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"But its just a doll.."

May 5, 2008

    1. I can accept that some people will really only see my resin children as "just dolls," and I can let it slide if they state it. But if they try to force me to believe that my BJDs are just dolls, then they're sadly mistaken. All of my kids have personalities and back stories, and serve as my inspiration to write. :aheartbea
       
    2. My dolls are pretty and I like to look at them and occasionally take their picture. If I start thinking of them as my children or start thinking they're alive, it's time for me to call the nice men in white coats to take me away.
       
    3. I also have the point of view that they are art. For me they are also a physical representation of the characters that I put a lot of time and energy into creating in my head. It makes it easier to visualize them ad also gives me something to spend my time on as far as sewing, sculpting, knitting and even drawing tattoos :)

      The last thing I would think of them as is children but I'm really not maternal and don't want kids so that really isn't too surprising!
       
    4. I have a tendency to project personalities and emotions on inanimate objects and form attachments based on it anyways - stuffed animals, favorite pillows, etc. I do the same with my dolls. I'm very much aware that they aren't alive, however, and I don't treat them the same as my pets. For the most part they sit on my shelf and look pretty unless I want to take pictures of them. I certainly don't think of them as my children, but more very favored toys that I'd be devastated if anything happened to them (and not just because of their price tag).
       
    5. I see my dolls as lovely works of art."Real" kids are so much more expensive and they talk back!!;)
       
    6. In practical terms, my dolls are "just dolls" and I realize that. However, they represent characters to me, and each one has his or her own "personality" and individual story. To me, one of the purposes of dolls is imaginative play, and even though I am 36 years old, I don't feel that I am too old to escape into the world of make-believe with my dolls. I like to photograph them and tell their stories. In my imagination my dolls are little people who share my house and my world; however, I don't blur the line between reality and play. My crew are not "my kids" and I know that ultimately they are objects; artistically beautiful, expensive, fun objects, but objects nevertheless.
       
    7. I don't really think of Sayuri as of my child. Maybe it has to do with my age (I'm 19). I don't really know. But I have set her Facebook account. Although, I suppose it can be viewed as a separate profile for all my doll-related stuff and I can accept all friend request which I would never do to my real account as I mostly accept only people I know. I have few exceptions but these are rare. So, in the end I suppose I don't think of her as of living person. She's not quite a toy, but not human either.
       
    8. "But it's just a doll.." Arghhhh! The term that haunts me every time I talk about my dolls to someone who doesn't love them like I do!
      Anyway: I don't see anything wrong with the way other people see them (it's all about opinion and personal preference after all) but I see them as pieces of art that I'm bringing life into~ :)
      Little pieces of art~
       
    9. this is exactly as i view them, as a beautiful form of personalized art! bjd's come in so many sculpts and have the wonderful benefit of allowing personal customization to the owner's heart content, they give people the opportunity to make whatever they want outta them. in my case i am finally being able to embody my beloved characters which make me very happy, but that's as far as it goes. the real and only child just turned 9 not too long ago, and there's no replacement for her! <3 lol :)
       
    10. I have a character from a story I'm writing whom I love dearly, and I was really upset when she was insulted and mocked by a certain few people, because she was so real to me. I had created her, but not in the same way a parent creates a child. I see my dolls in the same way, and I made them who they are, but I don't see them as children... Perhaps I love them in the same way I love my pets. They are my pets that I love to spoil and fawn over and show off to everybody through my artwork :)
       
    11. I don't see them as children I see them as characters in my mind that now have a physical representation
       
    12. I might occasionally refer to my dolls as my "resin kids" but I do not actually think of them as anything like part of my RL family...more a fun creative distraction and creative inspiration. Let me put it this way...if I treated my RL Children like my dolls ...dressing them up and locking them in cabinets to keep them "safe" then I would be clinically insane ...and the nice young men in their clean white coats would be coming to take me away (boom boom)!
       
    13. Of course it's just a doll. XD I was never under the illusion that it was alive but you see, this character doesn&#8217;t belong to me so I also don't decide what he's like and what he isn't like. So when I talk about him in a certain way, and when so many people have been affected by just a character, it's because in a way, he's more real than if *I* made him up. The doll is still an "it" (as in an object), but the character is out of my control, see? ;)
       
    14. I kind of tend to see them as glorified action figures that are 120% more awesome than anything I could buy as official merchandise(and since some of them are my OCs, this is all the more true). I really am fond of them, though.

      Sure, I sometimes call myself a "doll-mom" but that's no different than how I used to call myself a "bird-mom" when my lovebird was alive. It doesn't mean that I think of them as my actual kids. I also sometimes use slang terms like "resin babies" and "resin kids/resin children" but it's in that same spirit of conveying something easily enough. "Resin babies" does convey the value of the dolls, really. Because you tend to get attached to and some level of emotionally invested in them, kind of like pets, really. XD;
       
    15. I'll admit that I think of them only as pretty things that I like to have around for decorations. They're nothing like kids (which I don't like anyway) or pets (which I have extremely strong attachments toward). I think if I didn't have real pets, I might feel more of an attachment to my dolls. I can see why some people get so emotionally attached to them because I do feel a fraction of that when I pick one up or see a new doll for the first time, but the feelings I have for dolls are nothing like what I have for my pets. When I joined the forum, I was surprised that people placed such importance on BJDs, but then I thought about how angry I was when my sugar glider died and a friend said, "It was just an animal." So, I guess saying "It's just a doll" probably affects some BJDs owners in a similar way, so I try to be considerate towards people who form strong bonds with their dolls.
       
    16. When I was young I always had pets, and they were my companions; but in high school it was discovered that I'm actually really allergic to all kinds of animals :sweat so I don't have any pets. As a result I've noticed that I do have a more emotional bond with my dolls. I don't treat them like kids, but each one has its own story and character. So when I play with them or make them things I try to make sure it would make their character happy. It's not the same as having a pet, but they're what I've got and it helps fill the pet shaped hole in me.;)
       
    17. I wouldn't say they are as important as my dogs. But nevertheless, they are very important to me. I would difinitly cry if I lose one. Who knows, my opinion might change as I spend more time with my dolls. I do strongly agree on your opinion about how the doll represents its owners.