Are dolls childish?

I feel like it depends on the doll and what you do with it-- I mean, displaying something you find beautiful in your home doesn't become childish just because that thing is a doll. Having tea parties with a bunch of dolls, maybe that one is childish. But there's nothing wrong with giving yourself time to be 'childish'!

An adult who is capable of functioning in their day to day life shouldn't have to defend their hobbies. If you're not going broke, it's nobody's business what you spend your money on, and it's certainly not someone else's business to regulate what gives you joy.

I get ticked off because so often, it's only women being told to put away childish things or 'feminine' hobbies that are derided as 'too childish'-- society at large has come to accept that adult men still play video games, and can spend a lot of time and money on that hobby, and by and large that isn't a source of mockery unless the man in question has no balance in his life/nothing outside of gaming. Heck, it can even be as much a job as a hobby nowadays. So video games are allowed to be all grown up, but if you collect dolls, suddenly people act like you've got mental/emotional issues and need to give up the things that make you happy?! (I mean, I also love video games, but I just notice that these two hobbies are viewed very differently, and that men and women in both are also treated very differently)

 

There is nothing childish about BJDs. Really. Much more in line with model railroad enthusiasts - combining creativity & collecting.

 

Oh I as a novelist think that there's something about the dolls and creating their universe that helps me keep inspired and my imagination sharp. My mom tho thinks that I don't need a big bjd and that there is no sense to it. I don't know, she never tells me why she thinks so. It's just general yapping about how it's waste of everything. I've played with dolls all my life (unless when I was a kid which is pretty twisted) so she sees nothing specially childish there. I just have too much imagination

 

Humans have made small images of themselves from pretty early on. You can call them votive figurines or grave goods if you want to, but it remains, that we have always created little people to play with. There is an ancient Egyptian farm in miniature that has men, boys, cows and other animals. It is probably four thousand years old. I would love to play with it. I call the desire to make and play "artistic" and "creative" and think of it as a virtue. Calling it childish is cold, harsh and judgemental, and comes from adults who are insecure in their "adulthood" who feel they must diminish the simple joys of others in order to make them selves look important.

I suspect that we, with our BJDs, have a lot more fun than they do.

 

In my work, we sometimes land in a project where we are tasked to create cute-looking avatars or objects. It may look childish, but there is nothing childish with the work needed to get it done. I'd say it's the same with keeping BJDs as a hobby. It's not your little sister's Barbie dolls. =))

 

I prefer 'child-like'. Childish has very negative connotations, as if you're being immature and unable to be a functioning adult. Child-like is still seeing the wonder and enjoyment in things that many people grow out of. Dolls may mostly be a thing for children, but I think it's healthy when an adult can take time out of a stressful adult day and be taken into a world of fantasy and imagination where they're safe and there are no limitations or obligations. It's a nice break to be child-like again when the pressure of the world becomes too much.

 

I look at quality dolls as art/artistic expression. So my answer is simply, no, they are not childish.

 

Well, I am a 42 year old male, with a family and a child, and no mental issues I don't feel childish at all. For me it's a kind of art, the dolls are sculptures which I love to watch and display, for photoshots and admiration. I do, however, not feel so comfortable when bringing them outside among lot's of people... I guess most people don't understand a 42 year old man running around carrying dolls

 

I think that many people associate dolls with childishness because in most places they are a common thing for children to play with. It may be hard for those unfamiliar with this hobby to differentiate play dolls from BJDs which are generally regarded as being art or display dolls among hobbyists.

I think it kind of depends on how you use your collection, too. The majority of hobbyists I know of use their dolls as more of art pieces/inspiration than anything else, but there are also those who "play" with their dolls in a way that might be seen as more childish by others (which is by no means a negative thing). Overall, this is definitely a unique hobby, but I wouldn't call it a childish one.

Regarding the other half of your question, I've never personally run into trouble with my family or friends regarding my dolls. I surround myself by very accepting people, though, so they're used to me having unusual hobbies. I do tend to keep my hobby a secret when it comes to people I think would be less open-minded.

