Do you STILL have a hard time with family/friends and BJD's?

My dad thinks that l'm wasting my money. Now if my monther was alive she would have liked this hobby of mine due to she could knit and make stuff ect for Rini. I do have one friend that likes my hobby thought she will never buy one.

 

My husband and friends are collectors and hobbyists of one type or another. All of us have been known to drop a lot of money into such hobbies and collections. Hence, my newly accquired BJD hobby isn't even something that's considered out of the ordinary in our group. However, they were really surprsied by the amount of detail that can really go into these dolls. One friend was very impressed when I was describing the jointed hands I wanted to buy for my doll, and he was actually surprised that, considering the amount of work and detail that would have to go into MSD-sized hands, that it didn't cost more than what Mint on Card was asking for.

My parents seem actually relieved, especially my father, to see me accquire a hobby that isn't as "masculine" as some of my other hobbies. Let's just say that I haven't been all that particularly expressive of my "feminine side," to my father's frustration! My mother is actually happy to see me get into something she can relate to, as I've been going to her for advice on how to hand sew my doll's clothes. Both parents understand that the particular doll I want to collect isn't just a kid's toy, and they actually expect them to be expensive (my father was really surprised by how "cheaply" I got my frist doll for).

 

Surprisingly enough, I think my mother is finally starting to accept my dolls ... :'D despite how much they cost (that part gets to her) she still gives me tips on how I could improve making clothes for them...and she also inquired why do the boys look so girly >u<
My grandma likes looking at/holding them : D and my dad could not care less! /happy : D

 

My mom already hates them and I don't even own one yet -_-; But she just rolls her eyes when I mention getting one and shrugs it off. Since I'm paying for my doll with my own money, she knows she can't complain.
My sister on the other hand (who is my twin) thinks that they are sooooo creepy she says she wont come into my room when my doll finally arrives.

 

My parents think that is the most ridiculous hobby that I have ever even considered picking up, and quietly ignore my ranting and raving and obsessing. For the most part, I don't bring the topic of BJDs up with my friends (with the exception of my best friend who admires them greatly). I have a few buddies that constantly threat taking a baseball bat to my boy when he arrives. They don't really understand why a guy would want a doll. Needless to say, they'll never met my little resin companions.

 

Mine do; non-family members usually have a better, much more positive reaction towards the hobby and the dolls.

My family, I think, can't really get past the "$200 doll. It's a $200 DOLL." idea.

And I have 2 dolls...

 

My wife is pretty understanding and supportive but the price tag makes her uncomfortable.

I don't know if I'll ever show it to anyone in my family. Maybe my sister at some point? I don't know. I'm not even sure if I would tell many of my friends.

But like with writerm, the price tag is a lot for people to get past. A lot of my friends will drop hundreds or thousands on film or audio equipment, or even computers, but they cling to the fact that they DO something. General consensus I get is that BJDs don't *do* anything so the price cannot be justified.

Good question though.

 

My mother still doesn't like them. She would make comments in the past about how I should save for a house instead (I've just graduated college). ._. But now she says, "Whatever, it's your money."
My dad seems to like them though. Anytime I get something in the mail he asks if it's for "my buddies".

My parents will be going to a con with me in May (due to friends who are no longer able to attend) so it should be fun to see their reactions to some of the bigger and more expensive dolls.

 

@Scykill, I don't really understand why there's a big push for people to buy a house as soon as they get out to the real world. To be honest, they're not that great an investment so early on - they're horribly expensive to maintain, taxed heavily, and chains you to a place. I really feel that right off of college you should have the freedom to up and move in pursuit of a good career, as opposed to an okay career close to the investment of a house. This is your time of freedom, your chance to find what you really want to do out there. People shouldn't buy a house until they're ready to settle somewhere for a considerable amount of time (at least 10 years).

 

My family seems to tolerate the hobby because they know how happy it makes me, but they don't like the money involved. The other day, my stepdad upset me by saying that I should be paying off debts with my doll money. I am, and he knows I am, but he'd rather I do so faster instead of also doing something that makes me happy at a really rough time in my life.

My partner, though? Totally supportive. He even got his own Yo-SD dragon. He's not obsessive like I am, but he gets it.

 

My friends and boyfriend are perfectly accepting of it - they love my dolls and keep up to date with I'm buying next, who's getting a new faceup, etc.

My family definitely started out being weirded out by my dolls, my mum especially being against the cost. My mother has since decided it's my money and I can do what I want with it (though I'd still be hesitant to reveal to her exactly how many dolls I have or what they have added up to cost-wise...)

In general, for my family and friends, this is just another weird thing about me lol It's normal. For me. My mum never understood me being into anime or guys with long hair either, but she still loves me hahaha

 

@Vycem
I kept getting the save-for-a-house comments around a year ago, but now anytime I mention wanting to save up and move out I'm told, "Everything is too expensive. You have to stay here for a while and save up." xD

I enjoy this hobby. It's a creative outlet for me and even if my family doesn't like them, it's fine because the dolls aren't for them.

I think my mother is slowly beginning to accept them. Whenever there is an opportunity to brag about my dolls to someone (I rarely take them out so this rarely happens) she goes on about how they're from Asia and that they are expensive, etc. But then she gets mad when I buy one.

