Being egotistical about your dolls

Well...I have one doll in particular that I think is a lovely example of her sculpt (she has a really nice custom faceup that is sooo flattering), however, I'm going to be selling her since she no longer fits in to my group, go figure.

Most of the time, I wouldn't say that I feel like mine are the most beautiful of 'x', because there are people out there that take better pics, have nicer faceups etc -- that's the way life is. There will always be people who don't do things as well, and always be people who do things better. But, I do love my dolls and am very happy with them. If I'm not happy with something whether it's the style of clothes or the faceup, I work to fix the issue. Mostly it's a personal best thing rather than anything really competitive with other folks. I love seeing what other people do with the same sculpts I have -- it's one of the coolest things about bjds. The same sculpt can look entirely different in someone else's hands.

 

Not the most beautiful of his sculpt, no. But I usually like mine better . That's because I've customized them to my specific tastes, so that's pretty natural. Plus there's an emotional attachment involved, and I always prefer my stuff to other people's stuff, because it's mine.

However, I really admire what other people do with the same sculpt. It doesn't have to be within my range of taste, even, for me to admire something that's been done well, whether it's a stunning faceup, a great choice of wig and eyes, a beautiful photo, etc.

I think it's perfectly natural to squee over your own dolls, too. It's just not nice to tell others you (general you) think your version of x sculpt is better than anyone else's, as opinion is obviously going to be completely relative on that.

 

I think mine are most beautiful to -me-, the same way I think my one eyed cat, who is actually a fat, grumpy, wiry haired, constantly puking, biting, mean spirited little hellion, is the best cat in the whole world simply because she's mine. Everyone thinks their cat is the best in the world! It definitely doesn't mean the cat actually is. It's quite subjective for me, that phrase "the best". I can definitely recognize though when other people whose skill level is higher than mine (and there are a lot of those people) have dolls that are made-up and dressed far more beautifully than mine. I admire their beauty but I don't want them. As the Little Prince said, his Rose was the most beautiful, more beautiful than the other roses in the garden, simply because she was his.

 

Esthy's Peroth is actually one of my favourite sculpts, but I will readily admit that I don't actually really like any other Peroths I see because none of them can hold a candle to my own, who is clearly the most perfect doll ever created no matter what my poor photography would have you believe.

Nothing wrong with thinking your dolls are the best. After all, I would hope you like dolls you own more than dolls other people own.

 

Oh, sure--but I'm not serious about it. When I'm joking around with close friends, I've been known to say, "I have The Most Beautiful Nono EVAR," and in return they claim the Most Beautiful in their favorite categories. But none of that is anything except all-in-good-fun exaggeration.

For real, I'm much more inclined to think (and to say), "I've never seen a Nono that I like better than mine." Does that mean that there isn't a Robin's Egg or Avvelenato Nono out there that, objectively speaking, is a thousand times more beautiful than mine? Nope. But since this hobby isn't the Westminster Dog Show for resin, I don't need to think about how my dolls stack up against other people's, or how they would be judged against some dolly breed standard--only how much they please me.

ETA: Also, what Kim said.

 

I agree with everyone, especially PenguinCheese with the cat reference. I constantly argue with my friends that I have the cutest cats ever while they believe THEIRS are the cutest cats ever. What is ours will always seem better. It's because we've lived with them and loved them and taken care of them. My dolls may not be the best in everyone's eyes but, in mine, they are. I can't seem to help it.

 

I have a couple of dolls who I think are the best But I don't expect anyone else to think they are awesome. I think my Eisheth needs a fanclub

 

( Malvagitabella, one day I am going to draw you a sheep.) I second that it's a naturally feeling. The kitty analogy was spot-on.

 

It... depends? I've owned dolls that weren't terribly popular and so, since I go out of my way to make sure my doll gets only the best I sort of felt like I had the better of the few that are out there (actually, one of my dolls I have literally not seen another one of, especially in his gender so... Kind of hard to compare when he's the only one that I know of. (I'm sure he's not. I haven't really looked very hard, and he's a neat little guy) Though a few of his female counterparts are VERY cute). And then I owned very popular dolls that were absolutely amazing in the hands of certain people that mine never measured up to despite all the work/money I put in (and that was also okay, because I liked mine anyways).

It's actually not so much the mold as it is the presentation that I tend to get egotistical about, anyways. Like... I dunno, I can't help but admire the amazing work my favourite face-up artist did on my boy. It's stunning and a work of art by itself.

 

I've definitely been known to espouse the belief that my x doll is better, prettier, or more unique than any other x doll out there. I'm not always right (in fact, am I ever?), but hey, that's why we have opinions and not facts, eh?

But in all seriousness, I do use other peoples, say, Heliots as a measuring stick for mine. It helps me to reach deep down and do my very best to make him that much more unique, beautiful, whatever.

 

Well... I'm exceptional then, because I'm always thinking that my dolls look worse than others xD Whish isn't good at all.

