Do you feel that ABJD's compensate for something you don't have IRL?

Now that hit a chord. I've been reading through this thread and trying to think about it myself, wondering a bit. And maybe the dolls do help make up for the family members and friends I've lost (and almost lost) over the years, but I think on a broader level they're an expression of my creativity, a writing aid and I love the feeling I get from "completing" a doll

 

Yes and no, for me.

Dolls, for me, are extensions of my creative self. They are characters I have created in my mind, put down on paper or in type, and would like to have some physical representation of. It helps with character development, it helps write stories, and it's nice to see something physically that had always just lived in my head.

While I don't feel that they compensate for anything I'm lacking, they're still, for me, a way to boost self confidence. I don't think much of my physical appearance and I'll never be one of the glamorous, but merely having a doll that people look at and compliment is enough for me.

I think that, in that respect, it makes me feel better as not only is the attention being taken away from myself but still getting compliments on something that more or less came from me is an amazing thing. No, I did not sculpt the thing, but yes, I did "design" the outfit, whether sewing it myself, getting it custom, or simply putting it together with things others have made. Why thank you, I did, in face, paint his face. I didn't make that wig, but I did spend a nice chunk of my time styling it so it looks like it does.

I spend time on a dolls appearance that I never felt the desire to spend on myself, so I do feel that when I get nice comments and people pay attention, it's still me that they're respecting, and in that way I'm kind of making up for attention I never recieved.

(Ugh. Comment is kind of jumpy. I hope it's comprehendable.)

 

Wow. It didn't hit me until I came across this discussion.

I realized after looking at my Volks FCS, She had the same the style of make-up I usually wear, the same moles and personality. Only she was better looking. I dressed her in clothes I WANTED to wear, but couldn't, since I did not have the body of a supermodel.

Today was the day I found out my doll portrayed the better version of ME.

 

Do you feel that ABJD's compensate for something you don't have IRL?
I certainly hope so! I'm not sure what yet, but if there's something IRL that I don't have I can only hope that dolls can compensate for that!! I'm surrounded by dolls. I'm new to bjds. I just love them.

 

Kind of?

I do want a BJD because they are beautiful, but not so much because they make me feel beautiful by extension, but rather because they are adorable and poseable and you can dress them up. So in a sense, it is kind of a compensation for my complete lack of fashion - I would want to dress up a doll beautifully, in a style that is probably not acceptable for wearing in public as a human. I suppose I do feel like my personal fashion is spectacularly underwhelming, but I don't feel like putting the energy into my own clothes when 1) most clothes don't fit me particularly well and 2) I'm not really interested in current styles - and what I do like isn't particularly trendy/acceptable. With a doll, being "in" becomes a non-issue; but while a long flowing dress might look great on a doll, you probably couldn't wear something like that out on the street without getting more than few weird stares. (Actually.. come to think of it, I did wear a long white dress out once. And I had old people asking me the direction to the nearest temple - perhaps they thought I was some sort of religious nut. =_=)

 

Do you feel that you 'and/or' others around you are using ABJD's to compensate for something you don't have IRL?

Yes! I do feel like BJDs CAN compensate for something that I don't have IRL, but I'm not going to actively USE him for that purpose. A part of me creates characters that are idealistic, but not perfect in every manner cause no one is perfect. xD They can be super spectacular-ly awesome, but not perfect. Kha, I believe, acts in the place of a friend I lost to a car accident eight years ago, so instead of me living though Kha, I want my friend to live on through my character just like he was here the whole time, seeing what I see and simply bonding through the time that I lost with him. ( Is that weird? )

 

This quote is from early in the post, but it made me laugh out loud! You are a wry one, Silvertongue!

In any event, I find this post fascinating. I am going to have to think about it, but my initial thought is, I haven't had this much fun since I was a child. I am new to this hobby, and I know no-one personally who collects bjd's. I am having fun "playing" again, and it's just my own personal game! If they are replacing anything I don't have IRL, it's maybe just having an obsession to be passionate about that makes no demands...well, other than $$$$...

 

Absolutely! Perhaps not directly comensate for something, but indirectly they do. For me, it's a matter of boredom. I hate being bored and I always fight against it, which led to me knowing about BJDs in the first place. When I do have much going on in my life, outside the doll world I tend to use little to no time on my hobby. Who knows, when I get married and have kids, a dog, a house and a volvo, I might not check in here for years! BJDs(and my other hobbies) compensate for all those things.

 

I definitely agree to a point that my mother pointed out to me. I love both the boys and the girl BJD's but I have focused mainly on the girls. I realized this is possibly due to the fact that I always wanted a daughter that I could dress in all the cute lil girl clothes and whatnot. I however had two BOYS! lol I love my sons but I still hope to have a girl ONE day. Right now I simply can't afford another child along with the 10puppies 2dogs 2kittens and 2cats plus my sons lol

so i guess that is the way I compensate although I did just buy my first male
BJD!!!! PLUS they are all just sooooooo KAWAII!!!!

