Does becoming a "crazy doll lady/person" concern you?

I’m 48. I’ve been collecting dolls since my childhood, BJDs are just my newest obsession. I’ve been collecting those since 2006. I did get rid of most of the porcelains I’d collected in my teen years and I don’t even know what happened to my vast collection of Barbies. I don’t consider BJDs “playline” in the same way, though. They’re expensive works of art. Like porcelain dolls except these you can handle and customize and play with.

I also have an interest in photography and they make fabulous models for practicing. So there’s that excuse.

But also! I collect Monster High, Ever After High, and Rainbow High dolls. Only the ones I really like, though. I’m not one of those “gotta catch ‘em all!” collectors. I think they are cool, pretty little dolls that are articulated out the wazoo. They are way cooler than the Barbies I grew up playing with. If they’d existed in the 80s, I’d have had them then. I’m just playing catch-up.

I admit I don’t talk to a lot of people about my hobby, but I’m introverted by nature. I don’t talk to people about a lot of things unless I know them or I know they share my interests. I’m really bad at making small talk with complete strangers.

I admire the people who can take their BJDs with them when they go out in public. I’d love to do that too, but again, my personality doesn’t let me. I don’t want the extra attention good or bad. I will, however, happily take as many BJDs as I can carry to a convention or meetup when I know there will be other collectors there who also have as many BJDs as they can carry. They’re my tribe! And besides, safety in numbers and all that. Maybe there will be attention, but it will be dispersed among us and not focused solely on me, which is much easier to handle.

Anyway! Don’t let your age deter you from collecting something you love. Other people’s opinions are only that, and in the end they don’t matter at all. If you spend your entire life worrying about what other people may or may not think of you, you’ll miss out on a lot of enjoyment.

 

I've always been a collector and, outside of a brief stint in my preteen years where I was "too mature" for dolls (i.e. too personally insecure to be caught liking what I like), I've maintained a healthy collection of dolls. I started on Barbies and Bratz as a kid, which evolved into Pullips and Monster High in my early teens, saved enough for my first BJD by my mid-teens, and have grown my BJD collection and started a healthy Blythe collection since young adulthood. Most everyone who is any closer than a passing acquaintance knows I collect dolls, so it's not something I'm ashamed of or particularly private about.

I doubt I'll ever be looked at as a "crazy" doll lady, though. I have two degrees and am well on my way to a third, I'm married, I have two kids, and I have a mortgage. By most cultural hallmarks, I'm a very well-adjusted human being, which makes people more willing to overlook, ignore, or embrace my eccentricities. The dolls become a fun quirk of my personality rather than reinforcing some preconceived narrative that I'm weird and unlikable.

Even if I was weird and unlikable, though, I don't think suppressing your interests for the sake of appearing "normal" in a socially acceptable way is good for you. It's our differences that make us interesting, not our similarities, and there will always be someone out there willing to befriend/love you. It's worth it to find the people who will accept you, all of you, even the weird parts, than to cut your personality to shreds to make yourself more palatable.

I also don't think dolls are incompatible with an elegant lifestyle. It all comes down to investment and styling. Sure, maybe sock dresses and faux fur wig balls aren't exactly the height of refinement, but no one said you had to style your dolls that way. You can invest (either money or time to learn the skill) in high quality wigs, beautiful clothing, and stellar faceups if making them look sophisticated is important to you. Your dolls can become art pieces that you display that coordinate with your decor. Having a beautiful and luxurious space is less about what you have and much more about how how you choose to display it.

 

I do not care what people thinks about me. I barely talk to people IRL because of past misconceptions and ideas people project on me and I suffered the consequences. This taught me the hard way of not caring for other's opinions.
Becoming a "crazy doll lady" is pretty much my plan LOL The older I get the more I like the dolls. I am a creative person and I work on illustration. My dolls are my to go when I am stress, sad or I just wanna be creative aside from work. I want to keep learning about doll face-ups, custom, and some other off topic dolls art.

Dolls are art and art id part of my life, regardless the shape or discipline.

