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BJD or Fashion Doll

Jan 17, 2008

    1. I pretty much have the exact opposite opinion (funny how that works sometimes). I find many trad-BJD head sculpts look too much alike, whereas the fashion doll head sculpts I've sought out (and these are the ones with ball-jointed bodies etc) just have an aesthetic appeal that really gets to me. For me it's the more realistic the better when it comes to the faces. And with the recent body sculpts they're every bit as much of a piece of art as the traditional BJD:s.
       
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    2. These are my own definitions -

      Fashion doll - a doll used chiefly to display "fashions" - articulation as variation to the displayed fashions... funnily, Barbies are fashion dolls yet they are more like knock around bouncey child play things, the only items they generally display are signs of wear and tear and enthusiastic childish play rather than "fashion"
      BJDs - dolls with ball joints
      ABJDs - dolls with ball joints in the traditional/general Asian aesthetics (seriously, who is to define what is "Asian" aesthetics anyway? I am sure that everyone on the Asian continent does not think exactly the same nor prefer the same things - I personally find "big eyes" to be insulting to my own definition of "asian aesthetics"... eurocentric, whitewashing etc etc... but I love big eyes because it makes things look super cute) perhaps NEABJDs (North East Asian Ball Jointed Dolls) would be more appropriate?

      so on DoA, this means that dolls with the right joints and number of ball type joints in a certain style (generally humanoid with East Asian supposedly preferred stylised features) are considered on-topic... that does not stop fashion dolls being fashion dolls nor does it mean that BJDs are more or less than just ball jointed dolls.
       
    3. IMHO the "asian aesthetic" criteria is a bit too subjective. I see that several dolls have been omitted for this reason only. If a doll fits into the criteria in all other aspects but is excluded for just this reason, what exactly is to be gained by this??
       
    4. I think the waters are becoming even murkier with the addition of the Fairyland Chic Line. They are styled like fashion dolls and even have the word "Chic" in their name. They seem for all intents and purposes fashion dolls. They can even share wardrobe with many fashion dolls.
       
    5. I agree with the idea that the difference is largely in the intent of the doll. The intent of a fashion doll is to be a miniature clothing model. If you take a walk down the Barbie asile, there are a wide variety of bodies to choose from and many of those are highly articulated. The Barbies that are intended for play have removable clothing, but the collectable ones often are sewn into their clothing. Liv and Moxie are fashion dolls that allow customization in clothing and in hair style, and I've seen wigs small enough for Barbie's little head.

      BJD is a broad term and it's entirely possible for there to be fashion dolls with ball joints, and there have been. When my mom saw Josslyn's elastic and how she was put together, she remarked how she and her sisters had dolls like that when they were young. The dolls discussed on this forum are intended to be changed to fit your "vision". They have an element of fashion doll to them because many can be bought with a set faceup, hair, outfit, and accessories but over all the point is that you can make the doll in your own way.

      I do not think that the type of doll decides whether or not you can create a character or story for them. Barbie, Liv, Moxie, Bratz and the lot are only as limiting as you make them. I remember making up stories for mine, changing names, altering makeup and hair, and making loads of things for my dolls when I was younger.
       
    6. Well, it keeps things focused. Personally, I'm interested specifically in abjds not just dolls with ball joints, and the aesthetic quality of most of the on-topic dolls are what appeals to me over all the other dolls out on the market. That said, there are gray areas where some dolls just don't fit neatly into one category or the other. I don't envy the job of having to decide what's on topic or not. While it is the least clear cut of the criteria for determining on topic dolls, I do think the aesthetic look is one of the most important since it's what really makes abjds unique.
       
    7. I've been pondering this question for awhile and still haven't clearly defined for myself why ABJD's generally appeal to me more than other larger fashion dolls like Tonner and Gene. Tonner's have ugly heads, specifically the transition from head to neck is very clunky and clumsy. Their faces are horsy and WASPy, and not in a good way. Gene's face seems a bit blank and the doll feels proportionately short for the size of her head. A fashion doll ought to be a tad attenuated to show off the lines of the clothes, don't you think?

      On the other hand, many of the things I've mentioned can be found in ABJD's, too, but even in the cheap dolls there's some redeeming feature that rescues the doll from utter banality. Maybe it's the depth and breadth of facial features and expressions or body types (childlike to mature) or the capacity to completely customize the doll. I don't know. What I can say is this: While a ABJD can be used to model clothing, the potential for expression transcends the moniker "fashion doll".
       
    8. From what I've seen, fashion dolls really just depend on the time it's made. From the revlon dolls of the 50's to Bratz of today. Fashion dolls evolve with what's popular now. BJDs seem to be a mismatch of everything under the sun. BJDs aren't dictated by the fashion industry of today is, it's dictated by what the owner wants.
       
    9. Hmm, everytime I think of Fashion Dolls, I think of that somewhat "retro" or runway makeup and style. Also they tend to be sized to where they pretty much can wear each others clothing (basically roughly Barbie sized). I've noticed for some Barbies these days, they changed their body shape some to be slightly more realistic, but it's still stylized for the most part of course.
       
    10. I think there is a big difference in their look.