Are ball joints ugly?

Some people hate BJDs for being realistic, others say they're not realistic enough. There's just no pleasing people, is there?

I will admit, when I first saw BJD's, I thought they were stunning...until I saw the joints. Now I don't mind them as much, though dramatic poses look strange when the doll's clothes don't cover the joints.

 

i feel the same. and i thought the same thing when i saw bjds and then saw the joints. but now i like them. =]


im not sure where i draw the line on realism. i love how realistic BJDs are and i always say to myself i wouldnt mind if they where even more realistic

but then i see re borns (please forgive me if you are a re born fan. i dont mean to offend anyone) and they are to scary for my tastes (i think they can be cute sitting on a shelf but sometimes it looks like people are carrying around real dead babys! and coming from a family with alot of deaths [especially when it comes to babys and children] thinking of dead babys doesnt sit well with me)

 

I had a friend say Tima's joints were scary and ugly. I don't find them scary or ugly at all ^^; She has locking knees and they're really natural looking! I don't mind double jointed bodies just as long as the joints are covered up...They just annoy me when they're not covered ha ha. But I can live with 'em.

 

My whole family can't understand my obsession with BJD's. Even one of my best friends can't understand it. They call them glorified Barbie dolls. Which annoies me to no end >_< But everyone does have their own opinion about dolls. But I don't think people should pick on doll owners, or say mean things about the dolls because everyone has that one hobby or that one thing about them that others will find odd.

 

I think I like the fact that BJDs DO have ball-joints, it's somewhat a reminder that they ARE dolls.. Looking a little too realistic might be a bit creepy IMHO..
So, yes, I think joints are not always pretty, but for me, it's better than having no joints. ^^
The only joints I can't really seem to come to like is jointed hands.. They look skeleton-ny to me, and less like hands.. (unless covered with a glove)

 

Well, I guess they're something that you have to get used to... When I first saw pictures of BJDs, their joints did irk me a little. But over time I've begun to think that they're actually very pretty and give the dolls a nice stylized look. :3

 

Dunno why he should be that forceful with his opinion. As if he would be able to change you mind. Pffffffffft. Just let him know that. Surely there's something he likes that you don't? Don't want you to start fights, but you could bring that up if he does.

Anyway, I love every bit of my dolls. Their joints don't bother me. Maybe because I don't see them as realistic to begin with?

 

I think some joints are ugly. Even as a BJD-lover there are some companies who's joints I find just very ick. But there are some companies joints I just adore, maybe your friend needs to look at more than just a couple companies joints?

 

Everyone has their own opinion of course, but personally I hardly notice the joints. I started my doll collecting with antique dolls & so am used to visable joints. The only ones that ever bothered me were the Domuya Flexi-body where the long sections were dug out of the arms & legs near the elbow & knee joints. Those were just hideous but someone liked them as I had no problem selling that body.

I must admit though that the new double-jointed Souldoll boys' square knee joint looks a bit odd especially since pants don't disquise it. But I love those boys too much to let that little quirk bother me.

 

I have to say, that some joints on some dolls are, not very attractive, i will agree to that, but just tell him, that if he took his skin off, thats how his joint would look like, maybe a little gore wil help him understand, its not how they look, but how they work

 

Most of the joints are under clothes and invisible so I hardly ever pay attention to them, but generally I like the joints - my doll has very accurate ones and I somehow obsessed by the construction, I must admit)) If it's a doll I want to see the joints!
But some companies make awful ones - like square and those which go inward when you bend a leg or arm so that there's an empty place that looks creepy though...

 

I'm very much in favour of the jointed look! That's probably a lot to deal with watching Rozen Maiden, but also I love the dolly look it gives

 

I personally find ball joints very appealing visually. When I go for realism, joints can be covered, but when I'm going all-out-artsy, I want to see joints. They're visually interesting and are points which my eye gravitates toward to, they make a picture flow.

When I make a doll body of my own (which I will at some point), the joints are going to be a very prominent part, not subtle like alot of new sculpts (even though the tucked in hinge joints can be interesting too).

 

When I first saw joints I thought they were pretty unsightly. After getting a few Figma action figures I didn't think they were too bad. Nowadays I'm used to joints and don't mind the look. Lately I saw some pictures of a jointless doll body and thought it looked freaky...

 

Er... depends? Some joints are ugly, some joints look really cool.

But this is all pretty subjective. I can understand your friend thinking the visibility of the joint is a flaw and that covered internal skeletons would be more advanced. But covered internal skeletons make me think of the "real dolls" (life-sized sex dolls) and a soft squishy skin reminds me of cheap vinyl dolls, so hard resin and ball joints are classier in my opinion.

Edit: I really hate the rectangular "sticking out" double joints, though. D: They make the arms hang weirdly when straight, and turn elbows into rectangles when bent.

 

The joints to me are part of the charm. Without the joints, they wouldn't be any different from a figurine or an everyday fashion doll. It's kind of like, yes, not real, but not ugly.

 

The ball-joints are part of what drew me to BJDs in the first place, actually. I thought (and still think) that they're pretty neat, a well-constructed system that adds greater poseability to the dolls without detracting from aesthetic appeal.

I don't see why you're so upset about what one of your friends thinks about your doll. Aesthetics (and hobbies as strongly tied to them as doll collecting is) are quite subjective, so you're the only person whose opinions matter as to whether your dolls' joints are ugly or not.

 

When I first saw BJDs I didn't like the way the joints showed, but now I hardly notice them, because I'm too busy admiring their beautiful faces, clothes and the wonderful picturesque poses they are in.

 

I don't find them particularly nice to look at......but without them, the doll would be immobile. D: It'd be cool if a company could produce one where you can't see the joints.....but that's probably impossible. XD

 

Honestly, I don't think ball joints are ugly! I think that while a lot of people really go for realism with their dolls... It's a little unnerving when you honestly have no idea rather it's a doll or human. (I saw a photo the other day for the first time ever that I had absolutely no idea that it was a BJD until I read the comments! While I think that level of skill in photography and with your dolls is amazing... I was a little perturbed afterwards. o.o)

Regardless, ball joints are just sort of a part of who/what a BJD IS. Because of that, I sort of feel that they're very beautiful, in their own right. The only joints I tend to have issues with are shoulder joints, since they often tend to make doll's armpits look really awkward from most angels. >.>
But in a lot of cases, I also think there's beauty in the skill that goes into sculpting the joints in a dolls body... For example, I think Dollshe's two bodies are sculpted with so much skill that every piece of them is just stunning--and amazing!