Doll Owner Stereotypes?

Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it.
Yes, I think there are a few different assumptions that people make about us.
1. we are all into anime/manga/asia etc and we are spoiled, immature fangirls looking for attention.
2. we are compensating for human connections we supposedly do not have (ie. friends, a loving family, children)
3. We are weirdos, crazies and/or creepers

Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why?
I am into anime/manga/asia but I am not spoiled or a fangirl. I am also not in this hobby to compensate for anything (though I doubt I will prove that to my family -_- ).
The last one I am kinda in the middle of, I am pretty sure I am not crazy...most of the time XD

How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby?
Like any stereotype, there is some truth to it. There is bound to be at least one screaming fangirl, creeper or compensator.

 

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it.
A stereotype is someone everyone knows about and put them in a stereotypical folder, and not everyone know about the BJD interest.

2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why?
The only stereotypical I can find with this hobby, is that your odd in a creative way, and then yes.

3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby?
Theres this two "threads" people likes, one thread is that they like the beautiful creepiness around the doll ( they are not creepy like that but...somehow mystical ) , the creativity possibilities. The other that they need a friend or a soulmate to talk to and develop this relation with the doll, since they do have an air of mystery around them, they could have tiny lonely souls trapped into them? It almost feels like that, and they need a home.

 

I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE IF MY VIEWS MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME! I AM NOT TARGETING ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY NOR ELSEWHERE, I AM SIMPLY RELAYING WHAT I HAVE KNOWN OTHER PEOPLE TO STEREOTYPE US AS! I AM SPEAKING FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it.
I definitely do. The stereotype I've heard has been that they're all a bunch of mentally unstable anime fangirls who talk about nothing but Yaoi, watch nothing but yaoi and anime, bust all their money on these dolls and pocky. That everything is about posing boy dolls that look like girls naked and having some sick twisted fetish. That they fantasize about being with their dolls or anime characters instead of finding a real boyfriend/girlfriend or whatever. Also, the majority of them are wiiaboos, either choosing to dress up poorly is cosplay and lolita attire, or running around saying every Japanese phrase they know (which is terribly limited) because they think it's cool and makes them all the more Wapanese.

2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why?
I am going to HATE saying this, but I think that some parts of the stereotype are quite right. The wiiaboo parts anyway. Most of the doll owners that I have PERSONALLY met (face to face) were actually pretty normal. Sure there were some anime fans, yaoi/yuri fans, but not the completely obnoxious kind that people would describe in the stereotype. What I have SEEN from others (although not personally met) does fit a large percentage of the stereotype. Especially with the entire "I like to speak Japanese even though I'm not" and "Yaoi Yaoi Yaoi is my life! OMG POCKY! OMG KAWAII!". It makes me cringe. I used to know someone like that.

3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby?
Really immature, wannabee Otakus that somehow came to own a doll, and crapped all over the image for the most of us. You know, the type that you see at anime or comic-cons, running around going "Desu!" and "Oh that's so Kawaii!", wearing nothing but a Naruto headband with broken dreams of becoming a successful Manga artist and Japan (dream on). The only reason I can probably see that the lot started collecting these dolls, were A) They were something from Japan. Anything from Japan is totally cool and a must-have, right? and B) the ability to morph these characters or "dolls" into their poorly formed, poorly written anime "original characters", "knock offs" or "mary-sues".
I just think a lot of really "mentally touched" people caught too much attention and really ruined it for a lot of us.

 

This! This is exactly what I think. The main thing that I have noticed is the Yaoi thing and anime fetish; dressing boy dolls like girls and then taking pictures of them 'kissing' or whatever.

I don;t think I fit the usual stereotype personally, and I know alot of IRL BJD collectors who don't (and some who do!). I don't like anime particuarly, cannot abide Yaoi or dressing my boy dolls as girls. I'm a pretty boring average woman with children of my own who likes the dolls but I don't think they're alive or anything magical.

 

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it.
Yes. When I first started to get into the hobby and told people about BJD's all I got was eyebrows raising higher then their meant to, then of course the questions and just comments "Why?. You'll be known as the crazy doll girl" and ofcourse everything else everyone has described

2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why?
Yes.
- All my other friends want to learn to drive and spend their money on constantly new outfits to go clubbing in and drinking. I don't wish to drive ever, not only because I have no wish to, but for the sake of everyone else lol.
I haaaate clubs and tend to spend that section of money on gigs which my friends hate since we have different music tastes, and I dont drink at all.

