Do you hide your hobby from certain people?

BJDs are not my only interest but they are an important part of me. I won´t bring it up out of nowhere, but if someone asks about my hobbies I will most likely tell them about my dolls.

My family does not mind my dolls at all. They did mind they prices at first, but that was mostly because they thought I wouldn´t stay interested in them for long. Now, 8 years after buying my first doll, they have come to accept that my bjds will most likely never go away fully and they don´t complain about the prices anymore - it´s my money after all.
My current partner, whom I´m thinking of marrying, is very accepting of the hobby in general - but again he does not appreciate the prices as much. I know that my childishness is something he loves about me and he considers my dolls a very "cute" hobby that fits me well. The first time he saw one of my dolls, he said that she was a lot prettier than in pictures. However, he does not like to look at them as much when they don´t have their wig on and he finds my collection of glass eyes quite creepy.

Then, of course, there are the people who tell me that this is a weird hobby or that they think dolls are creepy.
I don´t mind if that happens. It is always more encouraging if someone is excited about your hobby, but as long as they don´t insult me, I can live with the fact that we have different tastes.
If someone complains to me about the price

What is wrong with it? Some people spend thousands on art that will stay still and protected in their homes for them to look at from time to time. - I spend hundreds on a movable art piece that I can customize and play with.​

If someone says dolls are creepy

Well, you watched those horror movies, I didn´t. Neither I, nor the people who live in the same house with them, find my dolls creepy. So that´s entirely your problem.​

If someone says that hobby is childish

I love BJDs and play a lot of Animal Crossing, I also like indie horror games, phylosophy, metal and mathmatics. - I honestly feel sad for those who limit their options because they perceive that some things are not suitable for their age group. My dolls are a wonderful hobby for anyone who can care for them and is able to understand their value.​

If someone just finds my hobby "strange"

Oh well, there is so much I find strange about "normal" hobbies too. Who cares?​

What matters is that people are respectful towards me and the things I like. No one has the right to make fun of someone´s interests as long as they are not harming anyone.
I never understood why girls my age spend so much money on makeup - yet I don´t go up to them and say "Why do you have all of that face paint on? Won´t that ruin your skin? How do you get to spend all that money on this stuff even though you will wash it away at night? Doesn´t your face feel gross with all that stuff on it?"
No, I don´t say that to others, because frankly, I don´t care what they prioritize or do with their money - and neither should they when it comes to me and my hobbies.

 

Nope since i collect different dolls they r displayed thru my nain part of my house even tradies that come to my house see them im proud of my collection and dolls

 

I don't hide my collection from anyone. My family and friends are aware of it and as far as I know they approve and accept that it's something I enjoy

Work colleagues also know a little about it, but I'd never dare to bring a doll to work with me!

 

I don't hide the fact that I collect, but while some time ago I was proudly saying I "collect" and "design clothes", now I just say "I have doll, ya know..." but like it's not a big deal. I don't share about their price or worth. Especially not when one of my roommates apparently had their 100 bucks stolen by another recently. I loct the door and pretend my dolls are cheap'n'nasty so they keep away from them lol

 

I would never hide my hobby from anyone. Everyone who knows me knows I am a doll freak and they wouldn't dare make fun of it, I only hide the prices though

 

I can totally relate to that. Some of my friends are really creeped out by dolls and... well, my dolls are sitting on shelve above my bed and my friends tend to sleep in my bed when they stay overnight... so, first thing they see in the morning is a bunch of doll-feet above their heads XD.
I usually tell them: "Well... they stay. So can you... or you leave my bed and sleep on the sofa!"
I do not need them to understand my hobby, but at least I think I have reached a point where they accept it XD

 

I live with my parents and sort of hid my dolls from them at first. I mean I didn’t keep them in boxes, I had them displayed in my room, but it took several months before one of my parents actually noticed them.

My dad doesn’t care. As long as I pay into the family funds and take care of my own bills he’s at idgaf. My mom on the other hand loves them. I didn’t realize how much she has always loved dolls. I kind of kept my love of other kinds of dolls quiet (never collecting them just admiring at a distance) so we never mentioned it to each other, but she’s been enthusiastic about my dolls. She wants to see new outfits for each doll, and is going to a meetup with me in a couple of months. It’s been fun to have something to share with her.

 

I have to use my brother's address to ship stuff to (I live in a park as a resident Park Ranger)- so keeping anything a secret from the extended family is just not going to happen. My brother takes jabs at pretty much anything I do- always has as we're twins. I give it right back. I can tell he's interested in the sculpting/creative part of the hobby- but as he told me, if he's wants to dress something up, he's got kids. Friends will figure it out if they drop by- most friends and coworkers already know that I'm a huge nerd and collect a variety of things, so I doubt anyone who knows me would be surprised. But I'm not running about publicly announcing it either... at some point someone is going to come up to the Ranger Residence door and be bewildered when they find some dude playing with dolls or something though.

