Do you hide your hobby from certain people?

I understand where you are coming from. I only tell people who seem interested. But, most people don't think about dolls like I do, they think I'm talking about those cheap porcelain dolls.

 

I do hide my hobby from other people. my main hobby is doll house miniatures and I have had people think that was strange and childish. But i have dealt with it and got used to the reactions as i show them collector/heirloom style houses that they did not know existed. My parents accept my miniature hobby and help me with things but my mum said "there won't be dolls in it? I hate dolls." They think they are for kids so i won't be telling them and hiding my doll from them.
I have told one of my friends as they were discussing their lego and funko pop collection and they were supportive. If anyone showed interest in dolls or mentioned an interest or it was their hobby i would tell them. But otherwise i am happy keeping it a secret.

 

So I’m not ashamed of getting into the BJD community, I just know some people won’t understand. It’s like the pot calling the kettle black for me lol. I never understood how people could collect Pokémon cards. Or action figures. I never called them weird or judged them. I just didn’t understand. I realize people in my life will have the SAME reaction. My boyfriend for example won’t judge me. But he won’t understand it. And I keep this hidden from him because I know when we argue he will be petty and use it as ammunition and attack me like the hobby is wrong. My mother too. Her one sided blind outlook would be “you're collecting dolls? You play with dolls at your age?” People just don’t understand unless it’s something they like. So I’m not ashamed of the hobby just don’t want to be judged

 

Dolls were actually a compromise with my partners (yes, plural, I'm polyamorous) since they didn't want furbies in the house--so I got into dolls instead and then BJDs. One of my partners asked me to not have a huge pile of dolls like I do my plushies (my "plush children" as my partners call them), and I told him that the current plan wasn't to have that many, but no promises.

When I was visiting my mother and randomly commented to her about my BJDs, she complained she had just threw out something doll-related and "why couldn't you have told me earlier!?" Which is no surprise, as she collects Kewpie dolls. My brothers are just kind of confused by my hobbies in general, not just my dolly hobbies, so no surprise there either.

Otherwise, I haven't really kept it a secret, but I have made sure to keep my spam of dolly photos and chatter to an "opt-in" since I have several friends who have phobias of mannequins and porcelain dolls--which are close enough that I don't want to accidentally trigger them, if I can avoid it.

So far I haven't run into anyone saying negative things, but with the pandemic I also haven't been dealing with coworkers or other people I can't just boot out of my life if they're going to be an ass about things that make me happy.

 

I wouldn't say I "hide" it per se, but I don't go out of my way to show my crew off to people I know wouldn't really understand the whole doll thing. I know that not everyone is keen on these little guys. haha

 

I don’t tell everyone. I pick and choose who to tell that I personally feel wouldn’t judge or make fun of me for being in the hobby.

 

I generally only tell someone about my hobby if I feel like they will potentially understand me. They're usually people who are close to me personally or those whom I know to have interests that are somehow close to bjd hobby (i.e. art, crafts, anime, japanese street fashion, etc.).
Random people don't need to know, although in certain circumstances I could share this information with them. But in this case I'm definitely not going to tell about the prices. People around me already have enough reasons to call me crazy : D

 

Only a close friend of me knows about the hobby I like. I prefer to hide it from most people because a bunch* of reasons. (Most people find weird adults collecting dolls, specially if the items are expensive.)

 

My family and my husband all know about my dolls. My mom was very supportive of my interest from the beginning, way back when I was still in high school. She’s an artist like me, and she collects paintings, prints, pottery, etc, so she’s very understanding of the high price tag associated with artist-made goods. Other artists gotta eat too! She’s the one who actually bought me my first doll as a Christmas present in college.

My sisters teased me a bit in the beginning, but they don’t care anymore.

I’ll admit, I hid my BJD hobby from my husband until last year (when we got married). I was so worried that he’d think I was weird (like an ex once did), but he was just glad that I had a hobby that made me happy. This past year, he’s helped me a lot with my miniature and dollhouse building projects for my tinies.

I’m fortunate that being an artist, this hobby isn’t really that weird amongst the artist community. I know tons of other artists who collect kitschy vintage memorabilia, Barbies, action figures, etc. So BJDs aren’t that out of place. I don’t go around telling everyone about my dolls, but if it came up organically in conversation with another artist, I’d mention it.

 

I'm selective about who knows about my hobbies in general since people can be judgey. My parents know about my dolls since I had them in their house while I was living there, but they have no idea how much they cost. If they did, I’d never hear the end of it.

 

Honestly, I don't actively hide my hobby from anyone. If someone is my friend, then they know. I don't really get into all the details unless someone really wants to know, but I basically convey it's an arts/crafts hobby for me. Most people I know couldn't care less about me being a doll collector and usually seem curious about why I collect.

If someone is enough of a turd to pass judgement, then I don't pay them any mind. I'm a grown ass woman who really doesn't have have the time or energy to waste on negative people. I don't let them ruin my hobby for me. :P Been there, done that and in the end those types of people are probably judging you for 100 other things that don't really matter.

