dolls just for lonely people?

My Elly was a birthday gift, and her little face makes me smile so. In fact, she gives me energy, gets me outside, sends me on errands and provides bonding time with those humans I love. Even my husband finds joy in watching me play with her, make clothes for her, photographing her. I thought he'd think I was weird, but the total opposite happened.

Outside of family, I have very few friends, and they live across the country. I've been to one doll meet, and definitely want to attend more. The people here seem to be in a different category, each member seems to be celebrating not only their dolls and creations, but everybody else's too.

So no, I'm not lonely. It's really wonderful to have something like this to enjoy, to be able to choose how much of an investment I wish to make, to customize it myself, and to share it. This is a hobby that could get expensive very easily (look at my daughter's collection), but there seem to be plenty on our Colorado group that have financial limits, possess some artistic talent, are willing to share information, provide tips and assistance. It's fun! It brings shy people out of their shells

Then too, maybe I was secretly lonely...and because of this gift I now have a direction to branch...

 

Seeing as I'm antisocial by choice(I really don't like most people), I can't really say I'm lonely. But I've gotten emotionally attached to several different types of dolls before. BJD's probably won't be any different. I like dolls better than people anyways. They're not as annoying.

 

I'd say that I don't think dolls are just for lonely or antisocial people. Most people don't realize that being antisocial technically means that you don't agree with rules and society and you are an anarchist, not just on the quiet side. I also actually enjoy my alone time and I love to have my dolls around me. Usually when I'm around a crowd of people, I start to feel uncomfortable, but I'm trying to work on it.

 

My dolls have helped me cope with depression and loneliness a lot. When I feel like no one could ever love me, It's really nice to spend some time with my dolls. I send them waves of love and attention, and it works as more than just a distraction. And even though they obviously can't love me back, it's still a completely satisfying sort of illusion.
However, this is only my situation, I wouldn't say that dolls are for lonely people.

 

No I don't thing dolls are for lonely/anti-social people. To me dolls are fun and a social gateway. I'd take her to doll meets and meet people with a common interest (via BJD)

 

This is a re-write, because my life has changed a lot since I originally made this post.

I don't think dolls are just for lonely people at all, but I'll be honest--I'm a pretty introverted person. I love going out in the world, hanging with friends and meeting people, but my thoughts are my own, and at the end of the day I need a certain amount of time alone to recharge my batteries. BJDs fit in flawlessly with that environment I like to relax in, and I enjoy the trusting feeling I have in them that they ARE predictable and will not move, talk back to me or give me any opinions whatsoever--but they aren't replacement friends.

I will admit that I was an awfully lonely person when I began this hobby, but it (among other things happening at the time) actually helped me to get out more, and won me a whole bunch of new friends. If I'm feeling lonely, though, I'm still much more likely to reach out to a real person than sit in the dark surrounded by dolls.

 

I don't talk to my dolls....but I like to cuddle...especially when I'm lonely.....There is nothing wrong with talking to your dolls...

 

No way! I'm certainly not a lonely person- I live with my boyfriend, we have an unbelievably friendly kitten, and I work everyday with happy and sociable people. I've always had a lot of friends who I see regularly and they aren't even doll people! Still though I love BJDs and am finally getting some. So I do think that like other people have said, they can be helpful to lonely people, but I don't think that lonely people are the only ones who have or enjoy BJDs

 

I live with my boyfriend as well (with a kitty too!!) but I recently had a rather large falling out with our group of friends so I must say I'm not as social as I could be at the mo.

I don't think dolls are "for lonely people" but there was a time in my life when I was much lonelier then I am now, and a time in my life when I was MUCH more social then I am now.
I was very sad and lost someone very beloved I found myself drowning in dolls, and when I went through about year or so of being very overly social my dolls did not get much love. So I feel they aren't "for" anyone in peticular, but I do spend more time with my doll family when I'm feeling a bit ant-social. Sometimes I get over whelmed (our old place was a bit of a party house and there were TOO MANY people there all the time) and just want to be with my quiet dolls. ^^

 

My husband always says that the more people he meets the more he realizes that he likes our dolls and cats more than he likes most people. lol

But lonely? Anti-social? No, not at all. I homeschool my son and am happily married. I volunteer with special kids and have lots of good friends of all ages online and locally who enjoy my various hobbies.

I don't have anyone around locally (other than my husband) who I can share my dolls with, so I do wish I could have more dolly buds nearby. But I am not lonely.

But I do agree with my husband. Considering many people I know, I DO like my dolls more.

 

Dolls just for lonely people?! Heck no! I have a very busy social life. I have tons of friends, I'm dating someone who is accepting of my dolls, and I go out and do things. I'm in college and looking for a career with the FBI. I am far from lonely....but I like dolls, that's all.

