dolls just for lonely people?

People have asked me plenty of times if I'm a loner. I have a boyfriend and plenty of friends, BJD is a hobby and I also use it to keep me away from the internet because it is a dangerous place and I get trolled a lot ;__;

But over-all. BJD's are for anyone. I love my doll so much, and I can't wait to get the other one I ordered!

 

^ This is my answer also :P

 

I think that dolls are for everyone who is interested in collecting them....like any hobby!
I have been collecting dolls for about 6 years now and don't consider myself to be a lonely person, in fact quite the opposite, I'm very outgoing and love chatting with friends. I consider my dolls to be an outlet for my creativity and I just enjoy them!

 

Yes,it is a hobby,but where I can get quiet and be alone!
I have 4 children,a big familiy and many friends who visit us.
When I am in my doll room, together with my dollies ,there is calm,and it is fantastic.

 

I think they are for everyone who wants them....but for me I tend to think its because it is a creative way to be in touch with others...with yourself especially since i don't tend to have a lot of friends or ways to get out and see people even if i wanted to.

 

I would say I am a loner, or kinda lonely person. But I definitely am not looking for company from my dolls! I just think they are so pretty, thats why i own them. I look for company from other people...but it just ends up being hard for me to find people who i want to be around

 

Certainly not. I have friends, I'm not a crazed-ultra-socialite, but I definitely don't treat my dolls as people or friends, so they don't make a difference.

 

For me, collecting dolls was not an epiphany. I've loved dolls from a very young age so all that's occurred over time is a transition from one type of doll to another, to another, to another! Dolls are a part of my life and my personality, definitely.

 

I am a bit antisocial. but I dont think I collect because of that. Just because I'm an artist.

 

I'm hideously antisocial--I spent the last semester of my college life locked in my room because I hated all my floormates. I had about nine dolls in my dorm room with me and I considered them my "friends" of sorts. That being said, I do not collect dolls because I am lonely, because I know that an object made of plastic or rubber or resin is no substitute for another human. Rather, I collect because they are pleasing to my eye and relaxing to any frazzled nerves I may have. Returning home to my doll-inhabited dorm room after a rough school day was soothing, and it still is.

 

I definitly don't think that dolls are just for lonely people. That is an interesting thing to bring up, because one of my bosses found out that I collect dolls. Her immediate response was "Are you one of those crazy doll people??". I tend to think that crazy doll people are people who collect baby dolls, so I guess it's all about personal perception LOL. I told her that my dolls weren't those kind of dolls. BUT, that being said I don't think they are for lonely people or to cure lonliness. I found I may be a bit in the minority in the doll community, I don't change my dolls clothes, they all get one "signature" outifit. I don't change their wigs and face-ups and eyes (partly because I find it to be difficult LOL). I pick a character and stick with it. A lot of customization goes into that (by not changing their face-ups I don't mean I always keep the default one, probaly the opposit but I pick one for their character and don't change my mind), but it doesn't change. So I have very little "interaction" with my dolls (I guess I'm what you'd call a passive collector?). So they definitly don't take the place of real people or even really fill that kind of a void. I also have them for creative reasons. I think that may be the thread that binds us. We are all creative people. We are artists and dreamers. The dolls are really a more "solid" 3-D extension of my writing and drawing. I supposse maybe artistic people might be a little more....content with their own company than some people. But that doesn't make us lonely. I think far from it.

 

They're not just for lonely people in my opinion. I'm drawn to the way they look and I see dolls as a an outlet for creativity. Besides, through forums and meets and such, collecting actually becomes a way of socializing with others.

 

Admittedly, someone else might have said something to this effect, but I didn't look through the whole thread. I'm getting ready for work, so:

Purely my opinion-

Two points-

A) Regarding the term "antisocial" : People equate "antisocial" as "not social," but this is not accurate. The word is used to describe a negative pattern of behavior which is strongly against social norms.

Just because you are quiet and like to keep to yourself does not make you "antisocial." That term is commonly used to define a personality disorder. You want to be careful to avoid labeling someone (including yourself!) antisocial because we're talking about something else. To say that they prefer having more time to self is a better way to cover that one. Here's what you're referring to when you say someone is "antisocial" whether you mean it this way or you mean that they just don't get much into social interactions :

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001919/ We need to learn to eradicate this term when talking about social activity preference.