 

Almost all of my friends are BJD hobbyists anyway, and those that aren't don't seem to care/are terrified of them but don't mind as long as I don't throw it in their faces so I'm fortunate that that isn't a problem for me.

My problem lies with my family. I'm 25 years old and have been collecting since I was about 20. I have always had a job the whole time I've been collecting, apart from one stint of a few months where I didn't buy anything doll-related, and use my money responsibly when it comes to doll things. I never take on more than I can afford (except one occasion where I defaulted on a layaway, and in truth that was at least partially as a result of familial pressure) and I'm very careful with them so they don't get damaged. Yet my family still objects to my owning them =/

Bearing in mind that although my mother doesn't really have any hobbies, my father is a guitarist with at least 3 very expensive guitars and a ton of expensive equipment for them, my sister loves designer clothes and expensive make-up/skincare and can easily spend over a thousand pounds on that sort of stuff which she quite often gives away to people and my brother-in-law spends more a month on fitness supplements than I ever have on dolls. So I'm hardly the only one that has an expensive hobby, but because it's something they don't understand/is less 'normal' I get stick all the time about it and have even agreed (after lots and lots and LOTS of nagging) to sell some of my collection simply to get them off my back.

It's a pain, but unfortunately I live with them and will be continuing to do so for at least another year (as we're moving abroad, hence the incessant demands to sell my dolls in order to make money) so there's not much I can do about it. They just don't understand that it's not a matter of buying the same one again, you get attached to THAT doll, not any other that looks like it. Every little yellow bit, each scratch or ding, they're all part of what makes that doll special >_<

OH WELL. >:[

 

Well, I'm pretty lucky. At first my mom guilt tripped me about dolls, and I ended up saving up for my first one three times (the first two times she made me feel so bad about wasting the money that I just put it in the bank instead). At the time I was in college, but still spent time at home pretty frequently. When my mom got used to them and saw that I do like them, she started asking me which doll I want for Christmas XD So that worked out. My brother openly thinks they are strange, and sometimes teases me affectionately, which I pay back by teasing him about his hobby of buying electronics and then immediately buying the new model, making the old one obsolete XD My boyfriend listens to me chat about them endlessly and has no problem with the dolls or the money whatsoever.

My friends, they weren't at all surprised by it. I am kind of a person who walks a strange road on my own. I don't mean that I was ever awkward or socially outcast, because I never was. I just am an eccentric person who does her own thing without thinking about how other people perceive it, and my friends know this better than anyone. They weren't at all suprised by the doll thing, and they don't give me any grief over it.

Sounds like I'm lucky.

 

Not really. My fiance's family teased me for awhile but haven't lately (but they also haven't been around either), and my family doesn't say a lot. My sister loves them and has adopted a couple of my dolls as her own. The place where it is getting a bit more sensitive though is with my fiance because of our limited space, and the fact that we're supposed to be focused on saving money, and I have a hard time resisting the resin.

EDIT: I wanted to add that my fiance is actually very supportive of my hobby in general, as he is the one who now likes to plan trips to parks and dams so I can take photos of my dolls. He even took some photos on one trip! We just don't have much room for new arrivals.

 

Basically, no.

My mother has even given up telling me I should stop ordering things online and save my money to buy a car. (I will probably never actually get my driver's license, anyways. So I don't need a car.)

 

Not so much, no. My husband is fascinated by the dolls; I never got any grief from him or my kids about the dolls. My dad still pretty much isn't interested in my dolls--he chooses not to pay them any mind when he visits. My mom thinks my hobby is silly, but I remind her that my dolls are about as silly as her Elvis collector plates, and she on occassion has purchased props for my dolls to use. My sister would rather I have a more normal hobby...but she realizes that it's to each, her own.

My favorite line to anyone who thinks that the dolls are creepy and weird and I'm spending too much money on them is..."Well, at least I'm not addicted to drugs."

 

I've never had a hard time with my family about my hobby.
My mother owns BJDs too. My father, though he might not love the hobby, knows how much I love it, and won't say anything bad about it. My sister + her children thinks it's great I have a hobby I'm this passionated about and gets so much joy from.
My friends are mostly very supportive too. I have this one friend who can't wrap his head around the price, but we just don't talk about it.
So I consider myself very lucky.

 

Not really I guess. I was smart enough to hide my first two while I was still living at home because I knew it would be an issue but I did show my first doll to my family after a while and got some mixed reactions :/ My mom was actually pretty supportive but disinterested, my sisters were snooty and disinterested and my dad said she was cool and that's about it.

Once I moved out on my own however I started to share with my mom when I was buying a doll and she's only ever been happy for me and supportive. It helps that I've always been the responsible child and I think she realizes that even though they sound expensive to her I wouldn't be spending the money at all if it caused any issue.

 

I do not have mine yet....still... but my mom pretty much thinks that same thing: it's my money and I do what I want with it. As long as I keep up my financial obligations, I can do what I want with the spare money I have.

She does think that I should think more on getting into this hobby though, since she thinks I'll lose interest after a while...but even then, she doesn't get on my case about it.