 

Well, maybe some basic psychology can shed a little light on this. GENERALLY...

Humans innately like to feel good internally, having inconsistencies in actions and feelings inside [like saying one thing and doing the opposite of it] is generally unpleasant [dissonance], and we seek to diminish these bad feelings either consciously or subconsciously. Possessions are innately important to people. You often value something even more if you are the owner of it. Familiarity with an item will also breed affection; the more familiar, the more value it gains to you. These 'facts' have all been empirically supported by science. At face value, these things are easily understood, but even in more subtle terms they work.

These are easily combined in doll aspects; for example, you choose a doll you think you like, browsing through many to find that perfect one. Let's say you were torn between two sculpts that you adored equally and just bought one of them. Eventually, you would find that your affection to the sculpt you bought would increase as you own it and play with it, dress it, etc... and that you'd grow less attached to the other sculpt that you might've gotten. You may even reject it fully! Thinking that it just wasn't as good as the one you have now! Why is this?

It would be extremely unpleasant to you to think that maybe you made the wrong decision and spent a boatload of money on the wrong thing. It wouldn't make sense, to have spent all that effort and money on something that you didn't like at all in the end, and it feels really awful. I suspect this is why some people really get down when a doll doesn't work out for them. How do we take away this dissonance? The easiest way to do it is to simply change our attitudes. We affirm and reassure ourselves that our choices were the right ones to make, and that anything else isn't quite~ par with what we chose. In effect, you often change your attitudes to match your actions.

Even in situations where you found "THE ONE".. Again, time, effort and money act as really good incentives for you to feel good about your decision.

I also suspect rarity would influence this feeling of 'mine is the best' very strongly, as it increases the difficulty of obtaining the item. Which is why you may see people that really love their rare sculpts and get outraged when something is re-released, especially by the companies, because it feels as if all that sacrifice suddenly becomes worth very little :}

It's pretty textbook, and of course there are exceptions, but it may help you understand more about what's going on in people's heads.

 

Fffff hahaha no. Dolls are art, and what is perfect/best is entirely dependant on the viewer.

 

Yep, the kitty analogy is spot on!

Shoot, my DOD E-an doesn't even have a custom face up, I've customed the hair, eyes, and outfit, but the face up is the default one. Yet, if I was asked where I've seen the more beautifully done E-an, I'd be like, "BAM! She's right there on my dresser!". LOL, I love her to pieces!! So of course she's the most beautiful! But I fully acknowledge that someone elses doll is obviously the most beautiful to them.

 

Very interesting this thread
Well, frankley no. There are always other molds of the one I have that I like better. Some DoD BES's is just so much more amazing, even if they are the same doll. My doll is not perfect out there, but they are perfect for my heart and for their personalities.

But I don't think they are the best of their molds. For me there are always prettier dolls out there. But I'm very proud of my dolls characters, there is my biggest joy. And the fact that they all have grown into their characters beautifuly. So my pride is in that, and that people seem to like my dolls more and more. I makes me proud that people like the dolls I have put together. That is a very warm feeling for me :3

 

Sometimes I do (because her face-up is done by the company) but then I'm always seeing other equally great dolls out there with face-ups by companies or other owners.

 

I'm almost... anti-egotistical about my dolls. Maybe it's that so many are waiting for me to grow a clue on faceup skills so they don't get trotted out, maybe it's the lack of a camera to show them off (or space to take pictures even if I knew where the camera was), but I'm usually more curious about shiny things that aren't in my house than what's here. I can see what's here any ol' day.

OK. There's one exception. I love one of them best of all amongst the ones I've seen even though she's wearing an old crumpled scrap of a dress (that was my mother's Toni doll's dress when she was a little girl, hand-made by my grandmother) that strangely suits her, and a candy-colored wig that isn't at all what I'd pictured for her. She just has so much personality that I don't necessarily see coming through in various pictures of the mold. She's a sulky little darling, but that's what I loved about her from the beginning. Most others who have purchased her seem to shy away from that aspect of the sculpt, and it's why I loved her in the first place, so that tends to be why I feel this way about her specifically, I think, more than any actual 'mine is the better one!' feeling.

 

Beauty is such a subjective thing. My dolls aren't the most beautiful of their molds, but I definitely like them the best. I like the character they have and the clothes they wear and the faceups are of my own styling. I don't think it's so much ego rather than being supremely happy with what one has.

Sometimes when I first get a doll I find myself comparing them to others and not feeling that they were up to scratch - but after some tweaking and adjusting and re-doing of faceups they become perfect. Getting to that stage of happiness takes time and effort for me.

 

I love my dolls. I chose them to buy because I love them. And I love them better than other people's dolls because I've dressed them and altered them the way I wish, so I like them even more.

I'm not judgmental, though. I don't think they are more beautiful than other dolls. I don't think they are prettier or uglier or better or worse. I just love mine more because they are mine...