BJDs in a poor community - thoughts?

I move to different locations and countries whenever I change jobs (usually 5 years), I don't have a permanent place. Although the permanent home is in Toronto, I don't get to live there unless I find work there. I've lived in very poor neighborhoods and very well off neighborhoods, I don't mind both as long as it's safe and clean. My dolls move with me although I am considering sending some dolls back to Canada for long term storage. I display some of my dolls in my apartment. I go out with them occasionally. I never tell others their price unless they ask.

People living in poor neighborhoods are not necessarily poor. They don't pay so much in rent or mortgage imply they have money for other things. Many people in poorer neighborhoods live with older parents who over the years made it good although they started poor, they continue to live modestly as moving takes effort and is disruptive to growing up kids. These days, i am poor because I pay rent in an expensive neighborhood. I used to be rich when I lived in a poorer neighborhood!

The definition of "Poor" in North America is not the same as the definition of "Poor" in developing and underdeveloped countries.

 

It's all relative. Even in a 'poor' community, you'll still see kids running around in the lates Nikes, clutching a smartphone, with an XBox at home. And nobody but you will really know the value of your doll unless they are into the hobby themselves.

 

I'm not really in a 'poor' community, but my family is definitely middle-class, and we spend most of our money on living well, so even though our house is nice enough, and we always have enough to eat well and pay the bills, we don't have very much money left over for anything else. I currently take classes in a school where a lot of the students are from low-income families, so I often don't want to mention that I spend thousands on my dolls (not PER DOLL, but over time) or that my family has a cabin in the San Juans. If I could explain to every person that I have to buy my own dolls, my family doesn't buy them for me, and it takes me forever to save up and I work very hard for them, or that the cabin my family has was built by my dad and his parents on empty property that my family bought when it was cheap, and there's no plumbing or electricity, and we share a tiny boat with the whole family to take turns getting to the island, if I could just explain that to everyone, they would probably not think of me as a spoiled wealthy person with a ludicrous hobby and a summer home on an island. But I can't explain that all to everyone. I just can't. So I don't mention it in general unless it's brought up.

 

I think that no matter what our hobbies are, we will always spend money on what we feel brings us happiness. We will always spend money on what we enjoy doing. Living in a poor community is no different that living in a rich community in terms of spending money on a hobby. I have family that live in very poor neighborhoods and some have made poor choices with their lives. Yet somehow, they always have money for alcohol, drugs, etc. Addiction topic aside, these are still hobbies. These are still things that people like to do. I believe BJD collection/grooming can be a pretty wholesome and enjoyable hobby. So I personally would not feel any shame talking about your hobby to people who are interested. In fact, I would think you would be doing a great disservice in hiding something you enjoy doing from someone who loves you! Dolls can be pretty exciting!