This is the story of an Australian tradie named Rod.
In 2021, Rod went through serious depression due to isolation and back-to-back lockdowns.
The Aussie carpenter was dating a woman named Jenny, but she lived 5000 km away, and they were in a long-distance relationship.
“Home was very empty. You get lacklustre when there’s no stimulation in your life,” he told 7Life.
“I hadn’t touched a girl in two years – and it all got a bit strange and distant.”
Although he and Jenny used to talk regularly on the phone and via video, the 54-year-old craved a deep connection and physical intimacy.
So, he looked online and discovered adult dolls that looked exactly like real human beings.
“All of a sudden, I’m like, ‘Wow. these things are unreal,” he told the news outlet. “I thought, ‘Why not?’”
“I had never seen dolls before. I never knew they existed. If you’ve never seen it before, it’s new, and it’s scary.”
But Rod decided to give it a shot and ordered a doll for $3000.
7 News reported that Rod received his modern mannequin in October 2021.
He named it Karina Luvly and started liking it.
“All of a sudden, from emptiness, I had something that required care and maintenance and improvement in a feminine way,” he said. “It was nice.”
After a few weeks, the Australian native realized that he wasn’t feeling lonely and depressed anymore, and the presence of Karina made him feel better.
He also made an Instagram account for his doll and named it @karina_luvly.
“The activities I’m doing now are completely different to before I got Karina. I was never taking photos. I was never dressing and doing hair.”
“I had harbored a lot of stress, and sometimes you do a really nice (photo) shoot, and you would have a really emotional moment,” he said. “It starts sparking memories, and you’re blubbering like a baby, crying your eyes out, but that’s good.”
He added, “You’ve got to get that out, find (the problem) and get it out like a weed.”
Karina’s Instagram account has over 10,000 followers – it is managed by Rod, and he regularly shares new photos.
According to Rod, he connected with many people who could relate to him through his Instagram.
“A lot of people talk to me and say, ‘It’s really nice to talk to someone with the same interest’, and they just tell me why they’ve ended up with a doll.”
“(It could have been because of) a disaster with their wife or they’ve lost their partner – there are some big stories.”
A month after buying Karina, Rod opened up to his partner, Jenny, and told her about his new doll companion.
“We argued about it and she didn’t understand,” he recalled. “The first thing that she’s feeling is threatened and wondering why. She was confused, asking if I even “wanted a wife”.
The carpenter said he explained to Jenny about his mental health issues and that Karina’s presence helped his depression. He also clarified that it’s only a lifeless doll that was keeping him company and he would definitely marry Jenny.
“She saw what I was doing with the photos and the media and just totally accepted it in the end,” he told 7 News.
In December 2021, Rod went to meet his mom in Victoria and took Karina with him.
He said when his 85-year-old mum saw Karina, she was stunned.
“Mum basically looked at her as if she was poison. She was just so scared and didn’t even want to touch her.”
“I put her on the couch. I said ‘Take her hand and I’ll take a photo of you’,” said Rod. “In the end, she warmed up – it was like a long lost daughter – she really got into it.”
“She was helping fuss over the hair – it was bloody hilarious.”
He said eventually, his mom warmed up to Karina and even dressed her in her clothes and jewelry.
7 News wrote that recently, the Australian native signed a contract with a Chinese company to photograph their dolls for promotional purposes.
“A big manufacturer in China has decided to use this old Aussie bloke as a photographer and send me dolls,” stated Rod. “You deliver photos to them, and you keep the dolls.”
He is now engaged to his partner Jenny, who also supports his new ventures.
What are your views on this tradie’s story? Let us know in the comment section.
Source: 7 News
