Calling BJDs "It"

I think it depends on the owner and/or the conversation topic. If its a conversation on say.... parts and construction i feel that "it" makes perfect sense.
When i get my first i'll let you know. ^^

 

Well I call people it sometimes. Mostly babies. Im not sure why, but iv never found the word insulting, so I havnt seen anything wrong when I refer to my dolls a 'it'. However I must admit I rarely call them it.

 

Personally I call them he/she depending on what gender they are, but never an it.
Sure they are inanimate objects, but they do have noticeably male or female bodies which can merit being called a he/she.

 

I prefer to call a doll by its gender. I can understand why some people would call a doll 'it' though.

 

Yeah, I couldn't call a doll "it" when most of them have an obvious sex. If its one of the smaller dolls that are on genderless bodies, I will refer to them as the gender of the character they portray.

It isn't so odd to me to refer to inanimate objects by gender pronouns as it is... I refer to my computer and iPod as "she" and my Xbox as "he," so calling a doll "it" unless referring to a general BJD would be very odd...

 

I don't refer to my dolls as "it" ever. Even though in character, a couple of my boys are expecting babies and the gender is not yet known (to them), the unborn babies get referred to as "he or she", not "it"...


Which is kind of weird to me, if I think about it, because I do often refer to human babies as "it".....and have often caught myself saying something about "people and babies".....it's almost as if subconsciously, babies are not really people in my mind? It's so weird, because I know they are and I don't try to intentionally be rude, I just catch myself saying "it" without thinking. I can't explain it at all.

I don't like having my doll referred to as "it", I prefer "he or she", but I really can't fault non-doll people for seeing my doll for what it is...a hunk of resin, not a living person. Especially if I just called their kid an "it"...>.>

 

I think the English language needs a non-gender-specific pronoun that doesn't automatically suggest the subject is inanimate. Gender is made far too important in many societies. Honestly, not being referred to by one's gender shouldn't be considered an insult. There are dolls, animals, and people who are born (or made) without a specific gender--where does this leave them in the pronoun department? What if you can't tell someone's gender (or their baby's, or their pet's, or their doll's) and don't want to be rude? What can you call them? This language is somewhat lacking in that area.

Viewing a doll as an object or a person, whatever you prefer, there is nothing wrong with using a genderless pronoun as far as I am concerned (especially as androgynous as many are). Unfortunately, all we have is "it".

 

This... Actually depends on the language I'm speaking. Sure, I usually don't refer to a doll as an "it". Not when the doll actually has a spesific gender. But I do have a head floating around that I'm not sure if will be a she or a he, so that one is usually referred to as "it" in English. But if I try to use the same word for "it" when talking about it in Norwegian, it just sounds plain wrong so I end up using he or she then.

 

Depends on the context of the conversation and with whom I happen to be speaking to. If I am speaking to say a family member or a friend of the family who's not really into dolls of any kind, I will likely objectify the doll and refer to them as an "it" so as to lessen any "You're a weird doll collector person" response I may get, if the topic comes up. If I'm speaking to a close family member or another dolly person, I will likely refer to them by their gender.

I have a huge habit of "genderifying" (if that's even a word ) things, specifically things of no gender or even remotely humanoid in shape- in much the same way a guy might refer to their car as a "she". I have several airsoft guns that are "male". So I am much much more likely to refer to my dolls as their correct gender when talking about them.

I DO have an "it" doll, it's an anthro and it's character technically has no gender but I still call it a "he" when referring to it simply because I can't help it. I almost always refer to objects in the masculine, whenever I do feel the need to "genderfy" them.

I don't care if someone else calls any of my dolls an "it". It's not something that bothers me much. "It" is far far far less insulting than most other things they could be called, and when it really comes down to it it not worth getting upset over- they are just dolls afterall.

 

When the sex is really obvious, its usually "he" or "she." But sometimes, to my super non-doll family, Layla is an "it" because I want to emphasize that I'm not getting too far into "this whole doll thing" and still am a sane person in this world who can focus on her studies and function like a normal person. XD

 

I sometimes call them 'it' or more often 'the doll.' In a conversation, I try to refer them by name but I don't persist if the people I'm talking with are not that interested. It saves me the trouble of having to correct pronunciation or looking like a nutter by talking about my dolls like they're living people.

I'll only be a doll nut with other doll nuts.

 

I think I generally use "he" or "she", since BJDs are generally anatomically correct, it seems to fit, despite them being inanimate objects. People call their cars and boats "she", and they have no lady parts at all. So I would like to think that I'm allowed to call something with the appropriate parts a "she" and not appear crazy. xD

 

I always call my dolls "he". Easy to do since they are all boys. But I have gotten a few odd looks. I think people who aren't into the hobby might find it weird but I really don't care.

 

Hmm. This is a good question. I feel far more comfortable using gender specific pronouns... so when I'm speaking to my roomie or posting on my blog, I always say "he" or "she" (example: "I got his eyes today!" or "I can't wait until she gets here!"). However, with my family and less close friends, I'm not sure how they'll react... so I tend to say "it." That feels so bizarre for me, though, I'm considering giving up on looking like a normal person and just saying what I want.

 

Just be yourself, be that weird or not.
Most likely people will just think the hobby is weird due to the price.

 

I do this. My computer is a "he" my car a "she."

I always feel awkward calling my doll "it." I'm not entirely sure if I ever have, really (CS, correct me if I'm wrong). Even when I'm talking to people outside of the hobby (for example, parents), I refer to my doll as "he." I think it's just because most of them are definitely a gender.

 

Like several of the other posters, I tend to use pronouns contextually. I'll use a gendered pronoun when posting on forums or my LJ or when talking with other doll collectors. I tend to think in terms of gendered pronouns as well, but I think I start veering toward "it" when talking to people who aren't into dolls and might find it a bit odd. Even in those cases, though, I'll sometimes use a gendered pronoun without thinking about it; I don't really talk about my dolls with non-doll folks, though, so it's rarely an issue.

Then again, like Ezekely and Haiiro, I tend to anthropomorphize other objects as well. My car is a he and his name is Manfred. XP So I don't suppose people would be surprised or concerned if I call a doll "she".

 

I don't remember you calling Cupcake an "it" ever... XD But I have brain holes.

Hmm. I didn't think about anthropomorphizing other things... admittedly, I do this, too... I named my car... and my laptop... and I constantly talk to my laptop like a person. XD I'm sure I've told Haiiro a thousand times, "Oh, he's being a butt," referring to my computer.

 

I usually say "he" or "she", but I say "it" as well sometimes - I don't think it's offensive. I get a bit annoyed when people call my dog an "it" when they know her gender, though, so I can kind of see why some dolls owners wouldn't want their dolls called "it".

 

We'll go with "I've never called Cupcake and 'it.'

I don't think I'd get mad if someone actually did refer to him as an "it," though.