Can a doll be a substitute for a boyfriend/girlfriend?

I think it depends on your reasons for desiring a partner. But then again, this is merely my opinion.

Personally, I've not been in such a relationship, but have shared intimate friendships with numerous couples. If it's just a nice fantasy to indulge in, it might work well as a coping tool. But if it's the companionship you are craving, dolls are simply not a good substitute. They cannot actually share a conversation or initiate a lingering touch, for example. All of the little things that make up a true relationship are lost on them. If you become too wrapped up in fiction, you may prioritize your 'perfect' partner... and miss out on real-life opportunities. True, a real person will never be as flawless as your ideal character, but at the least they might make a good friend.

As an introvert, I find socialization intrusive, and have difficulty building lasting friendships. Your characters can take you far, but only so far. Isolation is nice...but very, very boring.

 

I do agree with Loptr. It is a nice idea, a fantasy, to let yourself divulge into once in a while but a doll is a doll after all. It is an inanimate object that lacks emotional support needed in a relationship. To be honest, I have created my "ideal" man using one of my dolls and an ideal "woman" using one of my dolls. It is fun and very comforting but at the same time, something is always lacking. Reality is harsh in this way. I do believe that by creating something so perfect and ideal, we're faced with the fact that nobody can be the ideal man/or woman we want/or dream so much of. Our expectations are suddenly crushed and once that sets-in, it can be a painful thing (really depends how deep you are in your own fantasies and your own make-believe world). My last advice (because this is getting too long): it can be a substitute, its not bad a bad thing. But learn how to pull-out at the right moment because the real world has many things to offer and an imagined world, though perfect, is after all an imagined world.

 

I suppose they could until it's time to get freaky and then it gets weird.

 

Nope. Dolls are things. People are people. You can play with a doll but you can't interact with a doll.

 

Huh, no?
A doll cannot provide you with spontaneous cuddles.
They are restful because they don't quarrel with you and you don't have to feed them as they are not pets or family, but discussions and warmth are one-sided.

 

yes in a fantasy sort of way. I think as well it all depends on how 'alive' your dolls are to you. some people see them as nothing more than lumps of resin, but I believe they all have souls, so really its not out the realms of possibility to have a sort of relationship with them. they may not talk to us but they are great listeners, can offer comfort and can bond with us.

 

Wow the thought has never crossed my mind... How interesting! As for me, I don't think a doll could ever replace a human relationship. I guess I see my dolls simply as dolls. I don't really speak to my dolls and when I do I don't imagine what my dolls would answer, I just kinda talk to myself. So it would definitely be a no for me, but it's an interesting thought.

 

It's fine to make a doll look like your dream partner, but as for replacing them--No. They really do not meet the same emotional needs as an actual human being.

 

I was thinking about it once, but in a way that - if I had a bf/husband I'd have just less time for my hobbies - bjds included. I mean, instead of going out for a photo session, i'd just go out with him, etc. BUT, on the emotional level - the closest it gets to with the bjds is having babies - esp. when I have to put their tiny shoes on and do the laces - it just totally doens't feel like having a boyfriend, does it? xD

Also, there is a reason why i don't feel like having some of those Iple guys, with some tons of muscles, square jawlines, etc. I like my male dolls to look like childlike, innocent dolly-dolls - like kids. So... sure, i sometimes get the impression that some people have their bjds as such a replacement (even consider the dolldie dreams and their male owners - don't tell me a reverse thing doesn't happen among females drooling over some hot piece of male resin ass )

 

Until the day comes when they can make 100% realistic android that can simulate being a human to the point where unless you know they are you can't tell they're not, no. I don't think that will be possible. I love my dolls and they are very important to me but in the end they are dolls and it's just not the same. I can't have romantic feelings for a doll. If it was possible for me to feel that way for a doll then likely I'd be investing in another kind of expensive, realistic doll, cough, laugh, and I have no particular urge to do so. Men are men and dolls are dolls. I like both, but in very different ways.... :P

 

I like being on my own, so I'm definitely not looking to dolls for companionship! They couldn't take the place of a person, and I'm NOT a people person!

They are a fun way to pass the time, though, if you're a creative type and are thinking of stories to go with them, or if you are thinking of images and clothing design and character design, etc.