 

I think my mom would actually would have bought bjds herself 10-15 years ago (before my step father killed her spirit). She loves dolls and stuffed toys and would most likely STILL be sewing for my dolls if her arthritis wasn't so bad! She has a collection of Muffy and Hoppy toys that she dresses and puts out her in sewing/crafting room. And she has lots of Build A Bear toys she dresses. And we used to spend whole evenings cleaning, dressing, and styling hair for all of my Barbies when I was a kid! When I was in 8th grade, we were at Target and I asked to go look at the Barbies. While I was looking, some girls my age walked past the aisle, and said "Hah, oh yeah, let's look at Barbies!" in the most sarcastic tone EVER. I asked my mom if I was too old for dolls, and she said absolutely not, that you're never too old for toys. I'm 39 and I've never stopped collecting toys. Don't let anyone tell you that your hobby is childish or stupid. Those people just don't have the creativity or imagination to breathe life into these beautiful sculptures. I find that even my friends who hate dolls (okay, all of my friends are scared of dolls) respect my hobby because they ALSO have passions and understand that life is too short to NOT do what makes you happy! My friend Kristen told me just the other day, that everyone has that ONE THING that they are willing to money into. For some people, it's owning a home. For some, it's travel. For others, it's collecting things, whether it be dolls, baseball cards, comic books, stamps, or whatever. I'm in California, so for a lot of people here it's collecting and drinking wine lol. You and your dolls deserve respect, and don't think that the snide remarks and disapproving looks from others take away the dignity that your fellow hobbyists give you through mutual respect.

 

Oh this question,
people dont ask me this, but they tell me that "it is chilldish" well... im 24 but im inlove with this babies, what can I do? they are my stress releiver, my work is very stressfull by the way, thats why...

 

I think anyone who tries to tell you what hobbies you're allowed to have needs to grow up more than you do. Adulthood isn't a one size fits all mode of being.

 

I guess it depends. I wouldn't say it's immature considering the quality and price of the dolls, and the amount of customization work that we put into them. However, personally, I do love to "play" with mine (pose them, dress them up, take them out with me etc...) so idk, lol!

 

No.

Oh more of an explainer? Lol OK.

Currently, you can walk into most any store... Any. And find comic book themed stuff. Clothes, shoes, action figures whatever... And it's considered cool. Well great!
Dolls not so much...
There's a reason for that. And it's cuz comic book stuff is guy stuff. Doll stuff is girl stuff. Doesn't matter at all that fashions change and popularity of things change. Dolls NEVER seem to be cool as an adult hobby. There's so so so much push for men's childhood loves to be legit. Not much for women's childhood things. So men and women get told dolls are childish while everyone rushes out to see the latest Captain America movie. And yeah I love Cap! But I also love my dolls. And I'm not here for someone telling me the one is OK while the other is not.

So I'd really love for this idea that dolls are just childish stuff to be set on fire. Love the things you love. No one should shame you by calling it childish just because they don't love it or love it the way you do.

 

define childish....I faceup, make the clothes, design the character and even make the wig if I need to. For me it is art. But I also have Ever after and super hero high ect. It is all imagination and expression I don't think that is childish. In fact I think that when we lose the ability to express we end up disparing and that isn't good for the soul.

 

My Dad always said "girls are never too old for teddies and dolls", yet some people think otherwise. Just ignore them if its a problem. Otherwise next time show them a bjd and if they have half a brain they'll understand the fascination!

 

I think that in a way, all dolls are childish. They take us back to a simpler place, where our only worries were wanting to stay up late and not have to concern ourselves with the ways of the world. I certainly feel a little childish when I play with my dolls, but I don't think this is a bad thing at all. It can be an escape from your day to day drudgery and as long as you aren't throwing temper tantrums if it's time to put one down and be an adult for 5 minutes, I don't see a problem whatsoever.

 

There is nothing ¨childish¨about BJDs! They are a form of art, and honestly, childish also implies that it is something a child could have access to or enjoy. While children may enjoy dolls, there is no way that they would be able to purchase, customize, and photograph the way adults do.

 

I never played with Barbie, Bratz, or other fashion dolls as a kid. Actually, I played with little monsters and demons. In general, I was very much the tom boy. It wasn't until I got to college that I started getting into more 'feminine' things, such as BJDs and Lolita fashion. My parents were surprised when I got into dolls, but they've never called them childish. They're used to me having 'weird' hobbies and know how expensive they are and the things I do with them, like making clothes, hats, and stories.

 

I've had my fair share with someone telling me that dolls were childish.

But then i need to explain to them that these dolls are much more than your standard Barbie. Then after that, they're still skeptical, but a little less wary of the doll subject.