Do you consider BJDs a hobby or a subculture

Thats a good question: for me i don't want to be seen as 'that kid that collects dolls' but i still have lots of dolls. my family and a few friends know about my hobby so i cant say its a sub culture on my part. but over all looking at the whole community it looks like a sub culture, i mean with all the doll meets, all the forms that are online. theres such a big fan base it could be. its not that much different then other crowds.

just my thoughts.

 

It's part of my identity of course. All our hobbies are part of our identities. Technically speaking I am 'that girl that draws manga' in my University. Up until a couple of years ago there was only me and another girl in a different painting workshop that did (her to a lesser extent since she was more interested in hagiography), to the point my professor asked me to make a presentation/give a lecture about manga, its history and the surrounding subculture. Hobbies do define you, especially if they're something more "unique" or "rare" such as collecting BJDs that catch the public's attention.

If it was any other kind of doll, let's say, Barbie dolls, I'd have been persecuted and told to grow up (in my country at least) because people can't help to think of those more common fashion dolls as playthings, even so when I take my BJDs around, whether it's my little Ezra who is YoSD sized or Yui my 65cm Crobidoll Lance they create quite the sensation, both to people that know exactly zero about dolls as well as to people that are more interested in the arts such as my fellow students and my professors. I am always eager to share information and I don't quite hide the fact that I collect dolls (or even how many I have when people ask). So yes, as far as my peers are concerned I'm also "that girl that collects those fancy resin dolls" as well.

By a community standpoint, I guess we can also be perceived as a subculture, then again "every" community can if it's large enough. On a larger scale though we technically belong in the "Collectors" subculture which can be broken down by interest but is still a larger collective at heart.

 

Definitely a hobby (in my opinion). A subculture would involve a sort of lifestyle or ideology/philosophy I think. Yeah, sure there is a "doll crowd" but can't see how would you have a bjd-lifestyle. Lolita for example can be seen both as hobby and subculture because you can find many lifestyle lolitas. The same goes for other urban tribes. I think that's why I cant see "cosplay" as a subculture either, just a hobby but I know many that disagree with me about this too. So i guess in the end is a really subjective matter

 

I think it's a hobby. There are meet ups for people with dolls but every hobby seems to have meet ups. Quilters have guilds and home meet ups and knitters have stitch n' bitch. For people who really like games to stories there are the new card game tournaments and d&d.

I believe there is a certain culture to bjds - like an unwritten rules of etiquette. Heck - there is even a bunch of jargon I'm learning every day on this website. Going in I just thought bjd owners were doll collectors but I learned in one meet up there are people who write for their dolls and they think of their dolls like people sometimes.

 

I do not consider it a subculture, even if it is part of my identity, like any other hobby. When I think of subcultures, I think of a community that doesn't just share a hobby, but more. Like clothes, music genre, interests. You know, like goths, who dress similar, tend to share a favorite genre, tend to have a liking to things morbid and obscure, tend to share hobbies like writing and music. When they meet in public, it is very obvious. When bjd people meet in public it is only obvious if we bring our dolls out. If we leave them in their carriers, we could easily pass of as musicians or something, you know? We share a love for bjd, but other than that, we are quite diverse, I think.

 

I actually had a friend who taught a Sociology class on Popular Culture! When she found out about my dolls she was very interested in them on the stand point of it being a sub-culture that could tie to other sub-cultures (ie people who own dolls sometimes also go to Anime and Comic Conventions) She invited me to do a presentation for her class, bring in a few dolls and some explanations. I think any hobby can be considered a sub-culture, especially if hobbyists are meeting up, sharing tips and tricks and trading goods. I feel a culture can be described as any group that shares a specific set of characteristics you might not find in another group. Like the youtube video: Things BJD Owners Say. People who are train hobbyists aren't going to say the same things BJD hobbyists and collectors might say. I use trains as another example because my dad is a huge collector of model trains. While he understands some aspects - like tiny detail work - other things fly right over his head, like stringing, sueding, wig shopping, eye putty, sculpts and things. If I get really into an explanation, I might as well be speaking another language some times.

Now, doll-owners are definitely a diverse group of people so maybe it could also fall into more of a sub-sub culture, if that makes sense. Doll owners may have a lot of similarities in their view of dolls but obviously may have other interests that divert from each other.

 

Here's my opinion.

Collecting dolls is a hobby. Sewing is a hobby. Photography is a hobby. Painting is a hobby.

Mixing these things together and making a community out of it? I think that can count as a subculture.

 

For me, collecting BJD is just a hobby, same to my other hobbies, such as drawing, writing novels, sewing, etc. It's an activity for my free time but I don't think it involved my daily lifestyle at all.

 

Hobby.

Although I guess I'm not that up on subcultures...

I don't identify primarily as a bjd-owner, although it's definitely a part of my life these days.

and I don't think I think or believe things differently from when I was pre-bjds.

I just like bjds. No secret words or lifestyle or different way of thinking or feeling exclusive of non-bjd people. So... I'm thinking, not quite a subculture. Definitely a hobby.

 

To me it is a hobby although like a subculture we do speak our own language sometimes that would leave non bjd collectors scratching their heads. We are a very diverse group with all ages and from many different walks of life. Being a bjd collector is a part of my life and identity now but so are many other things as well. I strongly identify as being a metalhead and part of the heavy metal subculture and that is obvious in the way I dress/look and the music I love wheras there is no outward sign that lets the world know I collect bjds.

 

Definitely a hobby, and I have many. But none of my hobbies affect my whole way of life in dress, manners, daily living. The dolls are always there for me, through good times and bad, but fellow collectors are not always available. Not all BJD collectors rely on each other as in subcultures. Some BJD collectors/artists that tend to be critical and separate themselves from others may fall into the category of a subculture by definition. But, for me, it's a hobby I enthusiastically share with everyone I know, whether they understand or not, approve or not, admire or not.

 

I think it's a hobby. It's not just "collecting dolls" but it's hard to refer it to subcultures.
Subculture's a much more complicated thing.

 

I think of it as a hobby that I love and enjoy.

 

Definitely a hobby as there is no true "way of life" that we must adhere to to collect these dolls. Yes we all do similar things with them but our own life and thoughts and beliefs are not attributed to it

 

It's a hobby. I think it's a niche within the larger hobby of doll collecting - but still a hobby. I think there are probably subcultures that exist of which bjds are a part of - but not bjd collecting in and of itself.

 

I definitely see dolls as something as I enjoy, as I haven't been in the hobby very long. But I could also see it becoming a part of my identity some time down the road.

 

I think of it as more of a hobby than anything else. Sure, collecting dolls is a big part of who I am, but I wouldn't quite refer to it as a subculture. Subculture's are more of a lifestyle kind of thing that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what you like to collect(it might play an important roll in your hobbies, but it's not the only factor).

 

For me this is a hobby the hobby that inspires my artistic skills like drawing. I love drawing as I love BJD's

 

For me it was more a hobby since long before I had the money to get my first doll, since the reactions I had with my friends at the time weren't exactly favorable. Just the classic why would you want one and it's a waste of money. Even after I got my first doll it was awhile before I attempted to interact with other doll owners and was just a closet hobby for me. So for me the subculture isn't a major part.