Move Over, Barbie! These Creepy Anatomical Dolls Are Way Too Real

by Courtney Bissonette

Hey Barbie, take a backseat in that pink convertible of yours!  Anatomically correct female wax figures were the O.G. of dolls in the 18th century.  If you were a kid in the 1700’s, you’ll remember these awesome dolls from your childhood. Because most of us weren’t ( though someone in the comment section is bound to disagree #Notall300yearolds), Morbid Anatomy Museum co-founder Joanna Ebenstein has put together a book of haunting photos of these dissectible dolls. The Anatomical Venus features over 250 images of the female wax figures whose original purpose was to teach the general public about the human body, however, over time their uses expanded from “scientific to sacred,” and they eventually became a fetish which turned into Doll Worship.  Many of these can still can be seen in museums around the world, “these bodies communicated the relationship between the human body and a divinely created cosmos; between art and science, nature and mankind.”

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If you like what you see, pick up a copy on Amazon.com

More from BUST

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Inside Ghana’s ‘Witch Camps,’ Where Accused Witches Live Apart From Men

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Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

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