I'm lucky my family, friends and boyfriend all have been supremely cool about it. I know it's not the same for everyone, but I find the less that I "care" about someone's unwarranted opinion, they become less inclined to give it once they realize it has no effect.

 

I used to only post pictures of my dolls somewhere only a selected few friends in real life (and friends in this hobby) can see. But recently after I've taken some really nice pictures I just post them for everyone to see, including my coworkers and people I went to college with.

I don't bother hiding my proud pictures and dolls for most of the time now. There are people making somewhat rude or ignorant comments, but most people just think my babies are 'really well-made barbies'. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I guess I don't care that much at my age (I'm in my late twenties). They can have their opinions and I can post my pictures.

 

I'm semi-selective about who gets to know about my dolls, just like I'm semi-selective about who gets to know pretty much anything else substantial about my life. My parents know, of course, as I started collecting under their roof, and all of my close friends have known of the hobby for years (one is even an active participant herself!). My now-husband has been aware that I collect dolls from the earliest days of us dating, though it took quite a bit of time before I let him in on the exact price points we play with here. Casual acquaintances and such are typically none-the-wiser, but I'm fairly private about a lot of my life anyway.

It's not that I make a concerted effort to hide it from people, but more that it rarely comes up and I'm acutely aware that they're off-putting for some, so I'd rather not invite the criticism by flaunting it all over the place. I make it easy so that anyone who is interested can find and learn more about my dolls, but anyone who would rather not is free to act like they don't exist. I haven't received any negative comments in years (about the dolls, at least, but my Furbys are a different story...).

 

I don't share this hobby with many either. Even my future partner things bjd's are creepy. However I proudly display my dolls right on my desk. (at least the ones that are finished) I hope I can find some friends here! Since the irl people in my life are less into dolls than i am. I'm sorry your friend looked at you strange I hope it gets better.

 

I don't think I'll tell my dad about getting back into the hobby, as he's kind of the one who pressured me out of it initially. Not directly, but he finds (well, found as it happened when I was back in college) them to be too expensive for a hobby when I have more important things to be spending my money on, like student loans. But I'm moving into my fiance's house and he's super supportive of them, as are all of my friends and the rest of my family. And as a plus, whenever my fiance is feeling weird about something he enjoys but the pressure from something (even himself just feeling society's judgement) I remind him that I play with dolls and we're both weird.

 

I definitely feel reluctant to talk about the hobby with people who aren't into it. While you never know how someone will react, I don't want to put myself in a position where I would ever have to defend myself. I definitely would because I enjoy it and am proud of it, but there aren't many people who are open to things they aren't familiar with, sadly. If you're lucky enough to know/meet someone you feel comfortable with and who is open and accepting to different kinds of things, then cheers to you! I did mention it with one friend before and they gave me a sort of "Ohhh" reaction which wasn't terrible, but didn't feel great. They express interest in it from time to time and ask me about it, but I still feel awkward after that initial reaction.

 

I am very fortunate to have a supportive boyfriend who finds my dolls cute and even helps me make props for them. Other than him, I don't mention/discuss the hobby with anyone else. I had tried to bring it up to a friend awhile ago, and I could tell she thought it was weird. I don't mind keeping the hobby 'private' though - using these forums and talking to people in the community is more fun imo! ^^

 

I've only recently gotten into a position where I can buy dolls, so before that I never talked about it to anyone. My fiance now knows, but he knows all about collecting things so I don't think it was too big a stretch for him. It doesn't hurt that he really enjoys brushing doll hair

I dont know that I would necessarily share it with anyone else, definitely not coworkers I don't know. But if it came up somehow in conversation and I felt comfortable I wouldn't lie about it (I've lived enough of my life in a closet lol).

The pandemic has also kept people from coming over, so I haven't really thought about the dolls I have out as far as how to explain them or whatever. I'd probably lump them in with other collectibles and honestly the person's response would determine how much I'd value the friendship going forward.

Nobody that is in your life should use this hobby as ammunition against you in any type of argument, tho, unless maybe you're being financially irresponsible or its preventing you from living a full life in some way. That type of pettiness really speaks to different issues and I hope if anyone has people like that in their life that they can find the strength to move on to a happier situation, whatever and however that looks for them.

 

Not anymore. I have a glass display cabinet in my loungeroom and tend to share it on my socials. I make no effort to hide what I like when asked honestly but do tend to not broach the conversation with people not very close to me.

I like to think I am too old and too cranky to give a damn. I am okay with this.

 

Yes, from my family mostly - especially when I first started. Last year was the first year that I openly allowed my family to talk about them, although they probably are aware of them since I've always had them out on display but I just refused to talk about them. I was surprised to find out that one of my family members actually has a friend who is super active on Insta regarding their balljointed doll. Since they found out, they've actually been surprisingly supportive and non-judgmental about the price of the dolls, and are even encouraging me to do faceups and sewing.

I do have a couple of people who are just creeped out by the dolls, including my favorite niece. It's a bit sad for me, but I try not to make it too big a deal. Although I've been trying to get her to stop saying they're 'creepy' cuz it's started to make me feel uncomfortable.