Don't be embarrassed!

This is such an amazing thread! Anyways I will share my mini story.
I started out with this hobby a year ago with latidoll yellows and they have since multiplied. This month I took the big step and adopted a SD, latidoll red here from DOA. I was always eyeing bigger dolls.. and now i love their size, I am thinking of downsizing my tinies now. So I took my Kirin (lati red m 63 cm) out last weekend. We went to Navy Pier here in chicago, a big touristy area. It was filled with a bunch of teeny boppers, highschoolers on fieldtrips, and proms were going on...
I did get a ton of looks, but I acted like I didn't care. "So what!" I thought. most the little kids seemed interested and smiled, but a lot of the teenagers there were like "creepy" I would just stare at them back. I bet they thought it was creepy but also googled up ball jointed doll when they got home hehe! you know some people secretly want them >__< Also a couple of moms were checking out my doll hehe
On the bus home this guy, asked me if he was new? I was like "uh I like to keep him new looking," but he meant was if my doll was new and that's why I was walking around showing him off. I was like"uh, not really, I always do this."
THen he started complaining how little girls carry their American Girl dolls everywhere...
which brought me to the conclusion that hmmm maybe I should carry Kirin to the American Girl Place in downtown next time! hehe
I actually like getting all the looks people give, and since I was an art student, I'm used to these odd scenarios

 

Indeed, I fall in this category. I try very hard to strut around with my head held high, stoicly carrying my BJD's, though it doesn't always last long. Still, I'm proud that I take them out despite my embarrassment.

Truthfully, I'm only comfortable taking them out when I'm with fellow owners, or at anime conventions. The rest of the time, I try to ignore my own embarrassment and act like it's the most normal thing in the world. Bullies are attracted to fear, so I do my best to exhude nothing but absolute confidence (and perhaps a bit of a dangerous glint in my eye, just for extra deterrance )

 

Heh I'm being teased a LOT in another forum I belong to. But since I was the one to who the dolls there, I was kinda asking for it (and I KNEW these people would tease me, the regulars tease each other all the time over there)

I've brought my doll (a 70cm DollZone boy) with me to work once, and.. while I wasn't embarassed as such, I did keep him in a back while I was among my colleagues. Then again, given my line of work - I work as a Train conductor - it was also a matter of maintaining a sort of professional facade towards the passengers. Now, the day I broguht him with me was on a very early morning train so I knew there wouldn't be TOO many people there to notice it. And I did take pictures of him on the train (that was after all the whole purpose of bringing him there) And there were a few people who "suddenly" had to go to the toilet... and thus pass my conductor's compartment and steal a look through the glass door

I'm not a bit ashamed though, I've taken pictures of him where I live, with several of the neighbours looking and asking questions. Then again, I'm already deemed "weird" due to how I dress ect. so I don't think a doll makes that much difference

There has been some very good points made in this thread. One of the most important IMO is the "act like it's the most natural thing in the world, and no one will actually notice you" - sneaking around always awakes suspicion and then people WILL notice you and stare and occasionally act like idiots.

 

I am more embarrassed of myself than my dolls.

 

When Mano got here, I took him to upscale restaurant, and spend 2 hours sitting next to him, searching for pix in internet, reading book and writing some stuff. I've got - 3 mobile numbers of nice looking guys, a lot of smiles and a ton of odd glances from strangers, which is not important. I even didn't pay for my bill - someone else paid and never showed up... Stuff was joking around and brought smallest cup and spoon for Mano, so he can pretend to drink coffee))
When someone were asking me something like "Is it new kind of BF for girls or what?" I said yeah, kinda, I watched that movie - Lars and the real girl, but don't have money for such a doll, so got cheaper one. If someone were really mean I say it is for my voodoo research - but with a smile always. Angry face doesn't make you any prettier

 

yehh thats so right
but i can understand embarresment
some people are just really ignorant
"you still play with dolls..."
things like that

but i don't think you should be embarrased : )

 

Yeah, and I still watch cartoons, eat candies, afraid to watch horror movies at night alone, ask mom her opinion about some things, play football with teenagers and collect ugly sea shells - cause I'm forever young and free and can do whatever I want to and feel good about that) So, you know guys, this is really in our heads only, and people feel this like cats. But if you love something, and really don't care about people opinion, one day they start respect you for what you are, cause you are stronger than they are.

 

I completely agree!

I'm not ashamed of my dolls at all. I'm not really ashamed of anything really (except my brother -_- )

 

I'm not embarassed because of the hobby ^w^I always talk to my close friends about that!

I just got really ashamed once, when an idiot told me I was a pervert because BJD have genitals .___. (I wanted to kick his ass after he said that >>' it made me angry and ashamed....)

 

;_; thank you!
i do feel a little embarassed sometimes, because no one around me knows/have BJDs. ive already told a small number of people, and some have judged me and some have not. its kinda hard to be critized by people you respect about some you love. but really, it wont stop me from continuing this hobby.

