Dolls and your own body image

It is. I speak from experience and gravity tends to not be as kind to us as it is to soft vinyl.

But I do agree with you, as long as someone is considered healthy by their doctors, I don't see why they should have to change anything about their body even if it's not conforming with what is considered socially acceptable or attractive. If someone is either overweight or underweight so much it is adversely affecting their health, then yes, I would hope that they would listen to suggestions made by loved ones and their doctors. But someone doughy in the middle who is perfectly healthy or a little under weight? I don't see why anyone should care. And really, even if they are, why should anyone care? It is not your body, you have no say in how it is taken care of. I have a friend who is constantly attacked by random strangers because she is naturally extremely thin and has a difficult time keeping weight on, even with the specialized diet her doctor has her on to keep weight on her. It's ridiculous. And don't even get me started on the shaming done to women with large breasts. Every time it comes up on DoA it takes a lot to prevent me from spraining my eyes from the constant rolling of them.

 

on previous pages I said I'd want to look like BJD. but yeah, not all of them xD;;;
if you browse through my wishlist it gives a very good idea of features I like :3
but dolls with huge head/eyes/breasts: big NO. overly stylised and unrealistic dolls, once again, no.
it is more the faces of dolls that I look at and would like to have. I have a small mouth with thin lips, round chin, DOUBLE chin (and I only weight 110lbs! ), tiny eyes, short and terrible skin <.< the girl dolls and the feminin male dolls I like are usually the total opposite of that. (CP breakaway, soom Migma, soom Heliot, etc)
however! I am rather pleased with my body and the kind of body I like on my dolls, I wouldn't really like it for me but as I said in my original post, I am mostly envious about how easy it is to modify them to your liking. there are quiet a few things I'd like to sand away on myself xD;;

edit: agree with you guys about the healthy part. as long as you are healthy, you're perfect!
on the photography on deviantart, I see the slim models being bashed for their weight "eat something damnit!!". and I'm like: ehm excuse me, but none of her bones are showing, clearly she is just naturally petite and most likely have a good metabolism! this is how her body is made. thank you shut up.
and on someone who is really obese "it's so refreshing to see a +size model! nice to see a woman that eat! you are so beautiful!" WHAT??? come on I bet she can barely lift herself up after she saw down. I can feel my cholesterol accumulating in my veins just by looking at her! (and when I say obese, I really mean it. >.< ) not denying the person can still have a very pretty face but y'know.......

 

Have you ever felt that you wanted to look just like your dolls?
Considered that I collect anthros only, luckily no.

Do you feel resentful of your dolls that you may never look the way that they do?
Not really. However, I do ardently wish my hairstyles/eyes/ect. can be easily changeable like them. Oh to have perfect hair that can be different every day w/zero effort!

Do you feel that there is too much pressure to conform to how these dolls look and in effect, the way that our society sees beauty?
Not really. I do find our society in the mainstream tends towards v. artificial standards of beauty tho so perfectly proportioned bjds may be a kind of expression of that? Really, who has hands that are perfectly symmetrical, right?

Mme. duBunny

 

The only thing I envy my dolls for is their clothing. I would be a happy woman if I could have my JID's pretty ballgown or my msd boy's frock coat. ~_~

 

Questions: Have you ever felt that You wanted to look just like your dolls?

Most definitely NO. Being in my mid 30s I've already been though the more tumultuous years of body-image issues, having suffered & being treated for anorexia and bulimia from my mid teens through to early 20s.
These were issues I'd had by being a more average looking girl with a round face and acne who preferred a slimmer and more elongated aesthetic that I will never be able to conform with.
These days I keep myself fit but after 2 children I have a"mum tum" that I know I'm never likely to shift. I am happy just being me...I'll never be perfect but when I look in the mirror these days I'm more forgiving because of the things I have been though in life. I am never going back to a life of fearing food or counting calories, and I hate being around people who are constantly concerned with such things.
Looking at BJD bodies, in some cases it would be extremely unhealthy to want to try to conform to some of those body types (for example, the first round of ultra slim Doll Chateau bodies) and they are really only intended to appear a certain way for the purpose of hitting a particular stylised aesthetic. I would feel sincerely sorry for any poor person who would desperately feel they wish to conform to any BJD aesthetic and would say that if you do then be aware that you may be in need of some psychiatric help. You should instead be concentrating on just being the best version of yourself that you can be and look for ways to find happiness in who you are.


