Dolly androgyny -why do we like it?

My dolls are ideal versions of myself. They are everything I wAnt to be but aren't.
Beutiful, youthful, thin, flawless skin. I like men to look like men. I'm the girl here. Lol.

 

Speaking for myself who particularly likes "masculine" women it is more of an aesthetic and psychological appeal than one that is purely sexual. As someone who is relatively outraged at the continuing inequality between men and women it is refreshing to create a female character with all the traits I love but with non of the social repercussions that come with it.

I have read horror stories about how real life female body builders endure daily redicule - being called ugly, unnatural and even manly. Meanwhile they are just enjoying exploring their physical limits as much as any man. That shouldn't make them less womanly.

I believe that equality goes both ways. Some of us are tired of the posturing males are pressured in to doing. Perhaps on a subconscious level people who create "feminine" male doll characters are letting out their suppressed emotions by allowing their doll to express it all through it's character. Just as men are looked down on as being weak for being sensitive women can feel the same way - so perhaps they get to be themselves by proxy through their doll.

It's just a theory but I'm sticking with it.

 

That's cool and probably follows my logic. Where I don't like things that are SO androgynous that I can't tell the difference. (I think I read some research on how people related to genderless/androgynous avatars. Children would automatically assign it their own gender if they couldn't tell.) There's probably some discomfort there.

Myself I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't like the hyper-masculine action figure type doll like G.I. Joes but I'm not all that fond of the overly feminine Eastern doll. I'm a Ken-doll girl. Or something like the Disney hero. (Zomg...Tangled. )

But a soft featured doll is always attractive. It feels non-threatening. So...I totally don't know where I was going with that so...

 

I definitely have a thing for male-bodied androgynous people, and that carries over into my doll hobby. My current male doll is a LittleFee so rather than being outright girly he has simply the androgyny of young age (pre-puberty), and is in fact very boyish and obviously male (to me at least.)

However, a doll I used to have and which shall have a new mold entirely when I can afford it, is a very androgynous character. Male, no question about it, but he requires a soft, feminine face and long, straight hair. I love the assurance and gentle-ness about an effeminate male who holds the air of submission that one might associate with misogynistic views of women in the past.

And strong women, who doesn't love strong women?

It isn't a reflection upon my sexuality and my own gender identity however, so it is definitely interesting. I suppose that that character is an ideal in my head of the kind of person who doesn't actually exist in anyone, so deserves physical form.

 

My issue with androgynous dolls is that I can easily tell if ones a male or female (to some degree). Maybe it's because of my Metro look on males or something to that effect. Or maybe it is because I watch anime and read manga... Anyway, every time I bring out Moren, every person over 30 and one my age (19) has been surprised when I say Moren is a boy. The flat chest that is covered with fish net lace and there is no jacket,vest, or anything else doesn't seem to be enough...

As I said I looooove pretty boys. Jrock is amazing (much better then the music videos US is putting out now). But it is slightly annoying that everyone keeps calling Moren a girl. The wig doesn't help I suppose (which is going to change).

 

I don't like those "girly men" I donno, its just not common to see guys all feminine and still really buff
it don't work that way lol
I mean the look won't be a huge problem when I get a boyfriend doll for Sarah, cause it suits her (her character is 23, and likes the look)
Syrinx would be in her late 30s, so wouldn't go for such a thing (and he has to be a faerie)
as he would need to be Clover's father and Lily and Ivy's step father

 

Lol indeed! I think you may just have a geographical handicap. From here in San Francisco, sweetie darling, I can tell you it most certainly do work that way.

 

I've always found feminine men attractive in real life. The metrosexual thing. I don't find butch, musclebound men attractive at all. So liking feminine male dolls are just a continuation of that I suppose.

 

Perhaps a slightly less "lifestyle" take on this:
I, for example, don't like male BJDs with facial hair. But that's because it (in my Humblest Opinion, ofc) they look... stained? Messy? No, those weren't the word. The word is "painted". They just look like my aunt's porcelain dolls and figurines.
In real life facial hair is OK, though.

 

I'm not a big fan of androgyny. I define metrosexual as less feminine and more classy and wearing up-to-date fashion. I know a big, broad man who dresses in classy shirts and purple pants, and yet he exudes "straight" (which he is, married with five kids the last 25-26 years). I like my men manly in a western sense and my women womanly (this does not mean ruffles and lace, just feminine).

My take on why this is a fad and popular? The influence of Asian culture and manga, has a lot to do with it. In traditional (read, historical) eastern culture, they have one ideal of beauty encompassing both genders, whereas western culture has two distinct ideals of beauty reliant on gender: masculine and feminine. A lot of eastern culture's ideal appears to the traditional western eye as somewhat feminine, hence the androgyny confusion with fashion and particularly these dolls as Asian BJDs.

 

What is perceived as masculine and feminine changes depending on where and when. Personally I find gender stereotypes rather ridiculous.
And I find it really offensive when people use words as "real man" or "proper man". I am a quite androgynous man. Does that make me less of a real man? Am I not a proper man just because I have no need to be macho?

Also... a lot of people seem to be confusing being a feminine man with being androgynous. They are not the same. A feminine man is simply that... feminine. Androgynous means being an equal mix of feminine and masculine.