 

I understand so much what you say but it's so difficult when people call you a freak, and say 'i wish I'd never asked!' and 'turn it around, i don't want it looking at me', my friends are Ok with n, i don't have to explain anything to them, and if i do they're cool with it (but thats because i have awesome friends!) but my parent's friends are awful!! Some of the things they say about him to my face are just horrible! and these are people who up until then had been nice to me! its not even as if we're in a snobbish crowd or anything... (and trust me, the snobbish people around the village who have seen me out taking pictures of n are even worse).
i know the people who don't understand are simply ignorant but its very hard, especially for the younger generation of doll owners.

 

There are a lot of worse habits than doll collecting. LOL A friend says we choose our own brand of poison. Some smoke, some drink, some do worse that I will not comment on and some of us collect dolls or BJDs. Harmless fun if you ask me. Only your wallet suffers when the moths fly out of your purse as you buy dolls.LOL

 

I do think this is in human nature - to try to be better than others, and the simple way is to tell others they are worse, they are freaks and so on. But if people try to insult you, do the same, just in more joking way may be. At least we can show our hobby, but I really don't wanna know what all these guys who try to play cool and say we are pervets or little girls or our dolls r ugly, I really don't wanna know what these guys do when they are at home alone in the evening or what they think about before fall asleep. Cause I bet more than a half have really pervert thoughts in mind.

 

Having read all of these threads where some of our fellow DoA'ers have been harassed, I have to admit that I was a bit afraid to take my boy out to be seen. However, while on my way from doll meets, I usually like to stop and run errands or just have fun in the areas nearby. Since I don't yet have a doll case (and it gets blazing hot in the car!), I carry my SDF with me.

I found that most people don't really care... in fact, 3/5 people who saw me carrying him (and who accosted me) thought that I was a ventriloquist! I did get a lot of stares, but, really, can I blame them? For the most part, I think that people are just curious to see a 24 year old girl in flowy skirts (which is what I usually wear in spring and summer) walking around with a giant, muscular man-doll in a school uniform. HAHAHAH. I can't help but smile at that picture, myself. It's not something they see everyday, so they silently observe and judge. Most people in my area haven't ever seen anything like these dolls, so I don't blame them for crying out in surprise ("creepy!") or just staring. In fact, when they do say such things, I laugh and show them just how creepy he can be by showing them how his eyes track you. >: D

Though, to make one admission, I think that I would be much more comfortable carrying my doll around were he not such a hulking man-beast of a doll. There is that air of "substitute boyfriend" that Vanilla.Sky mentioned which rends a very uncomfortable atmosphere. It seems that it is often the case that one might not see the owner of a Husky or Unidoll Jace traipsing with their doll through the city to cafes. I am sure that there are some rockin' brave souls out there who do it, but I guess I am stating the obvious in saying that I think that it is a lot less conspicuous (and thus, much more comfortable for one) to carry around a cute msd vs. a Kevin Sorbo minimee, Soom Beryl, or Soom Merman to keep you company during your afternoon lunch at Subway.

 

I was a little embarassed when I told my husband I wanted a doll.
After he saw pictures of them, HE ended up wanting one, too! I was so surprised and happy.

However, I'm still a little embarassed when his brothers or parents see me brushing Bella's hair or cuddling up with her on the couch.

I guess some girls don't gain a liking to doll-time until they're older.

I never had anyone to play dolls with, nor could my mother afford to BUY me a beautiful, expensive doll.

 

here, here!

although, there are things i prefer to keep to myself, i do completely agree with everything you've said!

 

I don't get embarrassed about having it, I get embarrassed when someone tells them how much they cost.

 

General teenaged insecurity is probably one of the only factors that holds me back from bringing my doll with me places (along with social anxiety... that probably doesn't help either). I'm just glad I have friends and relatives that accept me and my hobby, some that are even getting into it.

The first place I ever brought my doll was DC near the Lincoln Memorial and the other stuff surrounding it. For some reason I just felt confident enough to do it which was strange because that area is loaded to the brim with tourists. Really in the end I think my little preppy sister who thinks I'm a complete freak to begin with was the one who was the most embarrassed by the doll. For once I threw all fear to the wind and just wandered around with him in the crook of my arm with confidence. It was pretty fun!

On a regular basis though I tend to hide him in my bag or leave him at home... not quite sure what got into me that night. Maybe it was because people were more interested in sightseeing rather than harassing me about my doll. :/

 

Sometimes I get embarrased when I tell people how much my little boy cost

It's always like "A Doll? He looks great, how much did you pay?" and when I say how much people mostly make BIG eyes and say "SO MUCH? Didn't you say it's a doll?"

Another kind of embarrasing moment is, when I tell somebody I'm owning a (expensive) doll and the person knows me for a long time. Everybody said "YOU and a DOLL?!" when I told them, because it's totally unlike me

I'm curious how it will be when I'm driving with him in the bus or in a train, with many people around me...°_°'

 

@Ara*: especially when you live in a country where it's not that popular and known, like Germany. Hello!

As for myself I can say there were a couple of things that where/are like BJD now: my little rats (get ill very often), my first appartment (how can you throw the money away, child!? You still live in the same town!!), Manga (just a few hundred), Chameko (was a one-in-a-lifetime-Ebay-auction) and so on.
But I was never regretting, for they are what I like and love
Laoky