 

I used to feel self conscious about stuff like this with all of my more "niche" hobbies, collecting figures, crystals, tarot, watching anime, wearing lolita, etc. At some point, I just stopped caring and my life changed for the better. It's the same with BJD, if someone comes to my house and sees the stuff I collect and has a negative reaction to it, then that person isn't going to be invited back lol. Anyone who takes time to judge something that isn't harming anyone or causing problems has too much time on their hands and need to find a hobby themselves.

 

I know that what I have is good and if others can't appreciate it its their loss My hobbies are pretty eccentric to begin with anyway, so it's good!

 

Interesting question and the same answers.
I've long since learned that anyone can be judged for anything, and you can get hate even from people in the hobby.
But no matter what others think, it's fine as long as your hobby doesn't hurt anyone.
People tend to ridicule what they don't understand and put new meanings on it to fit their worldview. But no matter how opinionated and mocking they are, they are not willing to take responsibility for your emotional comfort or leisure time in their spare time. You are delegated to occupy yourself with something and somehow assuage the existential pain of living in this world, so what claims can there be? Dolls? Fine!
Dolls are not only a kind of escapism but also a satisfaction of aesthetic claims, a tool for creativity.
I'm very fond of passionate people. After work, I watch reviews and videos with craft, sewing, and face-up.
What I'm getting at is, take care of your authenticity. You have an exciting hobby and artistic vision. Some will admire your collection.

 

I’ve been into dolls since I was a kid and I never really stopped so… yeah there will be people who don’t understand and look down on you for it. But I am also lucky enough to have a small group of friends who are all into dolls too so I’ll take whatever mean comment or judgement as I know it’s no big deal. Some people just can’t understand what makes people happy ^^

 

Like many others in this thread, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm a creepy doll dude. No amount of sugar coating will change this. I've also accepted that noone, including my loved ones, has to approve of my hobby. I won't hold it against them if they find it weird but still accept me as a person. I feel a large part of growing up is compromising and accepting the fact that everyone is different and working together despite it.

I even value the opinions of ones who don't, as it gives me a chance to step back and make sure my hobby isn't controlling me. I had this happen to me once when I got addicted to a mmo and stopped taking care of myself physically and socially. I try to have a balance now, as all things should be.

 

@Kudoku I think people are a bit obsessed about sex these days. I say this because that's what most of the judgmental attitude comes from. I've got a workshop with a whole wall of nude figure drawings and ecorche (skinless) studies, skulls I keep for reference, the kind of stuff you'd see in an art atelier. I'm in contact with elderly, practicing Catholics and those always saw all of this as figurative drawing. I never felt like I had to hide anything or be embarrassed about it.
Then I took graphic design courses, and the youngest, progressive, artsy people with dyed hair and facial piercings acted wierdly embarrassed and made naughty insinuations like what I did was taboo. It was a really bizarre experience.
I assume the same kind of projection would happen with dolls, so no thanks, I'm definitely keeping this one hobby to myself.

 

I'm not a social person so I prefer to stay at home or with my close friends. Dolls are like another kind of friends to me so I would mind to be a crazy old lady surrender by dolls

 

I love this thread so many good thoughts shared by fellow BJD collectors.For me, it's a not really a concern what other people think. The monikor "crazy doll lady" is often ascribed to many of us from people outside the hobby, because they don't understand. This is more of a reflection on them than the doll collectors. People like to label other's as crazy or eccenric when it is outside the norm. Also, the stigma comes from that TV-Show "Hoarders" that show episodes where a lady filled her entire house with dolls.

It’s a shame people outside the community misunderstand the passion! This hobby is fascinating with so many talented people in it. Doll collecting is incredibly diverse, with so much artistry in every tiny detail. The dedication to craftsmanship, design, and storytelling is amazing, especially when you see customizations and the different eras and cultures represented.

 

I know I ve already responded but things happened and those are menopause which made me think how old I am getting , so my plan is to as I am getting older to sell off my things so that not being a burden to my son in my elder years. So for now I might be a crazy doll lady but let's say less than before and in 5years even less, in 10 years just a bit and if I m happy to live to old age not at all cause I don't plan to hold on them till very old age.