I assure you I know many people (including myself) who are quiet and like their time alone for deep introspection. However, a better term would be 'introverted'. Secondly, for those people who don't like going out and being all out there in the social arena, there's nothing wrong with that. Many introverts often get enough of their social interaction from day to day encounters with people and then require that quiet time to recharge as it is often an emotional/physical drain.

Power to the introverts, people!

2) Just for lonely people? Does it help lonely people?

A) Just for lonely people?:

Dolls are for people who enjoy dolls. Not for people who are lonely, angry, frustrated, or any other kind of emotional label. Dolls are for people, not for someone who is just lonely. So I'd take that label off right away as it perpetuates a negative image of the hobby that many people get frustrated with. Instantly, visions of women all alone with their 'babies' pop into heads of people not inside doll hobbies. There's a culture against this form of collecting and so as a way to support it, we should promote a more positive image. We could say, "Heck, no! It's not for loneliness that I have this doll. It's because I enjoy this and it makes me happy." Not only do we feed ourselves better messages that way and thus sustain better mental health, but we also put it out there that we're happy with this hobby as a hobby, not an emotional crutch.

B) Does it help lonely people?

If we are looking at a constant pervasive loneliness and a reluctance to engage with others at all, a doll will not soothe the wound of "loneliness." It is true that some people who are very shy and introverted can often use these vessels as a way to connect with the world. As to whether it will fulfill social desires (and even the most introverted person will have some need for social contact), I'd wager that it wouldn't be as fulfilling as social contact.

In nursing homes however, we have women and men who have stuffed animals and toys they cuddle. It's a way for them to be comforted. You can derive contact-comfort pleasure from holding a special object. It will not be a cure for loneliness.

Rather, if a person gets a doll for the purpose of enjoying a doll--- This person will be satisfied in the purchase.

A person who gets a doll for the purpose of having "company" or to "relieve loneliness" COULD suffer some negative side effects from this pseudo-relationship.

 

The dolls have helped me greatly. I grew up as an only child and it was very hard for me to make friends (I don't really know why though I guess it's the whole "looks" situation). I was into the hobby for years but I got my first doll a few months ago. She helped me a lot since I was depressed all the time. I hope I can own many dolls one day. Being in the hobby is also helping me make more friends ^^ and it makes me really happy . But my favorite thing of all is that bonding time with my doll. I have a lot of spare time on my hands so brushing her wig and cleaning her up while talking about little secrets is the best thing I could ever have ^^. Thanks Avery for being such a great friend.

 

I'm not sure about the lonely part. But I go to a university. I participated in club and events. I went on parades. I modeled. I will probably go on a Caribbean cruise with my friends for my 21st birthday. I hang out with my friends, and sometime stay with them for days. I love my family. Lonely and antisocial? I don't think so.

 

I think that the dolls can help people cope with loneliness.
No, do not listen to you carefully and just do not understand you like your doll (if you allow the perception of dolls as living beings with respect.)
But I do not think that people, even alone, is replaced by real people on favorite dolls. Everything should be within reasonable limits)))

 

I was homeschooled in the last years of high school, and I am also currently taking college online. I have severe depression, and I have had it for a very long time. When I was younger (high school years) I was still very "social" and went out a lot, but when college started and my friends went to their own colleges I didn't go out as much as before. Sometimes I would go out by myself but generally I was alone.

Anyways, around the time of extreme lonliness (lol xD) I started looking at dolls online. I decided that I wanted to have one one day because I felt like it would make me feel less lonely. I do a lot of things on the computer and I felt that having such a large doll would make my room feel less empty. So that's one of the main reasons why I bought my doll! My dolls certainly make me feel less lonely, and I am very happy to have them with me. Ever since I got them, my therapist says that I seem to be much less depressed than usual.

 

My DZ Hong did make me feel less lonely indeed ...
I'm quite a loner at times ...
Although I do have a lot of friends who hang out frequently ,
but sometimes you feel that ...
Probably dolls are better ...
They don't really rebutt you ...
In that sense ,
I hide in my corner with my kids some times .
Just to be alone with some in tranquility (:

 

Probably that lonely people love the same of dolls!^^Each person differently perceives the dolls and if they help him to forget about loneliness, unless it is bad?!!^^

 

We're on DoA, so we want to share our opinion, so I think no one there is lonely people : P
Owners who are lonely usually hides in their homes and don't want to share hobby with anyone. Moreover I don't think that being lonely is the reason for buying dolls...