Have you done anything about it? (Whether that is weight loss or gain, cosmetic surgery, clothes, hair, or other body modification)

No, and again if this is something you're considering I'd suggest seeing some psychiatric counselling first.

Do you feel resentful of your dolls that you may never look the way that they do?

No, they are dolls. They are designed to fit a certain set of aesthetics which may in many cases not be humanly possible for a true human to achieve.

Do you feel that there is too much pressure to conform to how these dolls look and in effect, the way that our society sees beauty?

A pressure to conform to the ridiculous socio-cultural ideals of beauty, yes... doesn't everyone at some point no matter how much we may try deny it (and this is from someone who in their youth considered themselves very "anti-establishment" when it came to such ideals...didn't stop me ending up with anorexia when I tried to overdo the whole diet-and-exercise-to-be-healthy-and-fit side of things)... but to look like ball jointed dolls, not at all :P

 

It would be nice to get some larger dolls - some mature, rounded women would be nice, and I've never found male dolls overly appealing, probably because they don't have the "weight" I expect for a man. I wish I was a better sculptor.

 

Good God, are you serious?! Have you seen some of the Dollmore girls? If a real woman had breasts that size she would keel over. You want to have two hot-air balloons strapped to your chest or something?

 

I second that! Currently, my dolls don't have any outfits I'd want to wear, but I would love to have some of the clothes on Tata's Paradise or Nine9Style.

 

Questions: Have you ever felt that You wanted to look just like your dolls?
Not so explicitly, but the Soom girls definitely have a body type I'd like to have - I actually would be roughly the shape of their Super Gems if I could just get around to losing the 5kg I put on over winter.

Have you done anything about it? (Whether that is weight loss or gain, cosmetic surgery, clothes, hair, or other body modification)
I'm trying to lose weight for other, non-body-image related issues (ie. I should be eating healthier and exercising more for health reasons anyway).

Do you feel resentful of your dolls that you may never look the way that they do?
No, and to be honest, the idea of resenting my dolls for how they've been sculpted seems a bit silly to me

Do you feel that there is too much pressure to conform to how these dolls look and in effect, the way that our society sees beauty?
I haven't felt any pressure at all to conform to my dolls look. If we want to talk about how women are constantly given the message that no matter what they look like, they should constantly be striving to be 'better', then I'd agree that there is too much pressure in general. But I don't feel that any of the companies creating BJDs is sending a message about how collectors 'should' look, and I don't believe BJDs are mainstream enough for the media in general to be using them as part of a general trend.

 

Have you ever felt that you wanted to look just like your dolls?
Hmmm... Not like my dolls, but there are a few dolls whose body shapes correspond to what I find attractive... You know? It's not that the beauty ideal is because of the doll, but the doll is the way it is because of the beauty ideal. I only have genderless child dolls right now though, and then probably a few men before I add the ladies. Would I want to look like the adult male dolls I plan on getting? Maybe for a few days, out of curiosity, but that's sort of physically impossible, haha.

Have you done anything about it? (Whether that is weight loss or gain, cosmetic surgery, clothes, hair, or other body modification)
Nah. I think red (like, cherry and wine red) hair is really pretty on women (gonna have at least one girl with hair like that!) and was considering tinting my hair to be a bit more red, but after receiving a lot of compliments about my natural hair colour from random people (some of whom asked me if I dyed my hair) I realized it felt good to say that it was all 100% mine, so I scrapped the idea. I would like to exchange some fat weight for muscle tone, but that has nothing to do with the dolls. ^^