 

Well, i don't think dolls are made for one kind of people specifically, but it's funny that i found this thread because yesterday i was talking about it with my hubby, i do have friends but as a home-staying-mom i don't go out with friends very often so i'm a lonely woman and i didn't know it lol

 

I may be out of the norm here but I am a very extroverted. I have my friends I have my hubby and I have my dolls. To me they are just toys, collectors items if you will. I collect about a million other things as well so eccentric collector may be a proper term for me but lonely? Nah. I actually see them more of works of art really and because I am an artist they appeal to me. Not because I can spend time with them or talk to them or because they don't talk back. Not that I judge anyone who does these things because, to each their own right?

I think that because this hobby has so many diverse people it would be hard to lump them into one category, eg lonely people or whatever. Also the questions is raised, does it really matter? I mean as long as somebody is happy with their doll thats all that matters. Also if they have the doll to talk to then they are never truly alone.

 

Dolls for lonely people? Hmmmm come to think of it I do not beleive this is the case with me. I have a pretty active social life and I usually mess with my dolls in my down time where it is just me and my little alter egos getting all gussied up for some meet event or other. I could see where the whole doll meet thing would help socialy ackward people meet and gel with others they they would not ordinarily get to meet or smend time with. Maybe there is more ot this doll collecting thing than meets the eye.

I would really like to get out to more meets though, there does not seem to be too many collectors in my local area. I tend to say this based on the fact that all the meets I am seeing on the boards are quite a ways away.

 

I am kind of both an extrovert and an introvert. I'm outspoken and never shy in public, but I'm a lone wolf personality, so I enjoy very much being alone (but I also have friends that I can reach out too if I need to, and I LOVE all my online friends). I have my husband (and soon a baby), and that is all I need on a daily basis, I'm never lonely.

I got my dolls for artistic purposes as well... and specifically fashion dolls because nearly everything I find for them is something I WISH they made human size. lol. I've always been attracted to things that are miniatures of real life things... not really sure why. One of my favorite toys as a kid in the 80s was a little scale model playset of a McDonalds store. I was never into dolls when I was little, but then when I discovered THESE dolls, I got hooked by their beauty and realism (again, especially the outfits).

I'm half artistic and half scientific by nature and, BJDs especially, sort of scratch BOTH of those itches for me.

 

I don't think dolls are just for lonely people at all. Collecting and playing with my dolls gives me an outlet for a lot of the creative things I love to do. I sew, make jewelry, build furniture, write, research historical clothing. The list goes on and on. But I don't need tons of jewelry for myself, we don't need any more furniture in our home, and I only make 16th century Florentine inspired garments for myself to participate in a historical re-enactment group, so I don't get the chance to indulge in the other eras I like except in doll scale.

I have met a lot of people because of doll collecting, and I get together with them on a regular basis, so I'm more social because of the dolls, but I would be out there doing things regardless.

 

I understand your feelings. I often think talking to people is stressing and I like to be alone. but sometimes I also feel lonely and my Sayuki helps me a lot ^^ I love talking to her, because she always listens and smiles at me.

 

For the most part I enjoy having a social life, sometimes to the point where I crave hanging out with people all the time, but always I will have a season when I need to withdraw from society and be alone (lasting for months, even). That being said, I'm not often lonely in the sad depressing sense and my dolls aren't compensating for anything. I have them for artistic purposes and enjoyment. I do enjoy their company whenever I'm purposely alone with my me-time working on my projects and yes, while they can't replace human interaction they are still comforting companions during those lonely days. I was definitely better off having them than not, at least.

 

I'm on the anti-social side. I'm not lonely, not really. I have an awesome roommate and a small amount of long-distance friends. No boyfriend/girlfriend, and no reason to want one.

The thing is, I have no real desire to interact with the world. Dolls, though, rather than giving me some missing "companionship," have given me something to focus on other than the job I hate and some of the mental problems I have. It sounds corny, perhaps, and I feel just as lame writing this as I did when I told my roommate, but...getting into this hobby has given me something else to focus on. The hobby is keeping me hanging on when I might have otherwise given up on a lot of things.

I deal with a lot of rude people every day. It's nice to come home and be able to mess with something that can't judge me or bite my head off for no good reason. It's an escape, I know. But, it isn't my only one, and I think that makes the difference.

All of the replies have shown that all sorts of people like dolls--not just us loners, or the really lonely. I think that's a stigma that some people would put on the hobby, and even the larger realm of doll-collecting. At least, that is the kind of attitude I got when I was younger and it came to collecting things like this.

 

Dolls have helped me become more social! Ever since I graduated college my social life has slowly dwindled. Everyone I had known had left the state and I never could find anyone who shared my interests. But thanks to dolls I've been meeting more people and it's fueled my creativity the for the first time in ages. Why, half the fun of New York Comic Con this year was talking to strangers who had brought their dolls along! I never would have done that if I wasn't into the hobby!