 

Not really. But most of my friend just don’t want me talk about dolls. Emmmmm

 

I haven't read all the comments, but it's just heartbreaking that so many of you have something you're passionate about that hurts nobody, and yet feel the pressure to hide it out of fear of the ridicule of the insensitive and discouraging people in your lives.

Real friends support you, uplift you, and share in your enthusiasm for what makes you happy even if they don't have the same level of interest. They would never try to shame you for doing what you love.

If you have people in your lives who aren't happy to see you happy, please, please, don't give up your happiness to appease them. Please give them up, instead, if you at all can. Or, at least, minimize contact to protect yourself from negativity.

 

It was really hard to even tell my mom that I wanted to start collecting. She has been very accepting and helps me out a lot with my dolls. But, when I tell my friends they just brush me off and say that it’s creepy. It made me sad I can’t be excited with my friends about my hobby, but I’m glad I have my mom to do that with!

 

I think the only one I'll hide my hobby from is my grandma, since she'll surely think it is a waste of money. Though apart from the price, I think she likes dolls. My grandpa is pretty harmless, he calls my dolls "plastic models" but again, I don't think he'll be too happy knowing I've spent so much money on them.
I am happy to say my parents are accepting my BJD hobby more and more. At the start they were shocked by the price, but since I am buying them all with my own money (earned from part-time jobs), they don't really object.
I recently got into a fine art sculpture course in uni, and I told them the BJD hobby really inspired me to excel in my studies (as I wanted to be a sculptor/dollmaker in the future), so I think they are pretty supportive of my hobby.

 

Sort of. I'm really picky about people knowing personal details about me - even people I know. I don't actively go to great lengths to hide it, but I only share with people who I know will appreciate it, too, so it's always positive.

 

DOA is the only place I enjoy in social media because it is registration only, so people outside the hobby dont get to see it, because Im very stressed about that, and I know that its all in my head but I cant shake that feeling off.

I dont mind commenting on instagram, but whenever I post a picture or something personal, I have a sick feeling in my stomach like shame. My dolls is a secret, I only share them with a few and when I talk about it, it feels like Im admitting to a bad secret and I feel vulnerable? I dont know the word, exposed and weak maybe.

I wasnt allowed to play with my sisters and female relatives because my father wanted me to not be influenced by them, so I had a wing? away from the house. I spent a lot of time alone because my father had issues with my classmates fathers so I wasnt allowed to talk with them either lol, which classmates thought I was being stuck up.

It gets lonely, so I liked how kind and gentle barbie's face looked when I saw her, she was happy in the face like she was happy to see me, friendly. I liked looking at her so I stole one from home to play with lol. I had power rangers, and action figures but they all had mean faces, or masked, I liked how the barbie had a friendly face. I had to get creative and hide her in new places because if my father found her, I would get in a lot of trouble. He did eventually find and burn her, but at that time, there were some barbie paperdoll books back home and she was easier to hide once I cut her out lol.

So now, even though there really isnt any prejudices, I still feel ashamed to be seen in public with one, or have anyone know that I "play" with dolls, feeling like Im going to be sick. Ive been to a doll event and stores, I couldnt look anyone in the eye because I felt like an outsider for being a foreigner male between many females, I felt like I was invading their space even though everyone was very nice and kind, and I knew it was my paranoia. Its that I had to keep it a secret for so long and how it reallly really angered my father/uncles whenever I liked or did anything stereotypically female so I just freeze up and wait for it to be over, it always felt like I needed to apologise for being there and I know how pathetic and all in my head that sounds

 

I do not need to hide my dolls from my family but I will never let them know the price of each doll or how much I spent on the hobby :P

My husband does not mind my dolls and I can put them everywhere in our home, but he just don't get it why I need to collect so many. He thinks all my dolls look the same...

I will not actively share the hobby with my friends but if they ask, I will show them my collections. I am glad that none of my friends think dolls are creepy.

 

In my family only my mother knows, because I don't want to hear that: "Why don't you just marry someone and have a baby instead?" I don't want to marry or have a baby ever, and they got on my nerves enough with that. Not just family, but older colleagues too. ( I am 35 and single). I am the one in the family with any creative hobby. I was always "not normal, strange, mentally ill etc" ( I draw, writing stories and poems when I was a teen my brother and father bullied me a lot for those things) so I don't want to share it with them. Some of my colleagues are very cool, they know about my bjd, but they like me for myself, so they never bully me for this.

 

I have never hidden any of my hobbies, and don't care what other people think about it either end of day its my money to do what I want with. If people at work ask about my dolls I will tell then and one friend likes see pictures of them but if co -workers are not interested then I wouldn't go on about it, and if anyone bullys people for their hobby just shows what type of person they are.
I am in my 50s and I think as you get older you care less about what people think

 

I hide my hobby for most people
some people because they think it is weird others because they think it is a waste of money.
I am still quite insequre about the hobby since im a teen boy and most guys my age play football or play games till one a am on a school day.

 

Nope, I'm the type who won't shut up about it.

 

When I got my first bjd my aunt said it was a waste of money, that was really rude tbh, so I actually only tell my best friends about my hobby