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Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder...

Oct 22, 2009

    1. This comes up all the time, with people assuming that if a doll is off-topic, it is somehow seen as "less than," when that's not the case at all. It's simply a matter of forum focus--- I don't go into a turkey forum and post pictures of a professionally photographed honey-glazed ham; that would be weird and off-topic. It certainly wouldn't make the ham any less delicious/beautiful (as hams go) though.

      To the initial question, I'd say that no, I don't find all dolls beautiful. However, there are plenty of ugly dolls that I absolutely adore and own or would like to own. I love "weird" faces, and happily own a Volks Amakusa, Unidoll Ark, and DoD Petsha, all of whom are either seen as scary and/or fug by many. I find the basic Notdoll girls to be ugly, but I love them and plan on getting one. :aheartbea

      I'm not sure my stance fits into the "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" idea, because I don't find them beautiful. For me, it's more that conventional beauty isn't always the deciding factor in my like or dislike of a doll. The quality and skill with which the doll was sculpted is the line between my ugly/want and ugly/do not wants.

      Something like that~ :lol:
       
    2. I agree with pretty much every statement there XD
      I'm so happy this thread is getting so many responses!!! I love hearing everyone's opinions, it just makes me happy :D
       
    3. A little random comment to exemplify the classic "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" statement... Over and over it seems that the Notdoll molds are the ones that many people consider the "ugliest" dolls.
      For me, they were LOVE at first sight!! I was immediately taken with the Belladonna mold, over any other it's the one that has gotten the strongest hold on my heart. I loved that they were so different from all the other companies, who for me can sort of blur together a little bit with so many "pretty" molds... ;^^ Not that there is anything wrong with that of course, they just don't always stand out to me the same way.

      I take no offense at anyone's opinion of any mold, and I hope no one takes any offense at mine. I love the dolls I love no matter what! They're for me.

      I just find it so fascinating how face molds can attract and repel people so differently! It's part of what makes collecting so fun, as no one will really have the same collection. :)

      EDIT: Another doll who has come up a few times on here as being "ugly" is Dollzone's Violeta- particularly due to the shape of her mouth. I had to laugh because my first thought upon seeing her was "Wow! What a great mouth sculpt!" Hahaha! I think I have a tendency to love and nurture sad and unwanted creatures... ;)
       
    4. While there is even a societal standard of what is attractive [yes! even in communities that are meant to be open-minded!], there will always be personal deviations. Sometimes I find it personally impossible to see the beauty in a mold I don't like, with a face-up I think is hideous, and clothing and wig and eyes.....it goes on and on. But it's really not my business to remark on it, simply because someone else's standard of beauty doesn't really match mine.
       
    5. I know I like some moulds that are as generally popular, and others are 'overly' popular. It's definitely in the eye of the beholder, just like some of us have that "awww it's so ugly it's adorable <3" moment for certain things/dolls and the person next to us thinks we're nuts. :) Even my best friend and I have pretty different doll tastes, but even if I wouldn't choose the doll myself and couldn't bond with it in the same way, I still appreciate her love for it.
       
    6. There have been a few molds that I've seen and thought they were ugly. And some of the customizations that I've seen I thought were hideous. But it's not my place to say anything because 1) I didn't pay for the doll and 2) It doesn't live in my house.

      I'm pretty sure that people might have seen pictures of my dolls and thought that they were horrid looking. But I still love them.
       
    7. I think the concept of bjds and in fact all dolls are beautiful, but I don't think all dolls are created equally beautiful. I know this is about bjds, but a good example is barbie!
      There are sooooo many people who love Love LOVE barbie! But there are also alot of people who think they are completely ugly and useless.
      It all depends on what your looking for in your doll family I suppose.
       
    8. personally, even if i don't like a sculpt when i first saw it, i will usually find something beautiful about it after a while. maybe it's just that i have this tendency to want to see the beautiful things? XD even with people i do this. for example, that doll might not look nice overall, but i might go, hey the eyes are a nice shape, though it doesn't go with the overall look. of course, just cos i find most dolls beautiful doesn't mean i want to own all of them.

      there are also some dolls which people don't like for a certain reason, but i really find beautiful. haha, it's really the individual's opinion in the end.
       
    9. Even if a doll is well molded or not, what each one consider 'pretty' is very relative.
      When you think that one doll is beautiful, your taste can change and what you though it was beautiful, might not be anymore after a while.

      And many people don't buy dolls just for the sake of beauty. What if someone is looking for a doll to make, for example, Quasimodo? XD
      It's all about the context of thing.
       
    10. Hee, example: I really, really love Dollzone Binli. I thought she was absolutely beautiful from the very first time I saw her, and I still do. But when I was considering getting her and showed an owner picture of what I thought was a particularly lovely Binli, one I coveted to death, to Romana, she blurted out a heartfelt "She's HIDEOUS!"

      Guess Binli's unlikely to come live in our home. :)

      I am a firm believer that beauty and ugliness are very subjective. The problem is that because both revulsion and enchantment are such visceral responses, it feels like you are responding to something objective and universal.
       
    11. Yeah I've seen people's tastes change a lot when it comes to bjd's XD And yeah, I just saw some pictures of the Ryuk minimees that were made. I would totally get one, and I don't think those are exactly the most beautiful dolls ever, but I still think they're awesome ;)
       
    12. To each his own I say. For me it's not the actual molds of some of the dolls I find ugly, it's the owner's customizations. Of course I would never say that to the doll's owner because it's not my choice how their doll looks, it's their's. I go by the if you have nothing nice to say, keep your mouth shut rule. It would be like walking up to someone and going, "Dang, you're kid is butt ugly!". That's just rude. However, there are a few molds I just can't see myself owning ever just because I don't like them and find them to me ugly.
       