Do you feel resentful of your dolls that you may never look the way that they do?
Goodness, no! IMO, when you start feeling envious of inanimate objects, it's a sign of pretty deep-rooted issues that really should be worked out. I have to roll my eyes every time someone starts the "Barbie is too thin and gives girls bad ideas!!1!" song and dance routine, because really, you should be more concerned about the fact that you raised your child in such a way that s/he feels insecure over a toy. You can't envy inanimate objects because they're inanimate objects. Apples, oranges and all that. (I don't envy my perfect characters either, because I made them look that way exactly for admiration and eye-soothing purposes)

Do you feel that there is too much pressure to conform to how these dolls look and in effect, the way that our society sees beauty?
Um, no? I honestly don't think that dolls put pressure on anyone. Sure, they're a reflection of the beauty ideals, probably, but that whole pressure thing? It's all in a person's head when it comes to dolls. So, you can look at a doll and see the ugly "societal pressures" monster crawling out, but that's what YOU want to see. Due to insecurity, or some kind of the whole "f--- society is everywhere!" silly thing some people have going on. I just see a pretty dolly with a perfect body that looks amazing in clothes that I can't wear for practical or stylistic reasons. Also, I don't really care about "society's" standards either. I have my own, and whether they do or do not correspond with what everyone else finds attractive - well, I don't care.

 

I spend more money on my dolls' wardrobe because 100% of the time, they'll look better in anything I buy them than anything that I could buy for me. LOL I'm dead serious. :P

I realize that my dolls are an idealized body shape, and for me to look like that (again--because I may have actually looked like that when I was a teenager, but not realized it at the time LOL I tend to be critical of myself) is unrealistic. I've had 5 children, I'm aging (sigh) and tons of emergency surgeries (lucky to be alive) so the chances of me having a perfect teenage body is slim to none....even with plastic surgery or exercise.

Not jealous of my dolls. I just have fun with them because they are beautiful.

 

Ive never wanted to look like my dolls as all of them guys and Im not.
I like to wear nice clothes since childhood, It is normal to me. I love lace, jewelry, nice bags n lovely shoes, perfume n silky body creams, light and warm scarves, coats n autumn boots. I loved it all before bjd even existed.
sahoma, I hear you. I'm slim, and all that "oh my god, do you eat??" provokes quite harsh reaction from me nowdays sometimes (or ignore), cuz Im tired to answer nicely only because I have to be polite. I don't want to be polite, I want to be happy, and look as I do without reasoning it for someone else.

 

• Have you ever felt that You wanted to look just like your dolls?
  • Hmmmm....Nope. I mean, I wish I was taller and I use to wish I had a slightly bigger bust line. But then I came to terms with my own body. I don't have any girls or boys at the moment but I am currently saving up with one. She's pretty, but I don't wanna look like her. I wanna look like me.
    
• Have you done anything about it? (Whether that is weight loss or gain, cosmetic surgery, clothes, hair, or other body modification)
  • Nope, nothing to do anything about. I mean I wanna tone my stomach some so I work on that, but that's it. When it comes to clothes though I wish my doll had clothes like me. I like lolita and all but would a pair of jeans that fit be to much to ask for an a cute t-shirt. Or maybe in a nice reagular jacket and a pair of shorts? I want my girl when I get her to be cute and fashionable but normal. I don't think it's too normal to go out to a cafe in victorian 1800's garb. Nothing wrong with it, just not the way I picture her or what I want for her over all.
    
• Do you feel resentful of your dolls that you may never look the way that they do?
  • Not at all! They were scuplted to look the way they look, and I was born the way I look. I've been told that I'm a very pretty girl and even if I wasn't I wouldn't be resentful towards my dolls. Doesn't make any sense to me.

