Do you believe that some owners mistreat their dolls?

The only way doll abuse would bother me is if someone tried to sell a doll that had been "abused" by listing pictures in the sales thread of the doll before it was abused. I'm fairly obsessive with keeping mine in good condition, and I honestly envy people who aren't as paranoid with their dolls as I am.

 

I'm kind of hurt whenever I see a doll theated like an object. I strongly believe each and every of them has a personality. And you know, who wouldn't get sad being treated like that? Poor babes.
Still, I can see that some owners would perceive their dolls as such, and I have really no say about it. Which is fine, I only pity the doll. But it might only be me being overly sensitive.

On the other hand, I don't think there are dolls being "mistreated" as such. They're so expensive, after all! Even if you didn't care about them one bit, you wouldn't damage them on purpose, right? That's simply not what a sensible person would do.

 

Personally, while I believe that you shouldn't mistreat your dolls you can't really 'abuse' them like you do living people and animals. I also don't like the idea of keeping my dolls in a bubble expecting every spec of dust to be so harmful to my doll that it will burst into flames or the gentlest touch will cause it to crumble to ash. The doll is an item, while expensive, that is under the supervision of its owner and, no matter how bad the treatment makes us cringe, is theirs alone to do what they want with. It'll be their loss in the end if they overly damage or lose their doll to their own mistakes.

 

I know by some people's standards I mistreat my dolls.
Yellowing is not something I'm really worried about. It just happens, and my doll shelf happens to be at the intersection of two windows that get a good amount of light.
Thus my dolls sit in the sun for a good while during the day... if they're on the shelf, that is.
I'm also guilty of leaving my dolls laying wherever I drop them in the house, It's not uncommon for me to just leave them by the sewing machine, or on the floor if it was messing with them. So they are in danger of getting knocked off tables or stepped on, but I've yet to have any of that end up in misfortune.
The only times I've had dolls break is a doll falling over during a photo-shoot, and my doll bag getting carelessly packed while we were on vacation - both times it was fingers.

 

There are things people do (or don't do) that really bother me....but in the end, it isn't my doll, I didn't pay for it, and I have no right to tell anybody what to do with their possessions. I also think there are HUGE differences in opinions as to what counts as "abuse". Person A might say that not wearing gloves to touch them, not keeping them in a cabinet, not keeping them in total darkness or doing anything that might slightly damage a faceup is abuse. Person B might say doing those exact things IS abuse, that you're neglecting the doll and toys are meant to be played with. Really just depends on your opinion.

 

Once you own something, you own it, and it is yours to do with as you please.

That having been said, it makes me very upset when someone had played with their doll, gotten it yellow and dirty, and then sold it without warning the buyer what kind of use and environment the doll was in before. Selling a doll that's been played with, without telling people that that is what it was used for is unfair. If you've played with a doll outside and it has wear and tear, you need to be honest about it if you intend to sell it to someone else.

Other than that one point, I see nothing wrong with even strapping a doll to a rocket and shooting it into the air, if that is what you want to do with your property. lol

My argument is... "Ok goodie, my own doll just became slightly more rare, thank you!" lol!!

 

I totally agree with you here. My dolls all have very strong personalities so it is a little hard for me to lock them up in a box or keep them somewhere hidden. I talk to them (and sometimes I feel as if they answer back, I know that sounds crazy. I'm not crazy, just enjoy thinking my dolls are real people haha.) and I ask their opinions on things. (I am aware they are inanimate objects) but it is fun to pretend.

It is almost as if these dolls are alive because of that...so therefore it is a bit bothersome when people are careless with their dolls. It happens though, accidents are unavoidable. I chipped James and Kat's wrist joints because I was attempting to change their hands without any type of stringing tools. Just used the wrong things that's all...I didn't know any better though.

I do strongly believe, however, that if someone is willing to shell out the money for one, they have every right to do what they want with it....BUT why in the world would you pay so much money for one just to keep him/her in a box and never touch it? I'd never ever be able to go without touching a doll I ordered and were looking forward to it coming.

As for letting others play with them-I let the little girls I nanny for touch and play with my dolls, but they understand they are NOT toys and that they are very special to me so they are very very careful.

