Are dolls childish?

There's no one-size-fits-all reaction, but I'd tell them (if I said anything at all) that it's far more childish to ridicule someone's (harmless) hobby that they enjoy, and to assign an age category to it in an attempt to shame that enjoyment away.

The opinions of others can hurt, and can create untrue/unfair feelings of being somehow "unacceptable" if you can't either change to suit or find certain magic words that'll "justify" who you are, but it's important - extremely important - not to let what anyone else thinks/feels/says/does kill the enjoyment you get from living your own life in your own way.

Even if they're family, or friends.

Unless you're using their money, or money you owe them, to buy your dolls (or to do whatever else you might enjoy), they don't really require an explanation or counter-argument at all.

I'm sure they make choices for their lives that you don't consider to be the best ones...we all do things others wouldn't necessarily choose for us, if they were in our shoes.

And that's okay.

 

My mother collected porcelain art dolls, so I grew up with it. Though she sadly gave up/sold all her dolls after they spent the better part of a decade in a box(my brother and father REFUSE to be careful where/how they walk. They broke two of them just by walking by supposedly).
My father sees all the work I put into them, my brother collects model gundams, and my husband collects star wars toys. So I never had to deal with the view that they're childish.
We all live a short time, if anyone give you crap for enjoying something 'childish' they've already started dieing inside.

 

People have been telling me I'm ''too old" for dolls longer than some of you have been alive.

My grandmother made dresses for all my dolls, then for my cousins' dolls, then my friends' dolls, and when she ran out of people to craft doll clothes for, she bought herself two dolls to dress. (Just ordinary vinyl dolls, but their wardrobe was to die for!)

I started collecting as a teenager (Barbies first, then 1/12th dollhouse miniatures) and met a lot of people who were decades older than I was, so I never really felt it was strange, but others outside those hobbies apparently do...
I've always had co-workers, relatives, comparative strangers tell me that it was a 'weird hobby for a grown woman' - and I tell them it's no weirder than other hobbies. And leave it at that. I've long ago lost the urge to defend my hobbies to anyone.

 

Hey 27 and still loving the hobby. A hobby is meant to be relaxing and creative and Bjd is definitely a fun hobby!

 

I think this hobby is no more childish than many typical 'geeky' hobbies, which are increasingly popular with adults these days.

I find that people really only use the word 'childish' if the hobby in question isn't very popular. For example, when I was a kid, everyone around me thought it was extremely childish to play video games, but that is definitely no longer true!

If doll collecting ever really took off in popularity, the 'childish' label would fall out of use.

 

As long as a hobby is not harmful to others and it is something you can afford, I dont' really see the point of calling it "childish", or to in a broader perspective, appropriate for only a part of the population. It is true for BJDs as it is for any other hobby, be it other types of doll, toy cars, video games, etc.

Besides "childish" is something I would apply to a person, not a hobby. I would definitely be immature/childish if I keep spending time and money on my hobby while not being able to pay my taxes, care for my kids (I don't have them, but if they did exist, it seems obvious they take priority over everything else), spending time with my friends and family, do my job, etc.

But if I can fulfill all my "obligations", I definitely am of a mind that my spare time and money is mine to do as I wish, be it books, music, massages, clothing, art stuff or dolls.

Life is definitely too short not to do what you want, so if you can assume your other responsibilities, who cares?

 

And the price was the first thing that popped into my mind after reading the thread title. Definitely not a children's collection.

 

My parents never thought it was childish for me to play with dolls. Though they are very concerned with how much I'm spending on BJDs.

 

It’s clearly stated by seller and makers of bjds that these doll are not meant for children - but for adult collectors. It’s obvious how many adult humans these tiny people bring joy to, so therefore, I don’t see any problem at all.

My dolls have changed my life for the better. I think of them often and fondly and frequently peek in just to say hi during the day. I also stay home with two young kids all day and, weirdly enough, my dolls are an escape from them. I’m pretty sure my family thinks I’m a total wacko sometimes but otherwise they have accepted me as me. And my dolls.

These items are expensive pieces of art. Not just “children’s toys”.

 

This is it right here. I never let what someone else says bother me because honestly, that’s on them. I live my own life, so I don’t take much consideration of how people judge me based on mine because I would never do the same back. We all have our things we like and dislike, so I think it’s in the eye of the beholder for this kind of question. Personally do I think it is childish? No because it’s an art form.

 

Maybe people always associate dolls with children, but bjd I don't think it's childish. If you want to raise a doll well, it takes time and energy, you need to match the right style of clothes and use your imagination, this is an art, I think. But my parents will not understand, they are very old-fashioned, so so far I have not told them, I only told my friends about my hobbies.

 

When I bought my first doll I was worried that people would perceive me as childish for collecting BJD’s, but a year into collecting I realized it really didn’t matter to me what other people thought! These dolls are expensive and people put a lot of care and time into making them unique. Most children would not have the patience for that lol.