Don't be embarrassed!

I feel the same I like showing of my dolls they mean so mush to me! Whenever friends come to visit me I brag about my dollies haha (not in a creepy way BTW xD) I also don't mind to take them on the street with me, I'm already getting allot of stares without my dolls so I kinda used to it. Most people are just curious about the dolls ^^

 

I took my dolls to one meet and I wasn't embarrassed at all but boy was I paranoid. Are they going to fall? Is someone going to touch their face-up? Will someone get them dirty? What if a part falls off? Taking them out in public is just so stressful!

 

I do become embarrass whenever family comes over, my mother is the first one to bring them up and then ask me to bring one down. I get all red in the face with shyness, and I stare at my dolls for a good minute deciding which one would be liked the best to make a good impression. I normally have a little one tucked in my purse, but I'm always too embarrass to take it out and snap a photo. Thankfully, one of my best friends she encourages me, though lately we haven't been going out but I know exactly what she would tell me and that helps me out when I get anxious . My boyfriend is also very encouraging and always wants me to bring out all my dolls to take photos out in public. I wish I was more confident like you guys, but I am trying slowly haha. I love reading everyones' replies.

 

my guy friends thinks they are "creepy" and always warn me i am going to be killed in my sleep, but i just joke back at them that they will be next, even though i know Kira is really a sweet doll. i apologized to her about it last time i felt so bad about it. i am lucky that my husband is supportive and thinks its really neat because he likes miniatures and has no artistic talents except writing. it is really helpful that i can be myself around him and not be embarrassed or shamed for liking something that he doesn't understand fully, which is the epitome of love to me. i know that not everyone has this, and parents, friends, and partners can be really critical of this hobby. the best thing to do IMO is share it as much as you can so they see how happy it makes you, and tell them why you love it. compare it to their hobbies, especially ones you do not participate in. i take Kira out in public i used to be the girl in goth boots with crazy pink and blue hair with a perpetual scowl, so strange stares roll right off. i havent taken pictures in public yet, but that might happen soon. i usually ignore people or are very short with them if their questions are aggressive or abrasive. i am not afraid to glare and walk away, either. leaving when you are uncomfortable is o.k. we dont have to be at the mercy of strangers and answer all their questions if you dont want to-there is GOOGLE and a minimal amount of searching will satiate their thirst for knowledge. that's not to say i am not nervous. i am only marginally functional with very serious anxiety as is, but part of living with anxiety is...well... living with it, and staying inside all day sucks, and going out to places thinking "man, this would be great with Kira" sucks, too.

 

the way i see it is that i am a proud doll owner. there is no shame in my dolly game. the way i see that life is too short be anything but happy. these dolls of mine make me very happy.

 

I'm actually not embarrassed of my hobbies. If someone thinks it's cool, great. If someone thinks it's creepy or weird, I just say "To each their own" or "I get it, it's not for everyone" and move on to a different subject. I wish people didn't feel embarrassment over their passions. It took me a long time to get comfortable with myself and my hobbies, though, so I suppose I do understand people who do get embarrassed.

 

I'm fine with people thinking it's weird or disgusting or whatever.

Nah, I get embarrassed when someone says "that's cool!" or "that's awesome!" I avert my eyes, my face gets red, the whole 9 yards.

 

I think that I would be little bit embarrassed if/when I go out with my BJD(s). But it's ofcourse not worth it, it's actually almost same than going out with little child and it's considered to be normal. And if somebody things that going out with dolls is embarrassing and fool, you haven't to listen them, people are "stupid" with things they don't know.
(Okay, I think I should think about those things when i'm going out with BJD )
And yes, my English is not the best.

 

Well I was a little embarrassed at first but then I was just like who cares man. I'm who I am, what does it matter what other people think. It still bugs me, I do have emotions, but I move past it. Crazy doll lady and proud!!

 

I do get people asking me (who don't know about my hobby yet) weird or ignorant questions about it sometimes, which makes me embarassed for them, not for myself. I just answer those questions the best I can and also try to explain my hobby to them.

I often make the comparison with a painter or an artist. Their hobby is to be creative and make something with their hands. For me painting and drawing isn't enough (I'm also into doodling and drawing and whatever creative stuff, which most people know). I need to work more, like on 3D things. LIke painting doll faces, make miniature clothes, write a story about them, ...

I think it helps that most people allready know I try to do a lot of things. I draw, work with clay or wood, knit, ... I often hear I'm such a creative person and get questions about lots of stuff and how I would do it. Since people always think I get them the number one solution, because I always 'fix' and 'make' things myself.

The comparison with the artists helps a lot. I can see people tend to understand this 'doll-hobby' better and can see it as an extension of a creative mind. I sometimes also talk about the healing dolls can do, and therapy that can happen with them. Not that I do therapy with them (I have this kind of job where you could expect it). But it helps people to understand dolls can be mature too and they're nothing to be embarassed about. On the contraire, I have gotten people telling me they're amazed at how creative my mind truly is (and compared to lots of people here, I'm not even that creative xD) and their eyes got opened on how awesome and majestic these dolls really can be. Some people even tend to ask questions about them now and then. Mostly questions about the clothes I work on and the projects around my dolls. I don't even feel embarased posting them on facebook once in a while and having co-workers find out. After all, the artist comparison and therapy lecture helps a bunch letting others be more understanding about this beautiful hobby.

It might also help I don't shove my hobby in their face or talk about it myself constantly. People are more accepting if you're not over obsessed about something. It's like a mother constantly posting every little thing their kids do on facebook. Aren't we all a bit anoyed about such posts or moms, and tend to not like it later on when she tries to talk about her children 'again'? When it gets annoying to other people, that's where we start to make it a bit embarassing for others I guess. But also a bit for ourselves, since then we become the person who can only talk about one given subject. The same applies for other hobbies or whatever other things ofcourse!! So it's important to know how much you want your hobby to interfere with the daily lifes of other people.

I don't think people in this hobby should be embarased by the hobby! It's beautiful and creative.