Do you have a secret doll?

Not really. I've posted photos of all my dolls at least once on instagram before. I just get excited and want to share!
But I would also agree with the sentiment of being too lazy to post photos often
My dolls are also not a secret from my family and close friends.

 

My collection is small, but so far each of my dolls has made an appearance somewhere if not here then on Instagram. Maybe the excitement to share them will eventually die down, or maybe it won't. I grew up with social media so it's kind of second nature to want to share my excitement, and also share in other people's excitement. ☺ I don't think I'll be keeping my dolls a secret. Not that there's anything wrong with it. We all should do what makes us happy.

 

My secret doll is an Azone Pureneemo. Secret because I haven't painted or dressed her and also because she's a vinyl so she doesn't belong here.

 

I don’t have a secret doll but I share Amir the least. He’s far from a secret, he was my first doll and next month marks 13 years with him so he’s definitely know to those in my doll group and other doll friends and my family. But he doesn’t fit as well in my story as he used to and he’s 1/4 scale while the rest of mine now are 1/3 and 70cm, so I just kind of keep him to myself mostly. I think I’ll always have a bond to him, but as he’s not a popular sculpt or from a popular company, even when I do share him, he doesn’t get many likes. So he’s just all mine!

 

90% of my dolls have never had their photos or infomation shared online. I don't find taking photos that fun and for me they never capture the beauty of the dolls in real life. Never felt pressure to share them and am happy just enjoying them in person, maybe it's something to do with he fact that as long as i've been on the internet i've never been a blogger or liked the idea of blogging. I've seen people say they wouldn't see the point of having a doll/wouldn't want a doll if they couldn't shre them online and i've never undertood that mindset.. So while I don't know about having a 'secret doll' I do know there are more 'secret collectors' out there then you may care to think.

 

I don’t have any I’m intentionally keeping secret, just a few I don’t feel any urge to share because they’re so unfinished.

 

In a way, I have a secret doll! I post about her on social media and everything, but I keep her with me when I’m out shopping and I am the only one that knows she’s there because she’s so tiny. So, she’s secret to me.

 

All of my dolls are a secret...
until my husband finds out.
*A wild box has appeared!*
​

 

I mean I guess? I don't really share photos of my Limhwa Half Elf, but that's more incidental than anything; I've simply fallen out of love and am in that contemplative stage of "should I let her go or find a new character for her yes/no" like a lot of us get from time-to-time. The rest of my girls don't get as much screen time, either, since I'm always focused on Taylor first and foremost; then again, don't we all have our favorite?

I think that, at least for me, sharing my dolls with others helps with some of my isolation/loneliness, as does a healthy approach to social media (Instagram only, never feeling pressured to post, avoid taking part in negativity as much as possible). It's no replacement for the things I want and need, but every little bit counts, so I'll take what I can get. That said, no one should ever feel obliged to; we all have different wants, and needs, and goals, and for some, that just isn't it.

 

Hmm, you could say that all of my dolls are unintentionally secret dolls. I think it's just a result of my personality or mindset or whatever you wanna call it. I don't have any public social media presence so there's not really any incentive for me to upload pictures, and in general I'm a pretty private person and don't really like to share super personal or specific about myself anywhere. And my dolls, being a big part of my life, also fall under that "personal" umbrella where I would feel a little too awkward and vulnerable sharing them with the world, so I never really post them online.

I can understand why others are happy to post their dolls online, but I kind of enjoy having my dolls all to myself. I fall into the perfectionism trap a lot and I know that if I was sharing my dolls online, I'd worry too much about them needing to be "perfect" that it would suck all of the fun out of the hobby for me, so keeping my dolls "secret" relieves that pressure and lets me enjoy my dolls as they are.

 

I don't like my pictures, so I feel most of my dolls will be like this. I also don't really like social media I have an IG but I go back and forth on posting pics there and not wanting to be bothered. I like to share, but I don't. I want to promote the artists that made my dolls and show them off, but my pictures also don't do them justice so I feel it is a catch 22.
I do have a special doll coming that I am torn on sharing because they are hard to get as they sell out so fast when they become available. I don't want to deal with people asking me to sell, but I want people to be able to see her. Maybe I overthink too much, I don't know.

 

It's really interesting to read people's views about the hobby relating to social media. I personally love the photography side of it and often feel if I take pics I might as well share them. However, this leads to wasting so much time on my phone when I could be bonding with my dolls. So now I am definitely considering having maybe a 'secret' and 'non secret' collection to be able to analyse if it makes a difference!

 

I have 3 dolls now with a few more on the way. All secret!

I don't have Facebook or Instagram etc so I won't be sharing anything there. I wouldn't be opposed to posting pics on DoA for reference, since I do read this site a bit and it's a great resource, but I have zero desire to share my hobbies or personal life in social media. I'm private, busy, and lazy lol.

I do enjoy others' pictures a LOT some folks have great talent!! But I don't understand the notion that "If you're not posting online you're not part of the hobby". That sounds like the new "you're not a cool kid like us if you don't do or wear xyz" I heard growing up. People are free to enjoy their hobbies as they wish, even if that means keeping an irl object restricted to irl. I suppose if people want pics of my stuff that bad, they can buy me some dolls and I'll post them.

Maybe I'm just getting old, idk. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I hear some kids on my lawn...

 

My crew are all included on my user profile page, but there are a few that I've never made individual doll profiles for and who I've never posted pictures of. I may not even have mentioned them in conversation anywhere. That *might* count, I guess. Sort-of, anyway.

Some day I'll get around to adding them to the Profiles database, but I've turned into a real slacker about that.

Until then? They're just random names on a list as far as anyone else knows, and so pretty much unnoticed.

 

I have two secret doll at the moment. One I haven't gotten around to uploading photos of. The other is very much a work in progress and is awaiting clothes, wig, accessories and mods. I'd rather show her when she's closer to her final form.

 

Technically, that'd be all of my dolls! It's not that I'm not into the idea of getting a social media account, and it isn't even that I no longer own a good photo camera and my phone doesn't take the best pictures. I get days when I think that yep, tomorrow I'll wake up and maybe take some pics and make an instagram account, but I never do. Don't even know why. These days I enjoy planning the projects and crafting something the most, and thinking about documenting everything in the form of pictures feels like a chore.

 

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Yes, I have a Secret Doll Yomo!

...ha, I know that's not the real question. XD None of my dolls are really secret as I have them all listed in my profile, but my dolls are really for myself. I've never enjoyed taking photos and currently don't have a working camera, but I'd like to change that. One, I need some for reference and two, I think it'd be a great motivator to have regular WIP photos of my collection. Do I hide my dolls intentionally? No, just come over to my apartment and they're everywhere! You probably just won't see many online.

 

Nope, no secret doll here or potential for one in the future.

I tend to overshare when excited as opposed to not sharing. I don't think I could keep how much joy they would bring me to myself. I also share house and have very supportive friends.