Do you believe that some owners mistreat their dolls?

I accidentally bumped Emma's head against a mirror, and then she fell onto my lap desk when I forgot she was on top of my couch. What I learned about that experience is not that I should be more aware of where my dolls are if they're around me (which I did take away, regardless). It was that BJDs make a loud-sounding 'thump' when they fall.

So, I say this to demonstrate an important point: sometimes we don't pay the closest attention, and sometimes somebody takes a nose-dive. It happens. That doesn't make you a 'bad' owner. And... sometimes the wrong person will see said nose-dive and might assume that you're treating your doll "incorrectly".

I think this idea of 'mistreatment' probably stems from some people thinking that all BJDs belong to the community (thus, everyone has to approve of what someone does with their doll, or an owner has to adhere to a BJD owner code of conduct of some sort). There was one thread talking about doing things with LE dolls, and I think a lot of the same ideas also apply to non-LEs.

A person can do whatever they want with their doll because they bought it. At the same time, you're still totally free to dislike whatever they're going to do or have done; just realize that your opinion can't (or shouldn't) dictate what other people do with their property. Dolls aren't people. You can't call the authorities because they modded the heck out of their doll, when you felt it didn't need it.

 

Certainly there are people who don't treat their dolls as carefully as some other doll owners.

I guess to the people who treat their dolls like children and living things, not being careful with a doll could be "abuse."

Personally, I feel that the word "abuse" only works for living things that are able to feel pain and emotions. Not a resin doll.

To agree with other posters, being rough with such an expensive item is just... stupid and a bad decision on your part. But again, its your doll.

 

Yes I do, i had a thread once where people were calling me a snob but i'm not. I believe these dolls should be treated like their prices. Not like a 5 year olds toy. I see some dolls with their hair all messed up, a very bad face-up on the floor which has hair and dust all over it or on a couch which is dirty. I think its not right to treat your dolls this way, I don't care how much of a snob people think I am for wanting to take care of my dolls which are all worth about $600 I didn't buy them for them to be mistreated. I don't care If you have a $300 doll or a $100 doll I think treat them with care. Not like a 3 year olds barbie doll

 

I believe that you should be able to do whatever you want with your doll. If you want to let your 3 year old play with it, or leave it in the sun, you should be able to do that. It's your doll. You paid for it. While it may not be the most financially wise thing to do, to each his own. That's just my opinion, of course.

 

You should be able to do what you want to your doll, but it still gives me the creeps when 10(or so)-year-old owners draw their faceups on with what seems like ordinary crayons, and you clearly see that the resin's scratched, damaged, the eyes are obviously dented and omgosh her parents just keep buying her new dolls ;__;


I guess I don't see them as "toys", not in the same way, perhaps because dolls are like a white sheet for me, ready for creation, given a character, faceup, body blushing, clothes... They are like pieces of art, or a story, to me.
Might be because I didn't join the BJD-community until now, at older age, and my admiration has been long. A doll was something pristine, beautiful, and just the thought of owning one was almost unfathomable... So I don't see why people would handle them carefree to the point of ruining their appearence.

No offence to people playing or tugging them or whatever, I just think that if you have something as pretty (and expensive) as a doll, you should atleast research what melts resin and what doesn't.

 

Pardon me if this has been said already, since I haven't read the entirety of the thread quite yet...

And idea that strikes me is not the typical physical damage that can be done to a doll, as in botched mods/faceups, deliberately breaking off parts, other forms of carelessness, etc. because you can do that to any possession. What I'm thinking about is 'abusing' a doll how one would abuse a partner or child, as though the doll is a substitute for who would be the target in a domestic case. In this instance, it is not an issue of inanimate possessions being stupidly mishandled, but that BJDs are a human-like effigy for displaying one's social disturbance.

If it helps any, anyone would view someone dropping a typical $10 Walmart baby doll out the window on purpose or sticking scissors into its plastic body as "wrong". Since it is not a real child, it is not yet 'cruel', though maybe politically incorrect. Nevertheless, it's still disturbing to think of due to the heaviness of uncanny valley, in which it looks way too human even though its not.

The point where this would become an issue is if someone purchased BJDs for the purpose of mishandling in a way of which would be considered 'abuse', if it were done to a person. I don't see why someone would choose an expensive BJD for this purpose, but if the ideal is viewed in this manner, I think it's a psychological thing and not an issue of property damage.

Just a different way of looking at it; hope it's not too confusing! ^^"

 

I think they should be treated like jewelry because they are in the same price range.

 

As long as they don't hurt, neglect, abuse animals I don't care what they do
to THEIR dolls. If they bought them it's their business, if someone bought
the dolls for them it's between the owner & buyer, not any onlookers.
That said there is a problem when people don't treat their possessions with
care often they don't have a clue to be careful/respectful of other peoples
belongings, which definitely isn't OK.
Sorry but dolls cannot be "abused" or "mistreated". They do not feel pain, no
matter how much emotion/personality you've projected onto your doll, they
really won't cry because you didn't pay enough attention to them etc.
Do I cringe when I see a bad mod job or faceups that weren't sealed properly?
Sure, but it doesn't mean they are bad owners. We all enjoy our possessions
differently and isn't that the point? to enjoy them?

 

Well, in the spirit of mistreating their dollies, I have this one friend, I love her to bits and she's great, but she owns a super expensive VOLKS doll and just generally doesn't take good care of her. Her faceups are horrific, she's usually in crap clothes, said friend usually throws her doll around and takes her apart for no good reason... I mean, it's not abuse, because a doll is a doll, but I can't help feeling a bit bad for her doll...

