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

Hmmm... maybe? I'm very happy with myself, my life, my family and friends. But my little YO girl is a bit of a representation of my daughter, except this one won't grow up. She's frozen in time in her perfect innocence. Plus she likes everything I sew for her and she never talks back, either. XD

Although I'm a newbie with just the one YOSD, I find myself drawn to the MSD girls too. I would love to experiment with sewing fashions that would look ridiculous on a pushing-40 suburban mom. So maybe a case could be made that I'd like to recapture and "play in" my own youth and style again through BJD?

Anyway, I'm not offended by the idea that dolls are a way to live out fantasy or work through thoughts or express a variety of desires. I'm sure they are "just things" to some people, but I don't think that is a superior (or inferior) position.

 

they dont. however that doesnt mean other people don't assume they do. alot of people think they are replacements for children. they aren't.

 

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

Creativity? I became more creative when I found this hobby. I didn't sew before, and I never thought of spending money for a camera! (i used to hate them, I thought I didn't like photography and now I think it's my favorite hobby^^). I also stopped drawing but now I'm inspired to draw my dolls.

BJDs wake up the lazy 'artist' in me. XD

oh I'm the same as you...I can't have babies and it is the thing I want the most (you always want what you can't have) but I never saw my dolls like this or so I thought...your post got me thinking and I remember now a conversation I had with my mom regarding the doll's clothes...she was saying that my dolls are better dressed than me and I responded with: 'I dress them as I would like to dress my own kids...and they are like my kids anyway so I want the best for them"....O_o in one way, BJDs also compesate for my love and lack of kids.

 

Umm.. Yes. I love girly cutesy things, but I know I look much better in modern adult clothing. It's fun. But I don't think it's so serious where it's a problem.

 

That actually hit the nail on the head. I find that humans aren't perfect, and I find perfection in a doll. I tend to find myself veering towards dolls which have a certain aesthetic I wish I had, or to fill a void of someone I lost. So I guess it's really quite relevant, not just to myself, but to many others as well.

 

My first doll was to compensate for the fact I can't have children. She is my daughter.
The others.. are her friends. They don't compensate for anything.

 

It took me a while to think about this actually, and I can say I've finally come to the conclusion that all my dolls will have stuff I've not had xD Pets, horses, gorgeous clothes etc. So yes, I am compensating I think xD

 

Yes and no, I suppose! Yes, in terms of clothing/hair/eye colour - I tend to buy clothes for my doll that I'd love to wear but never would. My doll emulates my "fashion desires" (as someone else on here stated). Although, my doll in no way makes me feel more beautiful. xD

 

I think deep inside me that I bought my first girl partially to compensate for something. Her beauty, her delicate, clean, girly appearance is what I would like to be like.

 

As a fashionista and not-quite-model-size-though-I'm-working-on-it girl, I do feel that BJDs compensate for something I don't have IRL: the ability to wear whatever. Whether for self-conscious reasons or social stigma (wearing a Victorian-era dress in broad daylight? I get stares already with my parasol!), I can't dress in all the fancy, lovely fashions that I adore. And so what do I do? Naturally, I dress my doll in them! So though it's not quite the deep reason that some people have, I think that yes, BJDs do compensate for something.

 

For me, I do not believe I am living vicariously through my dolls. I believe my motivation lies in artistic expression and it is entirely human to be attracted to things of beauty. For example: I wear make-up, not because I think I'm ugly and need it, but because it's an opportunity to work on creating a different canvas each and every time. Besides, I live a far better life than my dolls..they get to hang out on my dresser and frequently get stuck into poses they have to hold for what feels like forever! One of these days there is going to be mutiny, I just know it! Did this response come out completely crazy and as disjointed as I think it did? It's late and I'm getting a little punchy

 

I think some people use objects/possessions to make up for something they don't have IRL, and that some of these people choose BJDs as their objects of choice. I believe other people like BJDs (or other "collectibles") just because they are pleasing to look at and provide a creative outlet. And many people fall somewhere in between these two ends of the spectrum. I don't think there's anything inherently right or wrong about any particular person's motivation for owning BJDs, as long as their intentions are honorable ones...

 

I will be honest and confess that my dolls replace the children I do not have. Though I am only twenty-two, I do not foresee children with my partner for another 8-10 years for a number of reasons I will not go into detail about. Though I rarely explicitly say that my dolls fill such a void, they really do.

 

I would have to say yes, I do see dolls as a way of filling a space of beauty that I lack. If I had a doll which was male (which I'd like to get) I would dress him in a way that I would wish to dress myself (or my boyfriend) if I were male. My doll gives me a "flawless" canvas that I lack.

 

Yes for many reasons really. I find these dolls to be perfect so I even fantasize about them being Angels from the Anime Angelic Layer. So naturally I use them to put physical form my fan-fictions. I love these dolls, they make me feel so important and special. I Love BJD's.

 

For me the dolls compensate for beauty. I don't have the luck to be pretty myself but I love to sew and dress up etc. But since i can't/Won't take pictures of me I can take pictures of my dolls. I can also show them to people and talk about their beauty without been considered as egoistic or so

 

My paintings are all about people who dress up to be another person through th performance of burlesque. I myself am quite dull so am drawn to these peacocks. In the same way, I think that customising and playing with the dolls allows me to dress a character in a way I never would myself. It is door to another side of my imagination that I am hoping influences my paintings.
I also like it because an adult playing with dolls is a bit odd, and artists were never meant to be mainstream!

 

I realised that my original vision I had for my doll was very similar to myself.. small, chubby, dark brown hair and green eyes. However, she was kind of an improved, "cuter" version of myself, as pretty as I wish I could be, and better dressed.

 

Not really. I think they are completely separate from me and never considered them a compensation for my lack of whatever. Sure it would be nice to be proportionally as tall as them and own their clothes (lol) but working on me to be a better me its alot more fulfilling than wishing for something i'm damn sure will never happen. Hmmm, did we just have an "ahah" moment?

 

Personally, I don't find that my dolls are compensation for anything that i'm lacking in my life. I've had a great life and childhood and my fianceé and I are very happy. For me, dolls are something I use to help inspire my writing as Nancy, Sam and any others I plan to get are distnctly based on my characters and having them around I find will help spur my creativity.

However, I definitely know peope for whom dolls are used to fill holes in their life, for instande, a friend of mine definitely sees them as children as she doesnt believe she will ever have any, she's described them as something that she can love unconditionally and which will never disappoint her or be disappointed by her.