Trans ‘Human Barbie’ Jessica Alves reveals she’s sapiosexual – what exactly does that mean?

Former Celebrity Big Brother star Jessica Alves has confessed that she is ready to settle down after revealing that she identifies as sapiosexual.

Appearing on This Morning on Thursday (13 June), 40-year-old Alves –  who is transgender and was dubbed ‘Human Barbie’ after spending £1 million on over 100 operations over the course of 21 years – answered multiple questions about her life and experiences so far from hosts Dermot O’Leary and Cat Deeley.

O’Leary asked: “Do you finally feel you’re where you want to be physically?

Alves replied: “in the past, I’ve felt like a dog trying to bite its own tail… it is the end of my surgeries. I don’t need anything else. I had everything that could be possibly done under the sun… and I just want to live life.”

She also said she feels comfortable in her own skin now and largely at peace with herself, although she does want one more vocal cord surgery because she still doesn’t like the sound of her own voice.

As part of the interview, she was asked what her dream partner would be like.

She replied: “Fairly intelligent, hardworking, adventurous, fun. Not funny, fun to be around.”

“I am a little bit sapiosexual,” she added. “Basically I am attracted to intelligent minds.”

When did Jessica Alves transition?

Prior to her transition, Alves was known as a human Ken doll due to her extensive love of plastic surgery.

She came out as trans in January 2020 in an interview with The Mirror: “For the last few years I have been known as the human Ken doll, but actually I have always felt like Barbie. It feels amazing to finally tell the world I’m a girl… I finally feel like the real me.”

Alves previously told Truly that the “Ken doll” she was famous for being is now gone and that she “never felt comfortable as Ken”.

“I never had surgery to be a Ken doll lookalike, it just happened. When I look at photos of Rodrigo, I see a very glamorous man. But I knew I was unhappy, I was forcing that smile.”

What is sapiosexuality?

People who are sapiosexual usually find intelligence sexually arousing or attractive, rather than a person’s physical appearance.

Some people might be both heterosexual and sapiosexual, essentially finding someone of the opposite gender to their own attractive because they are particularly intelligent in general – or in a specific area.

Psychology Today writes: “Those who admit to being sapiosexual will say that they are turned on by the brain, and tend to be teased or excited by the insights of another person. This means the person who you are attracted to might have a tendency to have an incisive, inquisitive, and an irreverent mind.”

So, for example, a form of foreplay for sapiosexuals could be to discuss and debate big topics like philosophy, politics, or psychology. That’s tends to be what distinguishes a sapiosexual from someone who just wants to date someone who is smart, or on their level.

Why is it controversial?

The term “sapiosexual” is controversial because many people believe that sapiosexuals don’t really exist – after all, everyone likes intelligence and stimulating conversation, right?

One common criticism is that intelligence has always been a major part of attraction and goes hand-in-hand with all the other traits and qualities that make someone attractive – including their bodies – with people arguing that sapiosexuals must take into account a person’s body as well as their mind.

“I feel like people just think it’s a really obnoxious way of saying you like smart people, but it’s much more intense than that – more like a fetish,” one anonymous sapiosexual told Cosmo.

However, many LGBTQ+ identities have been said to “not exist” in the past; at the end of the day it is important to acknowledge the lived experiences and personal accounts of people who identify in that way.