cooing after a latex form and hearing them call it ‘the perfect baby’. To me it’s just plain weird.
Yup, who ever invented that did not carefully think of the consequences. This will not help women moved on. It will just prolong the pain of loss to many women who had suffered from a tragedy of loosing their babies. Just imagine if the desperate mother actually fixated all his love and affection to that latex doll. It will cause her more permanent harm than good.
I mean….. seriously, who would create such things??
But I have to admit… the first baby looks real and I guess it feels real too… judging by how it moves when the lady picks it up from the crib.
I got the eerie feeling while watching video. But you’re right, Ria. We’ve no right to judge people who are into it.
I have mixed feelings about this one mostly because I think women are bing put into an emotional ride with a fake baby. The one benefit I could see that it will give is if a woman is preparing to have children of her own and she needs one for practice. But if women are buying into it, I guess it can’t go wrong.
Quite interesting…hmmmm….
Did the story really happen?
i read about this from a magazine. isn’t it weird? kakaloka sis
I too watched this documentary and was quite freaked out. There were a couple of women who understood they were dolls and used them as collectables rather than trying to fill a hole in their lives. It was the men featured that made me laugh, they knew it was a bit odd, but they’d do anything to make their wives happy / quiet.