 

I'm going to echo Knibitz and confess that some people will no doubt say that I mistreat my dolls because I don't exactly protect them from daylight. I have these dolls to enjoy the sight of them, so I'm not keeping them in boxes or behind curtains. That is to say, I do have curtains in my room, but they don't keep out a lot of light. My dolls are WS, and I guess the fact that they are in a room full of light will mean that they will yellow more quickly than they would if I kept them in the dark. I know this, I accept this, and will love them no less for it.

Some people might also groan when they see me handle my dolls. I do my best to be careful, but I am not very experienced yet in working with the joints, removing limbs etc., so I guess that occasionally I'm a little rougher than I'd like to be. Does that make me a bad doll owner?

At the same time, I don't like to have "non-doll people" handling them. If (God forbid!) I were to accidentally break a part of my doll, I'd be angry with myself but it would be my own fault. If someone else were to have an accident with one of my dolls... AAAARRGHH!!! That, and I'd just be worried that someone who doesn't feel any connection with dolls might not treat my doll with respect. Yes, it's 'only' a doll, but it's also a representation of a character I care very deeply about. I don't want anyone to go checking out their privates or something (my dolls wear skirts, so it would be easy enough) - I'd be so furious.

 

We all know that this forum is full of animists (people tend to give objects person-like qualities). I am a notorious animist myself -- I have been heard saying on many occasions that my scissors "live" in the kitchen drawer for example. And as this type of person I do get pretty attached to my dolls after a while. At first they are just an exciting new thing, but after some time I "feel bad" if I do something with them I think they wouldn't like (like put them in clothes they "wouldn't want to wear"). But I know this is all just silly nonsense. However, the silly nonsense part is a lot of the fun! And I think it must be for others as well.

Let's be honest though. These dolls are just objects. They are special objects to many of us, but nothing more than that. Yes, it is wasteful to pay good money for something and then "misuse" it -- but everybody is going to have their differing opinions on exactly what misuse is here. Obviously none of the things people do with their dolls could actually qualify as "abuse" but some of it would definitely be plain stupid.

I like to handle my dolls frequently -- but gently. I am always careful not to break or scuff them, but I refuse to handle them with gloves, since I enjoy the tactile sensation of their "skin" and hair and clothes all together. I wash my hands well if I know I'm going to sit down and fumble with them for a while, and when they need it, I clean them thoroughly. To me, the greatest shame is a doll who never leaves his box. Never. I just got a used AngelHeim from ebay that the owner had purchased almost 2 years ago, and he was shipped to me exactly like he left the factory. It's a pity they never got to enjoy him like I already am. . . but nothing more than that.

 

I didn't come across such a person, yet.
Although I often find pictures online that really make me want to ruffle my head over the way the owner treats her/his dolls. >.<

 

When I read the first post I didn't even THINK to associate "dolly abuse" with "child abuse" or "animal abuse". It seems silly to me that anybody would think you were talking about actual physical abuse. Lol. As soon as I read your edit, I had this mental picture of somebody punching their doll in the face and laughed so hard I almost peed a little! Now, more on topic, there are a few things that make me cringe. Smoking around them, because it can cause so much damage so quickly. That's a big one for me. I NEVER smoke around my dolls. On the other hand, I don't treat my dolls like their made of glass. I take them out frequently and pose them for photoshoots. I also like to show them to people. Mostly for the reactions I get when I take the wig off, then take the head cap off, then pop the HEAD off and take out the eyes. The shock... LOL! I had one scare when Rainier decided to faceplant on a hardwood floor, but he escaped unscathed. Thankfully. In the end, it's your doll and you can do whatever you want with it. Except kill somebody with it. I'm 90% sure that would be illegal.

 

Lol, as for dolly abuse, I don't think you can. You can "mistreat" your dolls all you want, put them in the sun, let them fall, smoke around them, etc etc. You can do whatever you want with them, they're yours. However, its your fault if they break or hardcore yellow.

 

For me its a respect thing, people take care of their expensive cars, their houses, and everything else, you tell children not to throw things inside your house, and you don't let people dance ontop of your car. why are dolls different? They are very expensive, so much work and money goes into making them look they way we envision and like the other things we work hard for, a connection is developed with the item. regardless of it being an object.
For me dolly abuse is a friend who threw her doll on the couch after carrying her carelessly in a kingsoopers plastic bag.

 

I definitely think some people act carelessly, such as failing to do their research before before attempting mods (just an example). However, calling it abuse doesn't feel right.