 

When you get married and have kids, a dog, a house and a volvo, you will be doing laundry, grocery shopping, changing diapers, going to pta meetings, taking the dog to the vet, getting your oil changed and generally running around like crazy. You will love it. When all that craziness calms down, you will come back to this hobby or find something totally new and you will love it. People who hate being bored never are, it's not about compensation, it's about being in the now, finding ways to fulfill yourself, and I have a feeling that you do it beautifully (and likely always will)!

 

gods, how i've considered this for so long, and I havent even got a doll yet!.

Dolling, because it is basically the creation and modification of a human based inatimate object, makes me ask myself; what or who am I making this out of?

I worry that yes, a doll will severely impact my social life and my already chaotic mental state. I mean,
How many of you talk to your dolls? how many of you have moments when you're posing them and smile to them as you would a close friend, expecting them to smile back?
sometimes I think doll'ing can be unhealthy for a persons psych.
To choose to spend hours away from reality to indulge in dolls with characters, their own persona or 'life', and spend hours lost in their 'reality' whilst leaving your own.. borders on Psychosis or even Delusions (mind you, that is taking this hobby to the full extreme, and I believe only a few will actually go there)

But it is a very real circumstance that can happen, especially when one begins to bond so eagerly and easily to a doll and sees that it is its own life, and not an inanimate object created, not born.

blast, I weigh the pros and cons of gambling my mental health away for some form of 'happiness'.
eternal debate, I suppose

 

Why yes.
I compensate not having a Rozen Maiden doll IRL.

 

My dolls have a much better figure than I do. So yes... I can make costumes for them that I myself couldn't wear because I'm not slim enough. And since they are so small it doesn't cost me hundreds of dollars to make a detailed costume for them so I can make however many characters I want. For a baroque style ball gown for my 60cm girl? 2 yards at most! For me? Yards and yards and yards. I went shopping today for the Spock fullset... fabric for uniform ran around $10... and with that I can make the pants, the black undershirt and the blue over shirt... and maybe some boxers (I'm actually looking for star trek themed quilter's cotton for the boxers).

Besides... I like to sew pretty dresses... but I have two boys and no girls. So I have to sew pretty things for SOMEONE.

 

Somewhat, I think - when I was talking to my boyfriend about how I wanted to make my elfkin a little demon boy, he said, "Are you just mirroring your need to dress up in emo clothes?"
He might be right - I love emo, punk, and lolita fashion, but I could never dress in it and go outside because I'm so shy and self-conscious. ;; But that's what adorable doll clothes are for, heheh...

 

To be honest, the same could be said of ANY hobby that involves a tangiable object. Like video games, plushies, art, or even writing. To be honest, your hobby is what you make of it and it's just that, a hobby, as long as it doesn't interfere with the rest of your life.

Though, I can't say much, I'm wanting a doll so I recreate a character to sit in view of my front door to freak people out when they come over. XD But, oh well.

 

HAHAHA that would be awesome! make like a creepy staring rawr doll and sit him there like BEWARE!!!! lol

 

This is a very interesting question to ask... I'm an odd individual myself and although I'm a guy, I have actually enjoyed playing with dolls growing up. I only had 4 in total, and refused to touch anything Barbie. I have had so many people ask me why... and to be honest I never really could answer the question... perhaps outta fear of ridicule or something. I do know that I really enjoy caring for them, placing them in numerous fashions and playing with there hair, and for some reason the hair was my favorite thing to play with.

Now that I've been introduced to the world of BJDs, I still find myself questioning why I like them so much... I don't think they really fill some kind of void... but I can now say I think I understand more of what causes me to like them. I believe that the dolls themselves allow me to express my creativity through a new and exciting way other than through my drawings and my stories (although both are still quite fun ^_^ ) and I find this quite fun and entertaining. Also... I don't know if this is the same with others, but when it comes to picking a doll or anything of a similiar nature for that matter, I tend to seek out things that somehow... resinate with me... almost as though there is some sort of connection between me and this item. Perhaps I'm just being silly, but that is how I am...

I have a couple of other reasons that cause me to like them... but those I actually feel quite uncomfortable talking about with others.

 

I began a thread wich had been redirect here. I wondered if the dolls inspire your proper life. It was. The aim of my post. No relation with this one I think.
I wanted to know if some, were inspired to take care about themselves as they do for the dolls. Making outfits, making up or tatoos for themselves. You yourself become a doll.

 

A doll would be an extension of my personality. I would put what i feel but cant portray IRL into my doll so that i dont coop up my emotions.

 

I think Nabi represents my conscience. I fell in love with her originally because she had this little smile on her face that would go away in certain angles. I always felt like she was smiling at me when I did something pleasing and looking at me sternly when I did something displeasing. Granted, she is a doll, but I can't deny this little factor I've convinced myself with. I have nicknamed my Nabi as "my little angel" because she's epitome of innocence to me. She's like the literal angel above my shoulder. And like religion, I find myself avoiding her when I do something bad and seek her out when I do something good. I also feel like I notice her smiling when I'm down, like she has a sense of mercy and that she knows that when she smile, I feel better.
Yes, I do quite understand it's all in my head, but in a world that we live in, shouldn't good encouragement be a good thing?
I also fear that when I get other dolls like I planned, she won't be that special someone who smiles for me anymore. It's a bit disheartening.