I prefer meeting people as fellow human beings instead of meeting them as men or women. This is reflected in my dolls as well. They all wear whatever suits them independent of their gender and whether the clothes are generally perceived as masculine of feminine.

I'm sorry but what the **** does sexual orientation got to do with anything?
That people are confusing sexual orientation with androgyny/masculinity/femininity in this day and age is quite frankly embarrassing! Being straight does not make you masculine and being gay does not make you feminine!

 

I just generally like androgyny because I have a firm belief in the opinion that 'true beauty is androgynous'

Many models are very very androgynous in real life :3
And plus it has been (i've said this many times in other threads on here XD) scientifically proven that there are specific facial features that humans as a race are just naturally attracted to thus the reason androgyny is beautiful becuase it's not really the face, it's the FEATURES that make it attractive! We like specific features whether they are on a male or female face so the fact that two opposite genders look extremely alike just means they bear the same features, if that makes any sense XD

 

I have always admired androgynous beauty. All men I ever considered as atractive are very feminine, so some of my friends couldn't tell if they are men or women.
I like men with longer hair, gentle features and slender bodies in real life and I like my dolls also like that

 

"Confusion"? "Fad"? "Asian"? Oh dear, where have you been for the past 50 years of fashion and style? Did the likes of David Bowie, Duran Duran, Adam Ant, Twiggy, Marlene Dietrich, the New York Dolls, Guns 'n' Roses, Zelda Fitzgerald, Annie Lennox, etc. [all non-Asian, btw] manage to totally pass you by during this time? Androgyny has been part of glamor and fashion worldwide for a very long time.

Egyptian kings wore heavy goth eyeliner.
Superman wore tights and a gold belt.
Female supermodels have smaller breasts than male wrestlers.
Certain circles may be unwilling to admit seeing it, but androgyny is still everywhere we look when we declare something Beautiful.

 

It's not so much that I like.... wait, no that's a lie- androgyny is the greatest thing EVER xDD

BUT I don't intentionally try to force androgyny on my dolls xD June, who has extremely long orange hair and a more or less girl's name, is more masculine than you'd expect. But his character's heredity gives him the long hair... and the name June is but a nickname for his full name, Junius xD; (Like Julius only I didn't want to call him July ;D).

And then Elk has full on girl hips- I mean, for srs, Dollmore sculpts the bodies lovely, but they don't do much to distinguish between male and female anatomy wise aside from the lower extremities xD

BUT I guess I -personally- love androgyny because I was never one for gender roles even as a young child. I love bending the line between male/female or female/male (lolpun) because... I guess I like defying gender roles and am all for the "BE YOURSELF" sort of thing? :U

 

Hmm...I guess I had never really thought about it. All of my doll concepts are based on characters I've always had in my mind. I have a character that is a female and I want her to be a curvy, girly girl and that is the type of doll I will try and find for her. I have a guy who is rough and tough and "manly" and I will try and find a doll for him. But I also have a guy who is supposed to be more feminine, more soft, so I suppose I will try and find something more androgynous for him. What I'm getting at here is that I personally don't prefer androgyny over anything else, it just depends on the type of character I'm trying to create.

 

Well, I'm a big fan of androgeny, but the unusual and rare way in the hobby. Jullien (my main character) will have a migidoll miho head in a female proud spiritdoll body, and I know that she'll be often confused as a pretty boy. Personally I think this kind of situation charmous in a way, since she'll be a strong and independent woman, and I admire this kind of person. =)

 

I'm not really a big fan of androgynous dolls, very masculine dolls, very feminine dolls or adult dolls in general. I lean very heavily towards feminine features for the face but with a certain genderless aspect for the body, in other words kind of baby-like. I like the adorable little tykes, meaning YoSDs. I've never understood people's attraction to certain types of dolls either, but I just take it as a different strokes for difference folks type of thing. I'm sure there are lots of people who find it odd I like baby-like dolls.

 

I just...like androgyny. I've never been a big fan of manly men OR girly girls, whether they're real people, fictional characters, or dolls. I like people to be closer to the middle because it seems more balanced to me.

I also strongly believe that we're all just people and should be treated as such, without gender being nearly so important as it is now, so that's probably a big part of it.

 

Jenny hits the Bull's eye with an accurate arrow! For me androginy has a big appeal, even if I am one of those who likes All; manly men, womanly women, androgynous elegant figures of all genders, crossdressing in frills, Barbarian Macho, Bikini Valkirie, hermaphrodite... I really fin'd difficult -not- to find any dolls and styles appealing, alluring, sexy and beautiful X_D. To me, the point goes mainly related to ''do as you feel, and express yourself'', and I am extremely glad to be able to appreciate every manifestation of beauty and personality.

About the appeal of androginy in dolls, I honestly think they reflect ideals of flawless beauty currently associated with women (even the most rough and macho of them, like Idealians or EID's have perfectly even features, full lips, large eyes...), that tend to ''confusing'' at best. I had to hear like 4 times already ''OMG she's sooo hot" referred to my Iple Kamau, so no wonder why people would mistake any of the delfs with girls X_D. The poor dears stand no chance!