BJD Categories? (in the US)

1. Have you noticed this sort of divide in the BJD culture? (I don’t perceive it as a negative divide by the way, just a divide in taste! Both categories are great and equally as valid!)

I definitely see divides with people who only collect male vs female dolls and "hot" vs "cute" dolls, but the one I see that seems to start the most "arguments" for lack of a better word, is a combo of both: People with exclusively "hot" male dolls vs people with exclusively "cute" female dolls. Usually the latter accusing the former of fetishizing... Also the whole customized doll vs fullset debate that's always been around.

2. Do you think people generally gravitate towards one category?

I don't think a mass of people all gravitate to the same category, but I think individuals definitely gravitate to the categories that they like. Like someone who loves anime dolls might keep being drawn to more anime dolls. But there are definitly people out there who have a mix of types and styles.

3. What do you think makes someone prefer one more than the other?

That really depends on the person, but I feel like it has to do with what you grew up with in a couple of different ways. One example is that you grew up with Barbies so now you collect pretty female dolls, another is that you grew up with Barbies so now you only want male dolls because you want something different lol. When it comes to customizing dolls it also has to do with if someone enjoys creating characters and designing them, whether they do the faceup themselves or send it to another artist. If someone jjst wants to own a pretty doll but don't care about personalizing them (think a collector Barbie doll for example) they might be more inclined to buy a fullset.

4. Where do you fall? Are there any categories you would add?

I personally have a mix of "hot" and "cute" dolls, so far only boys and non binary dolls, but I want to get girls someday! All of my dolls are fantasy characters (even if their sculpt looks human) so that is a category I definitely gravitate to. I also love creating my characters whom I love, so the only fullsets I own and will probably ever own, are Ringdoll's Hua Cheng and Xie Lian because they're two of my favourite book characters ever, so that love is still there even though i didn't create them

5. Is there anything in common you have noticed between collectors of the same category type?

The only things I can think of is age and when you got into the hobby in terms of what was trending at the time. For example I find that the ones who love the "hot" dolls are usually a bit younger and the ones who think "hot" dolls are inappropriate are a bit older? Not always of course!

 

I definitely know exactly what you're talking about! I've noticed this for a while, that there's a particular segment of western BJD community that just seems... very separate from the rest. Like it's not very surprising at all to see someone collecting both MDDs and Minifees despite their widely different styles, but I very very rarely see anyone collecting both Minifees and Connie Lowe or Trinket Box dolls.

I feel like it might be a somewhat aesthetic thing, maybe? Like an "acquired taste"? A lot of the "Modern Doll style" dolls that have been namedropped here have exaggerated proportions, childlike features, folksy aesthetics. I definitely think of them alongside custom Blythes or big-headed child dolls like H. Minor's Jaki and Pipi, for example.

I actually am someone who collects both types (admittedly less of the 'Modern Doll' styled ones but only because they are generally much more expensive;;; ) and I definitely sometimes feel like I'm in two very distinct communities.

From how you describe them I would be very excited to attend either convention, but unfortunately both of them are way too far from my home state to justify the trip.

 

I don't live in USA and I've never been to either of the conventions mentioned, but about what kind of dolls are most discussed here on DoA... Well, this is a discussion forum. There is only so much discussion to be had around OOAK artist dolls and pretty full sets ment to never be changed again.
You can be excited about new releases and congratulate each other when they arrive, but then what? I mean, so much of the discussion here on DoA is about finding the right wig, troubleshooting, maintenance, customization and character expression.
Sure, we have our fair share of just pretty pictures and people who collect just for the sake of collecting too and there is nothing wrong with that, of course, but it does generate less posts than project journals does.
I think it's just in the nature of the format to attract a slight majority of creative and hands on collectors. Or at least, it encourages that kind of content.

 

It's difficult to say! The more I think about it, the more it seems like a "very specific niche of western dolls vs. the WORLD" situation. Like there's this small handful of specific dolls and artists... and then there's EVERYTHING ELSE. So I guess the easy answer is just that I like a lot of stylistic variety.

I will say I tend to gravitate towards certain western dolls because they're slightly more likely to embrace sort of an "ugly cute" style. Like the eyes will intentionally be super small and placed unnaturally on the head, or the nose will be larger and rounder, or the mouths will have an exaggerated lip shape or obvious teeth. It's much more common in the BJD community at large to see perfectly symmetrical faces, tiny button noses and small demure mouths.