Doll Proportionality

People actually worry about Barbie and stuff because kids are involved... otherwise, they'd ask adult females who collect Barbies philosophical-toned questions about their self esteem... which annoys me to no end lol. Um.. my honest opinion on Doll Chateu is a harsh one... Seeing that body naked, unblushed, and with a bald head, it reminds me of a skeleton as well... actually, it reminds me of the corpse of a child who starved to death. At the same time It's an appealing looking body in an artsy-fartsy kind of way... like the legs and arms are long and slender and the huge hips have a bit of ...sexual interest I guess but this all meshes together in a very awkward and alien way. The first time I saw an image of those dolls, I thought they looked really neat but to have one standing there looking at me... that's a scary looking doll to me. It definitely depends on HOW you're looking at it. I feel like I couldn't love that sculpt though... for above said reasons, I find it a bit upsetting. Plus, I feel like the clothing that's offered for them kinda hides their anatomy anyhow. Vastly disproportionate dolls like chibis and the like seem like a waste of money to me, since I'm here for the people shaped ones. I never was one to mind a big head, depending on the stylization, though. I mind that much less than most people it seems... but I honestly feel like many people are lying to themselves when they plop a head on a body from another company and beam that it 'looks fine!" lol.... not saying it DOESN'T look fine, and I'm not saying that some heads DON'T work with bodies from other companies... they most certainly DO.. but a handful of people on the internet really are kidding themselves with the pictures to prove it. Let this haunt me when I succumb to the habit, but that's what they get for buying floating heads in the first place. XD

 

This discussion is as old as the world and I don't think it will ever come to an end . Fact is that there are many ways to paint, sculpt, act, or carve the world around us. Some use photorealism, yes, but there's surrealism as well, and dadaism, abstraction etc etc. And 95% of the BJD makers use Idealism. It's a aesthetic choice and I don't think that there's anything wrong with it.

As idrisfynn said: BJD's are not meant to be role models. As such BJD sculptors have just as much a 'social responsibility' as Picasso had when he was painting his distorted people. These dolls are directed at a different audience and they are created with a different purpose in mind than Barbies. It's only logical that different 'rules' apply to them.

I believe that there are two main reasons why companies tend to stick with a certain body image and sculpting style:

1) The market is saturated and it's important for an artist to have a distinctive style. People should be able to see a doll and immediately know that it's yours.
Of course it is possible to create different dolls with a different aesthetic (like Leekeworld did), but it makes it more difficult to create a visual 'brand'. Iplehouse dolls are very distinctive. So are Migidolls or Volks. And it works in their favor.

2) In that same light, an artist wants to make male and female dolls that look good together. You want customers to come back to you. I could create an Iplehouse styled woman and an Doll Chateau styled male, but the chance that someone is going to buy both is pretty slim.
There are only so many dolls you can make. That's why it's a smart move to create all of them in a similar style, because if a customer liked a previous doll of yours, there's a good chance that he'll like a future doll as well.

 

Well, healthy and realistic is good, but it's a doll. It's an idealized beauty thing, not really forcing a view on anyone since there's so many!

 

I can't stand the enormous eyes either-- especially when they seem to follow you around everywhere. That just creeps me out //shivers.
But besides that, I really can't overlook disproportioned limbs. I hate it when dollies have limbs that are too short or too long. That just unnerves me so much. I mean I guess everyone's entitled to their own tastes but man those limbs.