- I like Japan. The first thing people will think of is the fact you have an interest in Japan. I'm currently learning Japanese and listen to music from there and watch Jfilms and dramas. Probably seen as a crazy Japan obsessed girl but who cares 'shrugs'.

Plus only time I speak publicly atm is when I swear and mutter but thats just so I don't get my lights punched out by the people on trains/bus.

One thing people think also is the fact your into the hobby is because their Japanese. Nope not for me, I've liked Japan since the age of 6, and always held an interest for that country, then I began to get into BJD's around 17 when I was researching for my art course and came across some images, then I was hooked. Not for the fact that these dolls are from Japan, not at all, but for the fact of how amazing and beautiful they are and how each doll can be a canvas for your imagination.

Also being a photographer student who wishes to become a fully flegdeg photographer it's great that I have the ability to create and move my model the way I want them too.
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3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby?
Close minded p eople just stacking others into piles.
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You are AWESOME! This made me LOL!

While I am not above a naughty photoshoot I don't spend all my time playing with dolls and writing stories about them.

I think the main stereotype I have heard of is the socially handicapped geek who can't form a meaningful relationship or friendship with any one and therefore has to buy friends.

BUT I don't think it's true. Doll fans come in many forms.

 

Note: None of these stereotypes are ones I particularly find true. Everyone here on DoA I've talked to have been nothing but wonderfully sweet and fun. However, these are some comments I have heard from people that do not understand or collect these dolls- and since it is a "stereotype" most of these have been meant negatively.

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it.
I think there's a few stereotypes. You have the first that people who collect these dolls are socially inept, awkward Asian-wannabes. Then of course there is the view that these doll owners are immature, obsessive, rabid fangirls (sometimes yaoi is a part of this) of anime. Another I've heard is that if you collect these dolls, you must be middle-aged, over-weight and balding so you use the dolls as compensation for your lost youth and beauty. Oh, and the stereotype that anyone under 18 who owns a doll is a spoiled brat with too much money. And my personal favorite: most doll owners are bitchy (sadly, this is a stereotype I've created in my mind based on past experiences meeting bjd owners face-to-face :/ ).

2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why?
I used to enjoy anime quite a lot- in fact, that's how I came to know about BJDs! When I was in middle school, I was one of those annoying kids running around replacing random words with Japanese words... it was terrible, but I was also 12-13. I'm nearly 21 now, and my love of anime has dwindled to a few select series.

I do enjoy yaoi, but I found out by attending a yaoi panel when I was old enough (18) that I don't have anything in common with most of those women. I didn't find myself delighted by two guys kissing in front of me- no, I was actually very bored. And yes, I have a doll who is quite feminine- he's my only doll at the moment, and he is based upon an rp character. So, to some degree, I fit the stereotype of liking yaoi, but I could personally care less.

3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby?
You're more likely to notice a crazy otaku running around screaming about yaoi, anime, and dolls all while carrying them around than you are to notice the quiet relatively-normal doll owners who simply leave their dolls at home.

 

I've been a square peg all my life. I fit into lots of stereotypes. I don't know anything about anime but I love Asian things. I have loved dolls for sixty years and I intend to keep on loving them. Yes, I knit and sew for my dolls. I knit and sew for myself. I'm new to BJDs but I fell hard. As an artist, I find these dolls full of potential. They have fired my imagination. I agree with Stella, there is nothing wrong with stereotypes, unless it is in a hurtful way. I see nothing wrong or hurtful about these dolls or their people.

 

Many of my friends, even some of my closest ones, actually hate dolls and find them creepy. As such, and especially within the first question, these are some of the things I've seen and/or heard.

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it.
Definitely a yes. As many people have mentioned, a couple of stereotypes are such as:

• the "horror movie" people who are mentally deranged and constantly bother people into looking at their dolls
• the socially awkward and lonely people who use BJDs as their only social outlet
• the rabid anime otaku fangirls, some of which are obsessed with yaoi and their androgynous dolls
• the balding old perverts that dress their dolls up in skimpy outfits
• the spoiled, rich little girls that eventually tire of their 20-some odd dolls
• snobby elitist collectors that buy and sell for potential value

2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why?
Some of them. While I am by no means rich, I do have a lot of stuff to get by. Of course, none of them are BJDs When I was little and new to the internet, I was so beyond a weeaboo that I'd smack my past self if I could. As for the "mentally deranged" part... well, I do have my moments but it's all a part of life XD

3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby?
As with all stereotypes, it's just because of society and the media. In nearly any anime or show, BJDs usually have the ability to speak, or are possessed. Sometimes, if the doll has an owner, the doll collector is also influenced by the doll.

