"But its just a doll.."

I don't think you have to see them as children to own them, i personally see them as pieces of art and characters i have brought to life.

 

I often refer Aedan as my son.. and my sis is his aunt.. and my parents are his grandparents etcso on and so forth.. But its more of a bonding process than anything.. I don't actually consider him as a child, more like a companion, like you mentioned They make great anti-emo partners

 

I think to each their own. It doesn't bother me when people treat their dolls like children, in fact I find it quite cute some times. But I wouldn't treat my doll like a child. I only recently got into the hobby and my reason for buying a doll was much the same as yours.

I think the dolls are artistically beautiful and I like how each doll is one of a kind even if there are other dolls out there of the same make and model. Of course, it's a bonus when the doll develops a character of its own. So while I don't think I would treat my own dolls like children, I cannot treat them as if they were inanimate objects either (does that even make any sense?)

 

This is pretty much how I feel about them. It doesn't mean I'll take any less care of them, and in fact because I value them as pieces of art and representations of my own art, I tend to take extreme care of them. I don't want them to get be too free with them either because I want to be able to appreciate them for a long time.

 

Not really a child, but a kind of a pet^^
Or a Sim (PC game) in reality

 

I don't consider mine to be strictly my children, but I adopted them, so in a way they are. I don't call them my daughters, I call them my resinkids. I also only refer to my brother as their 'uncle' etc out of the same spirit as I adopted them, but I don't consider myself to be their mother!

I agree with Frostwyrm, they're a little like pets

 

I'd say I couldn't think of my doll like it was a child- that'd be kind of intimidating and I really have no desire to have kids at this age, the very thought makes me uncomfy considering how most people freely talk about their dolls as being sexy and such. It's just that, a doll to me. I don't have to classify it as being a pet or a child because it already is what it is.
I'm intensely not-OK with being lonely, so I hope having my doll will help a little >_< Just because he's humanoid, if not human, and I can have him with me at night and stuff.

 

That's the thing with BJDs, people tend to think you have to be all attached by the hip and treating them like people. BJDs are still dolls, and one could put them in a glass case and admire them and it'd still be perfectly fine. You can do whatever you want with your doll.

To me, dolls are cool and gorgeous things that I find fun to dress and creative personalities etc for.

 

You can do whatever you want with it, really. ^_^ They ARE amazingly gorgeous and as such some people admire them for that and some develop an emotional thing for them.

I happen to hate kids (they're obnoxious, loud and bratty a good deal of the time) so BJD are a good substitute. XP

 

It's definitely not a child... more like a pet. Or like someone mentioned, a sim.

A lovely pet that never messes up the house, always looks damn pretty, and you can forget about them for ages and they will be just fine! (As you can tell, I am most definitely not the type for owning live pets.)

 

While I call mine my kids and joke that they're part of the family, they still go on the display shelf at the end of the day. I think a lot of owners are more sentimental with their dolls because they represent characters they've created that they share personal connections with. I think there are also owners who love the dolls for pure aesthetic pleasure. For me, it's a mix of both. =)

 

It's best for me not to think of them as sims- I'm the type to randomly kill my sims off. XD

 

My drive to get my first doll was that they're gorgeous, I love dolls, and the new (to me) artistic outlet. While I was waiting for Tanal (who did not have a name/character connected to him until both sections were here) I frequently referred to him as a fascinating new canvas.

Then he got here, and I stuck his head on his body, and saw one of the characters from my many in-progress novels looking up at me. At that point I knew I couldn't put him behind glass or such, but I wouldn't say I'm treating him as a child (children... yuck). Nor as a Sim... I'm another who has fun executing Sims. What he is is inspiration, making clothes for the dolls helped me build up the nerve to finally start making clothes for myself (something I've wanted to do for years), and having my characters sitting around staring at me in doll form is also helping me in writing their stories.

Of course, if Tanal hadn't declared a character on arriving home here I probably would still only have him.

 

That's the great thing about paying hundreds of your own, hard-earned money on these dolls; it makes them completely, irrevocably, and totally your own. The moment the cash leaves your hands, only you have the right to decide what you do with your doll. True, some people will be nosy and obnoxious and take it upon themselves to preach about this or that, but it doesn't matter in the least. It is your doll that you purchased. Please don't feel that anyone is entitled to force their opinion or views on you- They have no right to do so, no matter what they may think.

I personally look at my boy as a mix of both, because he's the embodiment of a character of mine- I explain him as a intensive, on-going writing excercise to develop my ability to understand his personality and keep him in character no matter what the situation; I think of the character himself as a good friend, and I think of the doll as a masterful work of art, because it is. Somebody had to sit down with an ugly hunk of clay somewhere and pour themselves, their blood, sweat and tears, into creating him and carving out all the gorgeous little details I love about him. There's webbing between his fingers, for the love of God!

These dolls truly are masterpieces that we lowly owners have the opportunity to add to and make into something even more awesome, and if you choose to see yours as such, I admire you for it! :3

 

Indeed that all say what I need....of course, after a while. they do stick to you like glue

 

I got mine cause I love anime and I could not find the characters I wanted to own... and as I do some photography and have no models this was a perfect solution for me :-) I don't think of her as a child, more like a very good friend. she always listens and never complains about posing for me. too bad I can't get to help with the house work LOL

 

I'm in the same boat as you heavenly riot. I wanted a bjd because they are beautiful, to me it's like owning a sculpture, having an everchanging piece of art. If I ever treat it as a child is mainly to freak people out or as a joke Besides the aesthetical factor there is the fact that you can buy things for it and change it in a million ways, making it unique. Those little pleasures in time become a great source of pleasure that keeps your interest alive. Seeing things in this perspective, I think paying so much for a bjd is justifiable because it's not just a doll, it's art, it's a hobby, it's an expression of my interests and personal taste...

 

I certainly don't see mine as kids; they're both supposed to look like they're around my age! (20s). They're more like... original characters in a form that I can better interact with. So no display cabinets for me, but I do realize that they're essentially what I make them to be.

 

I don't think of them as children either, I call them my "kids" but just for a lack of a better term. My pets are treated more like kids...a bunch of 2 yr olds running around..