    13. I think this is a really engaging debate, unlike some of the ones that I have foolishly stuck my nose in that were just a hodgepodge of idiocy and immaturity, and general terrifying bad behavior.
      I agree mostly that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to coin another well worn phrase that one man's meat is another man's Please I'm a vegan, but I do hold that some things are just unacceptable, and therefore I don't find them beautiful, but that mostly rests in personal opinion. Mostly.
      The joy I get from this hobby is not to participate in flame-fests, which is why I keep away from other sites (cough, DOD) filled with opinionated ignorant loud mouths. I like the general politeness of the atmosphere here.
      That said, I am a fine artist, so I know that mastery of your medium is the first step when it comes to proficiency as an artist. This is why I may respect masterful work, although I may not find it to my taste. There is also a bit of "magic" that goes into a really captivating work for me, and it may have nothing to do with the amount of difficulty the artist had to endure to produce it. I am always captivated by say, Ravendolls work, for it's soul and simplicity. Pepstar's engages me through her conviction and specificity.
      For myself, I tend to like the more exaggerated sculpts that I see here are usually relegated to the ugly heap, like Notdoll's Belladonna or Aletheia, and Dollzone's Beeta and Violetta. My favorite doll of all time is a little evil looking red elf, who is a handcast Chibi Ted from LadySaiyuki. These dolls captivate me.
      I wonder if it has something to do with our own appearances? As a young woman I know that I was considered "pretty", but I do have exaggerated features, big lips, pointy nose. Is that the "Another Yourself" thing here?
       
    14. I definitely agree. All dolls have their singular appeal, whether it is in our own specific tastes or not.

      A lot of the time, as Rook said, it isn't the doll that is unappealing, it's how the owner turned them around. I've seen so many "butchered" beautiful dolls out there...their face-ups custom done by first-timers (not that I've ever done a face up...), hair a mess, 80's neon suits..

      Each to their own, I won't judge someone based on that. But to me, that is butchery of something expensive and beautiful. *shrug* Just my opinion.
       
    15. For me the beauty of the sculpt has nothing to do with wanting a doll in my house. I acknowledge a lot of dolls as pretty, most of them as at least well-executed ideas even if the proportions don't appeal to me. For example, most of Soom dolls have really classically perfect faces; they are beautiful but I'd never take a doll like that into my house (with an exception of one or two molds). The 'traditionally-ugly' dolls are just not for me but I can appreciate the aesthetic of the unnatural and strange. Dollzone's Violetta hyptonizes me and I would love to do a few photoshoots with a doll like that but I won't buy one.


      Some non-proffessional modifications can seem ugly to me though, but mostly it is because I can clearly see that the execution of the idea failed (unless the owner really wanted to make a doll splotchy and dirty).
       
    16. I find some dolls hideous, and others simply unattractive. That said, what I usually find hideous are overdone or excessive face-ups or mod-jobs gone horribly bad.

      Some of my dolls I know are classically pretty and quite popular on DOA (CP Yder anyone? ;)) and some are less (Kid Delf Ani).

      What I really find beautiful in a doll is a well-done face-up, mod, clothing choice. Good photography helps too.

      However, there are less classically beautiful dolls that I like too. For example, I am fascinated by Unidoll Ark. I think he's just amazing, so detailed and masculine expressive with that hugely pronounced brow ridge.

      And there are exceptions to what I like or don't like as well. The best example is my doll-zone Mo. I dislike most if not all Dollzone moulds. But I adore my Mo. And I adore Luts as a company, but there are certain moulds that make me cringe just a bit.

      I'm rambling on here, but I suppose what it all boils down to for me is a well taken care of doll. If the doll looks loved and is well-dressed and painted than I won't consider it hideous. Even Belladonna. ;)
       
    17. Some time ago I was talking to my friend about certain molds. I told her "I don't get why some people pay $XXX on the Marketplace or wherever to buy this doll head." She told me, "It's acquired taste." I thought about it and looked at those molds, I see them often here on DoA and now I think...they aren't as ugly as I thought them to be. Maybe you just have to get used to them and see them in a new way to appreciate them. So beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
       
    18. There is a French term ""belle laide," which literally means "beautiful ugly," but is used to refer to a woman who is attractive (so not really "ugly") though not conventionally beautiful. I like striking and unusual appearances. I find Happydoll Margo and Customhouse Mina both very compelling even though they are not conventionally pretty, whereas I find a lot of the pretty dolls very similar and so not that interesting (I feel the same way about people's appearances too).
       
    19. I think that what kind of doll you like reflects on what you find attractive in real people. Beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder. I personally like dolls with bigger eyes and subtle noses and mouths, I absolutely can't stand the half-lidded eyes. If the eyes are gonna be closed, make it a sleeping version. On the other hand, one of my friends bought a doll with the eyes exactly like that and with a mouth bordering on how DZ Violetta's was. I couldn't understand how on earth she could like a doll like that, but she loves him just as much (if not more) than I love my little girl. That made me realize it just comes with your personality what you find attractive, and that reflects on what dolls you like or would want to buy (/rant)
       
    20. I would like to add that the way some dolls are photographed can definitely make them appeal more attractive or uglier. It might also be so that some dolls, like people, are more photogenic and and look better in photos. Some photos of the dolls that i didn't like before, or thought they were butt-ugly have made me appreciate them more in a very artistic sort of way.