There is a manga called "Shounen Dolls" - which I am currently reading - and it's about a teenaged girl coming from a long line of doll makers. Like her ancestors, she has the ability to speak to dolls of any sort, be it stuffed animals to the mascot statues you see outside of buildings. (In fact, a running gag is that she talks to a little girl mascot of a restaurant while other people look on by.) She owns two BJDs that turn into magical humans when she kisses them, and together, they purify evil doll souls! ... Well, isn't that original?

As such, that's where you get the weeaboos and rabid otakus running around with dolls, as with them comes the stereotypes marching in down Ball-Joint Street and Resin Avenue. :P

 

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it. Yes, otakus who are finishing their "original" characters

2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why? NO lol, I don't really like anime, I love art and this is what the dolls are for me

3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby? It's an outlet for a bunch of anime nerds! not that I don't like them, I know plenty who are complete dolls (bad joke) but it's not for me

 

It's just fashionable to hate on otakus right now. So fashionable, in fact, that everyone tends to forget that without the OG otakus at the turn of this century, we would not have BJDs or a BJD scene in this part of the world.

Once heard this pair of doll-chicks bitching in the most jawdroppingly nasty way about how they'd hate to be identified with anything anime or mistakenly identified as Japanophiles or weeaboos.... I think my kneejerk response at the time was on the order of "Respect your roots, you ungrateful little jerkass" (they were really obnoxious little girls), but you get the idea. Srsly, otaku brought dolls here, therefore you have dolls now. If certain intrepid Japanophiles in 2001 hadn't scrounged and floundered through Japan-only sites to bring the first Volks dolls to these shores, or known enough Japanese to make contact with the doll makers & sellers and bring the doll culture back here with them, or started up a little Yahoo group for fellowtravellers outside Asia to share advice & learn where/how to shop, we wouldn't have many of the luxuries we enjoy today (like, websites in English... a Volks store in California... domestic BJD distribution at places like Denver Doll and Kerbey Lane....). So, no, stereotypes don't bother me; you can mis-identify me with those otakus anyday.

 

Oh Jenny...

I'd much rather hang with the crazy anime fans. They all tend to have a sense of humour. A lot of doll owners.....not so much.

Not that I'm not one of those horrible dreaded anime fans, of course. I'm rather proud of my otakudom.

 

As far as I understand it, "Otaku" is Japanese for "geek". I could qualify, I suppose.

Yaoi? I think it's some romantic comics about gay guys? I am not into romances of any sort and a pair of gay guys helped raise me so to me it's not exciting or titillating, it's just normal ^^;;

Japan has always been a part of my life so I'm always surprised at how some people positively bristle at it being a part of this hobby. I think these types tend to have western fashion doll types which are not my thing either, so I understand.

 

Can I heart this? Please and thank you.

 

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it. From what I've seen, yes many of us are stereotyped in the aforementioned Japan obessed anime freak with no friends outside the doll community, lovers of yaoi and whatnot.

2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why? I really don't like anime, in fact I can honestly say I've only seen maybe 3 anime series that I've enjoyed, have never even picked up a manga, and even the stuff I did like my reaction was "cool", not to get into it. I am an avid gamer, be it video games, table top RPGs or LARP, but those things don't take over my life. I got into BJDs through friends, and liked the idea of creating something and playing with it.

3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby? With any stereotype, it's the loudest/most visible ones that lead to stereotypes. The cosplayers who run around with their dolls are the most visibly seen, so people make assumptions about them and the rest of the community. Is it fair, no but that's how things work unfortunately.

Most people who find out I like BJDs aren't familiar with them, so there's no stereotypes I have to deal with from them. I don't go to conventions, so I'm not really lumped in with any visible stereotype. the closest I've come to is people assuming I like Japan, which is quickly dispelled when i explain that I don't have the faintest interest in the country, and that not all BJDs come from Japan. I think part of dispelling the stereotype is education, plain and simple.

 

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it.

probably...but I would say it is the extreme as with anything else. BJD's appeal to a large amount of people who not doll collectors per se, but they appeal to a great many people who look at them as creative outlets.


2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why?

I definitely do not fit the typical stereotype, if there is one. I'm 40+ and I collect a wide variety of dolls, bjd's included because they fit my characters/storylines, etc. The bjd's are easier to imprint your own art skills on because of the versatility, poseability, and so on. I love bjd's but have no objection to taking pics of them with an American girl doll, My Twinn, or any other kind of doll.


