Doll Person v. Not Doll Person, Does a happy medium exist?

Strangely, I'd consider myself to be pretty lukewarm about dolls, just because I don't hold them in any particular higher esteem than any other of my possessions.

I'd suggest that my partner displays the "happy medium" that you suggest; Not interested in dolls, specifically, but doesn't dislike them. They're basically aware that the dolls exist, and that some things about them are interesting (Especially sculpting them), but that they're just not something to get all excited about.

 

Oh, I have met many people who love my dolls but do not want any for themselves.
A lot of my friends likes to sit with my dolls when they visit. They play around with their hair and ask questions about them, oohing and aahing over them. But none of those friends is in the least bit interested in owning dolls.
I also got a very positive responds when I brought one of my dolls to art class. I had people come up to me during brake that admired him and wanted to know about bjds. I am certain that most of them were not planning on becoming a bjd-owner.

So my answer is yes, a happy medium does indeed exist.

 

The best example I can provide is my best friend - she doesn't actively collect dolls, but she likes mine. She'll play with them when she's over and they're out, but won't actively seek them out to play with them.

She loves Iplehouse and Soom dollies (I love Iple girls and Soom boys, she's a little the other way around), understands why they're so expensive, but can't see herself getting one. (But this is partly because she saw my attempt at 'it'll just be one...')

The joints freak her out a little bit, but she likes the photos I take - especially the ones where I've hidden the joints with clothing.

 

I have a few friends who aren't super into dolls, but like to pose them etc. They think they might get one someday, but it's just "someday", and they don't feel a need to get one soon.
I also met a doll owner who wasn't super into it, she had just fallen in love with a sculpt and bought it, but wasn't an active hobbyist.

 

One of my friends really likes these types of dolls, but doesn't want one for himself. Since he's not much of a 'do-it-yourself' kind of guy, he'd have to commission people for everything and considering that he already has two other expensive hobbies, he thought it was best to avoid these dolls.

And I also know someone who was really into these dolls a few years ago, even bought a DoT Shall, but has now left the hobby.

So no, I don't believe THE doll person exist.

 

I think so, remember "at first, all was non-BJDs". It's a matter of choice and depends on the person to like a doll or not.

 

I'm sure there are people in the middle but we generally just come across people that react in extreme ways. There are all sorts of people in this world though. So I'm sure you can relate.. most of us have strong likes and dislikes but also stuff that we are on the fence about.

 

Sure -- it's very possible to appreciate something, but not want one yourself. My mother is like that. She likes my dolls, but has no desire to get into them herself. Also, out in public there are a lot of genuinely curious, interested reactions, yet a lot of those people will probably never own a bjd themselves. I think what's happening is that we tend to remember negative reactions/experiences and therefore give them more weight than they often times deserve.

 

I used to believe it was that black and white, but over the past year I have seen my boyfriend, who really dislikes dolls, take some sort of an interest in my girls. Not in the way of "oh, they are cool!" but more in the way of noticing it when I make changes and such.
So now I definitely believe there are things in between xD Another example, my mom thought they were a waste of money, ugly etc, but the other day she asked if there were sewing patterns because she might wanted to make some clothes for them.
I think most of the time these dolls just have to grow on people in their own pace. There will always be people who want nothing to do with them, but there's definitely a middle way.

 

Yes, my parents are like that. My mom teases me sometimes but she likes looking at them and has favorites. She'd be into the yo-sizes I think. My Dad admires the construction and paricularly likes my Benny. He's awed by how she looks so real and so pretty. My husband used to just admire them but now he has a doll.

 

NONE of my friends are doll people, nor do they have plans of becoming doll people. But they all love my dollies, and playing with them. They love taking photos of them, making things for them, etc.

 

My sister likes my dolls and finds them interesting, but has no desire whatever to own one herself.

 

I originally thought my boyfriend and family were in the "I like them but don't want to own one" group, but they're not. They're in the "I like them but it is taking me forever to get one, even though I was not originally that interested" group. XD

I think there are definitely people who like them, but won't own one, though. Unfortunately(?), I don't know any

 

My friends ask about my dolls every once and a while and they always want to see when I have a new one, but none of them want to get their own. I guess you could say they aren't doll people, but they are definitely not avoiding my dolls at all. They just don't happen to want their own dolls. I think maybe if price weren't a big factor, they would buy them.

 

In my situation, I have been a pretty serious (non BJD) doll collector for several years. I knew of BJDs but didn't want one until these past few weeks (and now I already have several)....!! So...in that respect, I was not 'hooked' as soon as I saw some. I'll be honest to an embarrassing extent by admitting that when I stumbled across the first BJD I ever saw (on ebay) I simply didn't understand what its point was...Was it an expensive play doll or artist collector doll...? What was with the optional wig & eye changes that it came with..? What did 'BJD' mean...? The description had no mention of resin (so I ignorantly assumed it was mass-produced plastic)..It scared me a little because I just didn't get it....Why was a plastic used doll hundreds of £..?..I was attracted to the facial beauty though and even considered bidding on it, but had no idea whether that was a fair price, so I didn't in the end....
Now....skip forward several years....I now am ADDICTED to BJDs like the air we need to breath....!!
My husband doesn't get them at all (but he knows nothing of me owning any yet, as he works away and I sneak my new dolls in to my cabinets in secret...where he never goes)....My brother really likes them, but he hasn't expressed wanting to own one himself though....
So....basically I think people can see BJDs and really like them but not ever want one for themselves...
(I feel it kind of overlaps with DoA members who really appreciate BJDs but have no sense of urgency to own one...They think they might get one eventually but are quite happy to admire other collectors' dolls for the time being...The OPPOSITE to impulsive crazed and overly driven me)...! ;-)

 

There is definitley a medium here. My hubby was less than thrilled with my dollies at first and now helps with restringing and other doll-related things. He's taken me to meetups, and even bought me a 400$ Impldoll as a wedding present, but he doesn't want any himself despite the fact that he has seen one's he considered to be "cool" on the boards. He's happy that I'm happy but he doesn't see the need to jump in. Perhaps after some more time he might.

 

Yeah, I think there can totally be a happy medium. After all you can respect something but still not be interested in it. Like my friend. We went to a con and I wanted to go to a meet-up, and I'll admit I was embarrassed to pull Rowen out of my bag and say something because I didn't know how my friend would react since I chickened out about telling her before hand of my doll. But she was cool with it, thought it was interesting, and let me go happily on my way. Which is more than I can say for some of my other friends. XD But with some people the medium is there.

 

Echoing with everyone, there is a medium. I'm the only one out of my friends who own bjds and most of them have shown interest and admiration for them. Aside from a couple who are in the contemplating stage of owning one someday, none of them are doll people much.

 

Actually I can relate to the non-doll person as alot of my friends actually find them to be quite disturbing. For myself it's quite saddening to see them be so scared of them, but I guess it's just one's opinion. Funny thing about it is that they actually like the look and concept of a horror-oriented doll over a doll that isn't, so I guess there is still a chance they may end up liking dolls eventually.