• Do you feel that there is too much pressure to conform to how these dolls look and in effect, the way that our society sees beauty?
  • 
    
    • If BJD's were a lot more popular I could see how this would be an issue, maybe, but until then there's Barbie. Girls, and women, strive to be like her and that's a bit of a problem to me. In my there's already enough stuff out here that pressures girls to look a certain way. T.V ads, shows, magazines, movies, etc, etc. Actually I take back my first statement, it wouldn't be a bad thing if BJD's become more popular. I think they have the potential to show people that it's ok to change! They can look any way, be any way, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

 

Have you ever felt that You wanted to look just like your dolls?
I can honestly say I've never felt the need to look my doll or any other BJD. Maybe it's because I'm a petite person but I'm really comfortable with the way I look. Sure I would love to be a little taller and have clearer skin and not so thin hair but overall I'm happy and that all that matters. (if it matters to anyone I'm 18). Also their proportions are not that of humans they look to cartoony.
Have you done anything about it? (Whether that is weight loss or gain, cosmetic surgery, clothes, hair, or other body modification)
As far as height there's really nothing I can do but I use creme and certain shampoo to fix my hair and skin.
Do you feel resentful of your dolls that you may never look the way that they do?
Simply put Nope not really.
Do you feel that there is too much pressure to conform to how these dolls look and in effect, the way that our society sees beauty?
I feel society in general has make every girl feel the need to be unhealthily skinny. It's not just dolls. I feel that there is way to much pressure on girls these days that skinny equals pretty when in reality I know tons of skinny girls that are gross and plenty of curvy girls that are beautiful.

 

its always good to have some kind of inspiration.

 

I've always been a tall, skinny male who would like a body-type less like my doll. But I wouldn't want my doll to be any buffer as it wouldn't suit his character, I don't think I'd like to look quite as pretty and androgynous in the face but I was into that in my teens and my doll's character is that age.

 

You know, I have this weird, kind of inverted thing going on. I modeled my doll off of a fictional, webcomic character, exaggerated hourglass DDDy figure and all; she has pretty much no ties to reality or how I think people should look. However, I have gotten a few comments saying that I look like her, even though my figure is nowhere near as. . . impossible as hers. I think it's truly the superficial similarities, like how we both have glasses and long blond hair. Whatever it is, though, I have to admit I find it kind of unnerving when people say she resembles me; it makes me wonder if they think I want a body like hers even though I don't. And, now that I think about it, I also have to wonder if an assumption like that may be why my grandmother makes a comment about the size of Agatha's breasts pretty much every time she comes by. The idea that people might think I want something both so messed up and out of character gives me the jeeblies.

That said, in the long run I want my dolls to have a variety of body and bust sizes. I'd like a thin, lanky girl, and maybe also a shorter, stockier one, for instance. We're all built differently, so why shouldn't my dolls be too? (Besides, maybe that'll fend off the "you must want to look like your doll" vibes I sometimes get from people. XD )

 

I don't have any mature female dolls so I suppose I have no need to worry about it. I'm content with my shape, I sometimes wish I was taller (5'2") but I think being petite and short matches my personality in the long run. I actually dislike the lack of body type variation when it comes to girl dolls, most are so "vava-voom" which is lovely, but other types of bodies are lovely too. :/ I find the lack of options a bit boring.

Now if I was a man, I'd for sure want to look like some of my boys!

 

No, coming from someone who has never been regulation shape whether thin or not (it was and still is a nightmare finding shoes that don't cramp my feet). I'm too short but dumpy with it and now with a condition which severely affects my energy and pain levels, it's quite nice to (eventually) have a doll that is the "right" shape, that I can make clothes for and customise and enjoy her beauty, feel fulfilled by creating stuff for her that I would never consider for myself.

I have a long realtionship so they don't fulfill some sort of need (except for pretty things!). Plus as they are so expensive and yet proportionally take up so much less fabric, it's a whole new hobby.

 

I have no interest in looking at all lie my doll. Maybe cuz he's a guy, but...well even the female dolls I will be getting, I don't want to look lie them. Now, I'm not gorgeous by any stretch of the imagination. I'm quite plain, and a bit overweight. But I can function, and I know I'm healthy cuz my doctor says so, so I am content with my personal image.

My dolls are shells for characters, they have their own identity, and identity that I wish to have no part of other than the fact that I created them. But I didn't create them because I want to look like them.

I'll admit, society does put a huge emphasis on a basic "norm" in terms of what it beauty. Many of these dolls may conform to that standard. But I was never concerned with "normal" and "beautiful" when it came to my own image. I just want to be healthy, and functional.