3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby?


I couldn't think as to why....many people I have met do not know what bjd's are unless they are serious collectors.

 

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it.
They are stereotyped to a point, but I've noticed people that have no interest in dolls what so ever end up more curious than anything, because of their knowledge about anime... I suppose you might get looked at like that weird person still playing with dolls, or a crazy otaku kid, or some overly lonely freak, or something when your out in public with them. But the anime thing gives people something to relate the dolls to. Even if said doll doesn't really look that cartoony, and is on the more realistic side. The overly obsessed with japan stereotype is another. But oh well. I like japan, and think they have a beautiful, and colorful culture. Being a tattoo artist hasn't helped because I've always been drawn to their irezumi style tattoos.

2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why?

I like Anime, and have been going to anime cons for ages. I seen my first BJD in person years and years ago at an anime con, and had no idea what it was. So I don't mind the whole otaku thing one bit, though I don't run around trying to speak it or anything. But have a decent understanding of what a lot of the words mean. So far, most people have been able to identify my dolls with anime characters, and that's what sparked an interest in them. I've had Arcanis, my mnf woosoo boy be mistaken for a character from a variety of different animes. The most recent was L from Death note, which he looks nothing like mind you,..(he has a fluffy wolfy tail,..) but I giggled because I actually like that anime. And it's this relation to anime that allows people to open up a conversation about them.. like.. "Oh that's a cool death note doll you have there..." It's not their job to know better, and the way I see it, at least they are trying to show some interest! And I tend to take that opportunity to tell them a little more about them. So I'm with others when I say I don't mind being confused as a rabid otaku! Power to the OG Otakus! >D

3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby?
Probably from the fact that overly excited anime fans brought them here right? I like anime, but I'm picky, and it's hard to weed the good ones from the bad. I can see this making it difficult for people who don't want to take the time to watch around 26 episodes of something before they can decide if they liked it or not. So I can see where the dislike, or general confusion for anime comes from. Most people just aren't into it. And that's fine, to each their own. But IMO I think anime or japan comes up in convos about bjd's because it's really something that people unfamiliar with them can associate them to.

 

As far as I go I am a complete nerdy geek (glasses included) Mid-sized body? I feel like I'm fat because I have body issues. A Chick with body issues....SURPRISED?! xD
I am college art student, and I'm not overly obsessed with japan (except thier horrible addictive crane games and ultra cute stuffed animals), not into anime (anymore), or nor do I like japanese music. I actually am very into french culture and like weird music like cloud cult and they might be giants. I do like BL/yaoi though *guilty!* ~,~
I am immature, and I love shows like adventure time and regular show, despite having recently turned 21. In face I need to start working on Lucas's finn outfit. Weird thing is I never used to play with dolls growing up. I always hated them. o3o

I don't know if I fully fit the steryotype, but I certainly have a few factors. I guess there has to be some commonality between bjd owners xD

 

1) Do you think BJD owners are put into a stereotype? If so, describe it.
Yes of course, since any person who has a hobbie, lives in a specific country, has blond hair, everything in this world has stereotypes. So does a BJD collector. In genera I think people think that we are weird, childlike teenagers, put on frilly pink dresses, read manga, watch anime etc. In one word, there has to be something "wrong" with us, since we still play with dolls as adults (In this sense I see 16-> as adults). I remember when I was 12 and I wanted a Barbiedoll as a Christmas present, and my mom said I was too old for Barbies. Yet in 17th century girls played with dolls and dollhouses until they got married, so well into their adulthood.

2) Be honest - do you think you fit the stereotype at all? Not at all? Why?
Well. I am weird, childlike in a good sense (everyone should have still that little child in them, life is not worth living without it), I love pink, I read manga and I occasionally watch anime. But one thing is off with me, I am almost thirty, so my teenage years are far gone. I do like Japan and thing coming from there, but that is not all there is to me, just one small part.

3) How do you think there came to be stereotypes in the BJD hobby?
Well teenagers in cute pink frilly dresses walking around with dolls. Yeah, I think that is just begging for to be stereotyped. Not that there is anything wrong with being that stereotypical BJD owner. I don´t get upset when younger BJD collectors go out in their dresses showing off their dolls. I think it´s kinda cute, and if I were still in my teens, I would probably be there with them

 

Were the hell is the "like button" when you need it?