From io9:
Whedon has admitted that much of Dollhouse analogizes the issues around prostitution, as his Dolls, or "Actives," are being hired out to perform roles that are dangerous, sexual, or emotionally intimate without their knowledge or consent.I get that the show is being sold, in part, on sex and violence, and the marketing makes me crazy. In this interview with PinkRaygun, Whedon expresses his concerns, in regard to star and co-producer Eliza Dushku:
[A]re we actually making a comment about the way people use each other that is useful and interesting and textured or are we just putting her in a series of hot outfits and paying lip service to the idea of asking the questions?I trust Joss to do his best to reach people who wouldn’t otherwise be talking about human trafficking and identity vs. objectification. Whedon has long supported Equality Now, helping to raise great gobs of money for the international women’s rights organization whose issues include the trafficking of women. He discussed the show with the Equality Now board, he says in this interesting NPR interview.
From SciFi Scanner:
Q: You're a feminist. How does a show about women being subjugated fit in with that?
A: It's terrifying. There's no way you can avoid the idea that this feels like high-end human trafficking. But what I'm interested in is the idea of a woman who has no identity, who is gradually becoming self-aware and saying, "I think I know more than they want me to." It hurts me and intrigues me.