They're just objects. If someone has ownership over an object, they're free to do what they like with it. We're also all free to gasp in horror as it happens.

 

I don't think its abuse.. people are allowed to handle their dolls however they so wish which leaves the rest of us able to gasp in horror if we feel the need to...Just and example I freaked the other day because I thought I messed up a dolls back of mine but my friend assured me that she could fix it and that it was something that happens to dolls sometimes. So I can understand some might say I was miss handling my doll because it happened. So I think as I said that its really all a matter of opinion.

 

I don't think most owners mistreat their dolls intentionally. I would CRY if one of my dolls had a broken finger, yet I have seen them falling from their doll furniture more than once because of my clumsiness (reaching out to pick up some doll clothes, brushing a doll sitting on a doll couch with my sleeve, bam! doll does a faceplant - typical example). So I would never judge a person's love and ability to care for their doll by a broken finger or a scratched face-up. An accident can happen to anyone.

I don't keep my dolls in their boxes either (except for the floating heads/faceplates), because I want to see them often. Like, everyday. ALL of them, if possible. And play with them a lot, too. Putting them into their boxes and out again all the time would take too much time. So no box-dwellers here (again, except the floating heads/parts/faceplates, to keep them outside their boxes without a body would creep me out a bit). I just keep the room where they are dark during the day to keep them from yellowing too fast. I don't leave them just lying on the floor or sitting on a table edge though because I like to put them in "living" positions as if they would interact ^^

Generally, I am probably a doll-mistreater in the eyes of many others. Hence I will not judge anybody, being not without sin myself People can treat their dolls how they see fit - as long as they are fair when they are selling the doll and not try to hide any flaws/damage, it is their own business only ^^

 

I suppose I fit the stereotype of "dolly abuser". xD I don't wear child's gloves when I handle my dolls, and they don't live behind a curtain. Honestly, they haven't been handled in a few weeks (for a change of clothes, etcetera) due to the previously mentioned hiatus.

To that end, if someone is willing to spend the money on one to, as mentioned above, carry it around in a King Soopers bag and then throw it onto the couch, they spent the money and that's their business. It may not be how I handle my dolls, but that's inconsequential as they aren't mine to begin with.

 

I am probably a poor dolly owner, but I love my dolls. They used to ride in a basket where ever I went, but I recently got a 1/6 scale doll who practically lives in my purse. My associate at work think I'm nuts when I'm going through my purse and I pull out my doll. When I go places with my daughter(2 years old) people assume she's my daughter's toy, I do on occasion let my daughter play with my dolls though. I do supervise her when she does, she is gentle and I wash her hands before she touches the dolls. So far I have never had a doll broken, but I have had a doll's face up slightly chipped. I think for as much playing as they get it's a fair trade off. I think it would hurt my dolly's feelings if I did leave them in a glass case. I do have one doll that doesn't get as much play time because I feel that's where she wants to be. I think she might be in the best condition, too, but that may be because she's the one I'm most comfortable with painting and restringing and such.

 

Its difficult to say with with sensitivity...
I do think some people don't take care of their dolls. I put it in those words because "abuse" and "mistreat" link too closely to appreciating the "soul" of the doll.

I've met people who collect their dolls with the same attitude one would collect figure cars or models. In their instance, the doll is more like an object of beauty and appeal as apposed to a dear friend or character. I don't think others need to feel bad for those owners' dolls for being treated like things. Especially if they do care for them(as in their cleanliness). I would think this hobby is a lot about how you collect your dolls.

Now for dirty dolls, I'd probably feel bad for them. Or rather, its a shame that a once beautiful doll is now not in the best shape.

I don't think you'd need to be so careful as to handle your dolls only with gloves on. Its a nice thought but somewhat impractical, especially if you went to meets and expected others to wear gloves too. lol I think just making sure you have clean hands, or setting aside the time to clean your doll every once in a while is an easy way to show that you honestly appreciate its value and preservation. This is how sometimes I find it difficult to believe that people love their dolls so much, but still don't care for its cleanliness. DoA and the internet are great resources if one doesn't know how to clean their doll. But really, even in some of the worst cases, simple soap and water could do a dirty doll wonders.

 

Well in a manner of speaking there are people who abuse their dolls as an anger outlet instead of hurting people, but also I don't think that anyone would damage a doll for example volks which is around $500