If you love nothing more than scrolling through your Instagram feed for inspiration or taking in everything on Facebook, you're well aware of a growing community of creators who post image and photo content sharing their tips, opinions, hacks, and daily life.

While many high-profile social media accounts focus on things like fashion, food, fitness, and travel, there's a growing trend toward other topics as well. In fact, you can become an influencer in almost anything today. And you don't have to be human to compete with the countless cats, dogs, horses, and even chimpanzees who amass loyal followers in their millions.

Of course, many of these platforms also have "sexperts" and relationship expert influencers and entire communities centered around their online persona. One exciting new development we're seeing is the rise of the sexual influencer. Yes, that's right, you could just get a few thousand (or millions - sorry, it's not that easy!) followers to become a sex doll-themed internet celebrity. You might even be able to carve out a whole new career path by making your own sex doll online a star and leveraging lucrative sponsorship deals. That's right. If your bankroll is big enough, you might have brands working with you and that means cash in the bank in the social media biz.

Before we get to that, let's take a closer look at the sex doll influencer phenomenon.

Where it all began

Most Millennials and Gen Zers will struggle to remember a time before the internet was 24/7, online was everything and digital was a way of life. For those on the older end of that millennium spectrum and those born before the 1980s, you'll no doubt remember those first heady days of internet access with screeching modems, Yahoo! Search and MSN Messenger.

The modern sex doll influencer was born here. At the dawn of the commercial internet, thousands of pages of content were created and forums were all the rage. Some of these forums and discussion rescues were inevitably devoted to sex and sex dolls.

It wasn't until 2001 that a very public, enthusiastic and knowledgeable sex doll community emerged in the form of The Doll Forum. Described as a "meeting place for doll owners and admirers," it hosts thousands of user photos, discussions and reviews of sex dolls. The site's most prolific users are mini-influencers in their own rights in the forum community of about 70,000 users.

Anyone can become an influencer or a high-profile member of The Doll Forum. Users are invited to create albums and upload pictures of their dolls. For the most dedicated, these aren't casual snaps on their phone. They're carefully staged and have a professional edge with proper lighting, costumes and set dressing. All the techniques you'd expect from any other social media influencer worth their salt.

Making Waves on Instagram

These days, it's quite normal for someone to decide to become an influencer. And it's no surprise as this is a seriously lucrative gig if you've grown your following past a decent threshold. Don't believe us? One expert says, “It’s somewhat of an unspoken rule that influencers can expect to make $10.00 for every 1,000 followers they have once they hit the 100,000 threshold.” Add in all the free stuff from brands – clothing, travel, monthly packages, subscriptions, technology – and it’s easy to see why it’s becoming increasingly popular as a career path.

Of course, not all influencers start out with the intention of making money. In 2016, an Instagram user named t t read an article about one woman’s mission to transform herself into a real-life sex doll and, on a whim, created an account for his own Cheap sex doll, Celestina. She now boasts more than 3000 followers and her Instagram bio reads, “Celestina is a model, news correspondent for TFM News, an avid cosplay enthusiast, and an advocate for sex dolls and robots and those who love them.”

With her job description, regular postings, community interaction, and lifelike features, some followers are even surprised that Celestina is a synthetic doll and not a real person. A six-year veteran of the space, Celestina is also social media savvy and includes a link in her Instagram bio to a YouTube channel, Doctor Dollhouse. Despite launching in 2020, the YouTube channel has already amassed more than a thousand subscribers, meaning it can rake in cash from lucrative ad placements.

Celestina faces competition from other sex doll influencers like The Redhead Newcomer Alita. Interestingly, she uses the hashtag #notasexdoll in her bio, but sassy Alita is actually synthetic. With over 1600 posts and more than 700 posts on her feed, Alita's daily updates show her celebrating her birthday, enjoying lunch, playing guitar - all the posts you'd expect from a human influencer.

Alita's human partner atomic is the person behind the account and tells Input Mag that taking photos of Alita was one of the reasons for purchasing the doll "There was just a very compelling urge to take photos of Alita and it was a huge incentive to get them. I've always been an avid picture taker-just an amateur with a cell phone. I admit there is an appeal to being a photographer when you have a very attractive subject. "

The Art of Influencing

One of the most important awards for many influencers is the creative aspect of shooting content to share online. Summer is a cover doll with more than a thousand followers, but her content has a real professional edge. The account is the brainchild of husband-and-wife couple Marty and Mindy, who, after acquiring a sex doll to spice up their marriage, decided to get creative outside of the bedroom. Mindy is the creative director of the shoots and discusses ideas and concepts while Marty poses them. Some shoots can take months to prepare before the other.

Stacy Leigh is an American artist and photographer. She has amassed a cult following online and in art circles for her artistic depictions of sex dolls. Her work has been featured in art galleries and fashion magazines around the globe and she is also the inspiration for many other sex doll influencers.

For those influencers who do amass a following, the payoff can be significant and the opportunities incredibly attractive. Some sex doll influencers get sponsorship deals with doll companies, accessories brands or clothing companies. Others get paid to take photos for doll magazines, while some become ambassadors for sex doll brands or cover doll stores.

It's Not Just About the Sex

For many influencers, being a sex doll influencer isn't about sex, it's about the doll. The doll is the star, with the accounts from the doll's point of view and personality. Many focus on the doll's adventures like snowboarding or working.

Some creators say this helps deepen their connection with the doll in a non-sexual way. For others, it's a chance to interact with like-minded people and build a sense of community.

Even influencers from other fields can get involved in the sex doll community. Israeli Instagram model Yael Cohen Aris made headlines after one of her one million Instagram followers told her that a sex doll company had created a doll in her likeness, all based on her Instagram profile.

The sex doll influencer community is growing rapidly and with it the creators and artists have new opportunities, meaning this is a space we can expect to develop in the future as sex doll tech advances.

Do you have a favorite doll influencer? Let us know in the comments or tag us on social media.