Doll Love! <3~

I wouldn't collect something that I didn't love-- especially not at these prices! But I understand there are different types of love, even from doll owner to doll owner.

I love dolls because they're beautiful, and versatile. On the one hand, I can appreciate all the artistry that the sculptor put into creating them, before they were ever cast, and on the other hand, I am able to customize them. I love the dolls that speak to me aesthetically, though not always to the point where I want to own them, from an artistic appreciation standpoint, the way I might look at things in a museum and feel moved and say 'Oh, I love that!'.

I love MY dolls because as I find their proper wigs, eyes, and clothes/accessories, I get to really feel like I am bringing a character to life. My first doll changed a bit when I really had him, from what I thought he would be, it wasn't like having a set character in mind, but I still loved him, this time not from the standpoint of an art appreciator, but as an artist myself-- I'm a writer, and while not every doll I own or plan to own is a character from my stories (Vince, for example, seemed to 'create' himself, and I do love 'fan' character dolls too), I still get to build a character, and learn them.

(and, I will admit, I was VERY influenced as a child by The Velveteen Rabbit, so even as a grown-up I feel very connected to my 'toys')

 

Do you guys love your dolls? What about them makes you "love" them?? Which dolls would you love compared to the dolls you wouldn't love and why?

I love my dolls. I love Seraphine because she's beautiful and has a strong character, because I can pick her up and admire her. There's also a very simple element of her belonging to me. If I have something that has a human or animal face I can probably feel empahty for it and love it too, especially if it's as realistic as the BJDs with their life like eyes and tiny human embodiment. I feel the need to look after and protect both of my dolls and I feel grateful that I can go to them and talk to them or hug them if I've had a bad day.

I love Cesavier more than Seraphine. I take equally good care of both of them, but there are a few things which make him special to me. The first is the length of time that we've been together. When I first got my boy I was very young and naive - 14 or 15 years old. Aside from him being the first major purchase I made with my own money I remember feeling that simple awe and wonder that such beautiful, pure and nice things could exist on this Earth. When I received him I was amazed that it felt exactly as I'd been day dreaming that it would.

A lot of things have happened whilst I've had Cesavier around. I had my first boyfriend, my first of many things, then my first heart break. I had my GCSE's, in which I took Cesavier along to a spoken presentation exam to talk about him. Having him right there with me was more of a comfort than the examiner would ever know, and I got an A. I got my first short story published, passed highscool, went to college. I made friends, lost friends, found my confidence, lost my confidence. Got diagnosed with PCOS and Reynauds Disease. I just didn't get enough marks in my exams to go to University, came back off holiday to come home to try to sort it out in a very sorry state. I had my interview for University, had to go through several rounds of fighting for a place there, got told I had an unconditional place anyway and my grades didn't matter. Got into University, had to deal with a very stressful first year in which I got a job and fell in love with a man for the first time. Had a very serious and intense relationships for a few months with a man who I loved but who had serious mental illnesses until he left me in a very cruel and unexpected way. Struggled to continue on with my life without him, dating other people who I couldn't even bare to look at by that point, going out with my friends, forcing myself to make friends with strangers (which was so nerve wracking for me). I passed my first year of Universit with firsts (the best grade possible) after months of relentless coursework and gruelling exams. I've thought then re-thought my future, cried and laughed, and turned into the kind of person that I could only admire from afar previously - somebody confident within themselves that doesn't cry in front of others anymore or break down every two seconds. I finally feel like my life belongs to me.

So why does this make me love Cesavier?

It makes me love him because through all of this, when I've come home and walked into my room he's always been sat just there on my dresser, looking up at me like he wants to hear about my day. Whenever I've had tears coming down my face and felt like nothing would ever be ok again I've reached for him and he's always just flopped into my arms like he's cuddling me. I can blabber on to him about all the things that are worrying me and feel like he's just listening and not judging. Likewise, if I've had a happy day I'll go on about that to him whilst I clean my room or whatever. In any case, he's been a constant source of comfort and joy to me. Seraphine is also great for these reasons, but nothing could ever replace the five years of laughter and tears that Cesavier's been by my side for. To me he's more than just a doll, he's a friend that I look after. And I know people will say that's silly, but I have my human friends, my animal friends, and my doll friends. And it really makes my life better.