 

Yes, I've seen some very dirty dolls and I have no idea how ppl let their dolliehs get so dirty.

 

There's somebody on another site who constantly posts pictures of their limited doll holding lit cigarettes of both the marajuana and tobacco varieties, among other travesties like burying them in sand at the beach. He/she often makes incoherent, rambling comments on people's posts, doing things like asking questions that have just been answered, or whining about sellers not shipping internationally, all at a 5th grade English level, despite the fact that they're clearly not an ESL speaker and they're apparently old enough to buy cigarettes. This person sits around smoking pot all day while their parents buy them dolls (they just posted that they're getting a second one), cameras, and everything else.

I don't have a problem with people getting stuff from their parents, especially if they're young, but this is ridiculous. There are plenty of people, with their own money that they worked hard to earn, who lost the lottery for these dolls, and this person got them for nothing and is destroying them. It just makes me sick.

 

I think if you've paid for a doll, you are free to do as you wish with it. I do however know that there are people who mistreat other people's dolls, either because they do not know about BJD or because that's just how they treat their own dolls.

 

I imagine that, while there are some people who mistreat their dolls, I think that a lot of people in this hobby wouldn't. It's one of the reasons I think that these dolls are so expensive is because the creators care about their work and don't want you to get one and then just toss it around or mistreat it, they want you to respect the work that they put into them. I don't have anything against letting kids play with them, the resin is pretty durable, but I'd definitely make sure that that child was able to understand how to take care of his/her things before i let him/her handle a BJD.

 

I certainly think it's possible to abuse or mistreat dolls in the same sense that one can abuse or mistreat one's car, one's appliances, or one's nice cutlery. Such items can last a long time if properly cared for, or can become damaged when treated poorly.

I don't think that dolls have feelings or deserve any particular treatment beyond what comprises responsible ownership of a possession. If it's not being damaged, it's not mistreatment, so far as I am concerned. If people get a doll and leave it bald, eyeless, and stored away in the bottom of their closet, it isn't mistreatment -- it may not make sense to many, in that such treatment doesn't seem to suggest that person is really getting the full enjoyment out of their possession, but it's not causing any harm.

Ultimately, though, if someone does want to buy a doll and treat it roughly -- allow children to play with it, swing it around, leave it out to be chewed on by pets, or take it outside and leave it in precarious places where it can be damaged -- that's their decision. It may not seem like the smartest way to treat something so expensive, but if that person's having fun with it in the way they prefer, then hopefully they're getting their money's worth. If so, I can't see anything wrong with it.

 

I think some people don't take care of their dolls as well as we might think, but when it comes down to it they paid for the doll so it's really up to them. As long as they don't mistreat dolls that don't belong with them.. to each their own.

 

It really depends. I mean, some people define allowing young children to handle dolls as mistreating, and in some cases it most certainly is, but if you are careful and watchful then it is easy to prevent things from happening.

 

Absolutely. Even when you're careful accidents can happen. I've only had a doll break a part once in the past 6+ years I've been in the hobby. I had him standing up next to a dolly sized coffee table thing for a pic, he fell while I was messing with the camera and hit his hand against the table in just the right way to lose a couple fingers. It was just one of those crappy things that happen sometimes.

This attitude definitely crops up with LEs or other hard to find dolls (though it can happen in general too). The idea that there is someone is more 'deserving' of said doll. It's true that abjds are expensive, hobbyists tend to have a lot emotionally invested in them, and the hobby involves a lot of sharing. Those things can cause some major boundary issues to happen where suddenly sharing becomes people sticking their noses where they really don't belong. The whole 'deserving' thing needs to be dropped. After all, who gets to decide who's more deserving? What exactly are the limits of good and bad dolly care? Just because I feel like Jane Doll owner doesn't take great care of her dolls, doesn't mean that there isn't a hobbyist out there that would feel the same about me. After all, people have different standards of dolly care and enjoy the hobby in vastly different ways. Some of those ways may involve more risk of wear and tear to the doll, but if they're going to shell out the money for the doll they might as well enjoy it.

That is exactly what people need to realize. I will fully admit that I see stuff from time to time that I really don't like, but those things have zero to do with me or my dolls, and it isn't my place to get all huffy about it.

 

Hm. Abusing a doll? I do not think that this is even possible with a plastic toy. A very expensive one, okay.

What I do may very well be regarded by many as abuse. One of first things I did with my boy was to cut apart his legs in the upper part. Now this went well - but it could also have gone wrong. Now I knew what I was doing, it was not my first operation of that kind.

And I will not do what is recommended here many times - I will not keep him in his box or in a closet. He was so very expensive, I want to see him and play with him (i.e. making clothes). This is not possible with him staying locked away all the time. So yes, he may yellow. I regard that similar to wood - it gives him dignity.

Now when he lies on the worktable waiting for some more pieces of paper to get measured, I put a foam cushion under his head. May seem ridiculous, as he is made of plastic. But nevertheless...I think he likes it.

I think I could abuse the personality and dreams he carries for me. My very own imagination. So being nice and careful to him, I do that to my very self. I really do not want to hurt myself...

 

I think personally If you love you dolls you wont treat them with no care what so ever!

 

It bothers me a bit that 'letting children play with the dolls' is listed in this as abuse.
I've seen two children one three and the other two both with bjd's that treat them better than I have seen some adults treat their dolls.

I enjoy my dolls, I let children hold them, I play with them, I use them for dress dummies and models, and all of my dolls are in perfect condition.