I think I would worry a little bit about someone who could use dolls as a substitute for a relationship with another human! I guess whatever makes you happy, though! I mean, some people are happier with pets than with people. Maybe some others are happier with dolls. But I don't think they are the same thing! Just different kinds of relationships that might satisfy some...???

 

It sounds very sad and lonely if someone had to depend on a doll or dolls for friendship. Dolls are inanimate objects. I enjoy making clothes for them and making up stories about their fictional lives, but that's just a creative outlet.
I have lots of friends right now, through my church, but there was a time when I was being the caregiver for my ailing father, and I wasn't able to have a social life. I substituted with an affection for a fictional character from a video game (Genesis in my avatar) and it was a way of coping with the feeling of isolation, but it was nothing like a real relationship.

 

I don't think a doll could ever be a replacement for a real partner. I think it's fine to create doll characters with traits you like in an ideal partner, and I think fantasy is fine, but I think treating a doll like a living, breathing romantic partner is probably not a good idea, for reasons others have stated.

When I got my Iplehouse boy, my husband accused me of "cheating" on him with Blaine. XD Of course, no such thing was happening, it was simply new doll excitement, and Blaine is the 'hottest' guy I've brought into the house. The really funny thing is that he's also the one most like my husband, in both looks and character, yet my husband never even noticed that. I guess you could say I did the opposite--I have a dream guy and made a doll similar to him!

 

Personally, I do not believe that a doll can be a substitute for a partner or spouse. A doll is an inanimate object, and while you can feel affection towards it, the "relationship" is completely one-sided. In writing or in character development I think it's natural to create characteristics that the writer desires, but it is completely fiction. Dolls can be a creative outlet, but they couldn't replace a significant other.

 

I'm doing this with Geordie a bit I think. I've had a bit of a literary crush on the real Byron and Byron as played by Jonathan Firth on Highlander for a long while now. He's a bit of both my Geordie. JF is a long time crush. I totally crush on him instead of his more famous brother Colin, have since the early 90's I think. Normally I don't want my dolls to look a real person but in this case I'm definitely modeling the doll on the two men. More on Byron as played by Firth, I think, but also on the real Byron.

Since it's never likely I'll meet him I'm not too worried about the resemblance ever being remarked upon, laugh, but I'd definitely own up to it if asked. I must admit modeling a BJD on a favorite imaginary boyfriend that's a bit silly of me I think sometimes but I am anyway. I like the way Firth looks and I think he'd make a stunning doll...

I don't currently have a significant other to object though. Not that I'd care if my man did. That's just not his call to make, who I fantasize about or who I might model a doll on. I'm allowed to have crushes that are not him. Being monogamous doesn't mean you're dead below the neck, shrug. The only other person I've ever seriously considered modeling a BJD on is David Bowie. Actually I want a Jareth doll, not so much a Bowie doll. I'm a huge Labyrinth fan and a Bowie fan and the Jareth ones I've seen on here they're just amazing. I admittedly covet them like mad....

 

I'm going to say that I see substitute as different than replacement. Often a substitute is something that stands in for the real thing, substitute teacher, player in sports etc. So I'm going to say yes, that I think our imaginative lives often provide psychological support in certain situations. I would think more in the context of "until the real thing is available" but often, as is happening in your case, "along with". The problem with imaginative scenarios is that over time they tend to spool out of material since the interrelations of real life constantly fragment the narrative. My dolls have often been fun friends, when I'm doing photo-stories or hanging around the house but when I'm busy they just sit there. But I always come back. There's a rich literature that acknowledges the imaginative power of dolls and that it goes beyond the literal relations espoused by others. Our relationships to objects in the world is very complex as is our emotional and imaginative life.

 

I have to agree that a doll can't replace a real partner. There are certain things a doll can't provide. I don't see anything wrong with creating a character that is floating around in your head, or even feeling very attached to that character(s). Writers do it all the time. When I go back to write a character I haven't written in a long time it is sometimes like visiting an old friend, but they can't drink tea with me.

 

This.

Dolls being inanimate and characters being imaginary makes them completely unsuitable as replacements for real, living people. A doll isn't ever going to be able to offer the kind of companionship a person can, and a fictional character can't squish bugs, reach things on high shelves or offer cuddles no matter how fond of them you are. XD

 

I suppose so if that's your thing. Different people require different things from relationships. Though personally I do not care for romantic relationships.