 

I don't really "love" my dolls. I mean, they're pretty pieces of plastic and they're fun to play with, but in the end, it's just another expensive toy.

 

love is a big word for me, I've hardly ever loved any people not even those related to me, same with the dolls, but I genuinely love animals a lot
[h=3][/h]

 

I wouldn't call it love, but I am very fond of them. I feel like a guardian more than anything. Just caring for mine even though she isn't real.

 

I would say I love my dolls, but not like I love real people, or in the same way. I love them like I love my favourite books or songs, it's like a love of an idea, a love of the personality and history and personal associations that my inanimate dolls embody, although they're inanimate.

 

I have to have some sort of strong feeling about them. Otherwise, why pay hundreds of dollars and spend so much time on them and on the internet looking for things for them or for other dolls? It would be kind of crazy if I didn't really "love" what I was doing!

It's not LOVE like love for another person. But there's got to be some sort of huge pleasure we get out of dolls to be investing so much time and money into them. The most common word for doing something you really like is love--that we really love doing something, or that really really love that doll and will save up money to have it.

What is the difference between what we love about a doll and what we don't will be all kinds of things that are specific to each individual. Sometimes we can't even articulate it! We just respond to some things, some aspects of things, more than others. Some stuff turns us off and some stuff we really like. And it's all too complicated to even say what I "love" about certain dolls! It's all of the usual stuff and a lot of things that are hard to pin down. Sometimes I'm looking for a particular type/look and some dolls will fit it better than others. Sometimes certain ways bodies and heads are sculpted. It's sort of an endless list of things that change all the time!

 

Hmm, I don&#8217;t know if I love my doll in the same sense that I love my other material possessions. Then again, it is very difficult for me in general to say whether or not I love something or someone.

I guess I could explain how I feel towards my dolls in this way:

I love the amount of work that goes into them and the general artistry, but rather then saying that I love my dolls, it&#8217;s more like I appreciate them and cherish them. I love their clothes, their hair, their gorgeous eyes and faceups, and their particular mold. I love all sorts of things about my dolls, but I don&#8217;t think I love the dolls themselves.

Would I be distressed if I lost the dolls in a sudden and tragic house fire? Of course! I spent so much time and money picking them out and customizing them. They are the culmination of my efforts But I don&#8217;t think I can say I love them. Right now, there&#8217;s very little sentimental value in them since I&#8217;ve only been in the hobby for less than a year. For example, I love my stuffed animal because: 1) it was a gift from my SO, 2) it is soft and huggable and I hug it to comfort myself during tough times, and 3) it has been with me for so long! My only experience with the dolls so far is making them look pretty and then admiring them

Will I grow to love them in the future? Maybe! I won&#8217;t discount the idea But right now, I think saying that I appreciate and cherish them is closer to the truth than saying that I love them.

 

I love my doll! And not just my BJD, all my other types too! I get all emotionally attached to them hehe! It's not like I would marry them or anything of sorts, but I do think I love them!

 

Well, if the house was on fire the first thing on my mind would not be the dolls.

BUT, I do "love" them. I did spend a lot of money on them and I really enjoy so many things about them. Writing stories, taking pics, buy and make clothes and photostories.. So I suppose it is a material love. I love them in the way you can love an item.

I love Lucy because she is beautiful and photos sooo amazingly. She is also a "person" that I have had in my mind for many years. I am trying to write a book about the "person" Lucy.

 

I do have a tendency to get emotional attachments to objects, and dolls certainly would be easy for me. I can't say that I "love" my MSD right now because I keep going back and forth between if I feel like I like her enough to justify her price. I know that if I found a doll that I actually clicked with I would develop a kind of love for it. Kind of like the love for a pet or a favorite teddy bear.