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Fighting that Doll stereotype

Aug 20, 2008

    1. That's a good reason to treat your dolls well, so they have no reason to up and kill you. ;)
       
    2. Ok, maybe I'm just old & weird but I've never encountered any stereotype involving these dolls. Even the videos posted don't seem particularly Goth to me. Sure, there are some crosses & black clothing but that's nothing compared to many of the old 80's videos. Even the current Brittany Spears one with all the strange circus figures is weirder than these. (I'm not a Spears' fan, the video just happens to be played between some shows I watch.)

      As for things like The Doll Master, anyone remember Chucky? Now that was a creepy doll.

      My honest feeling is that many of the young folks involved in this hobby like to feel that there's something about these dolls that sets them apart from other people, that makes them special somehow so they encourage the Goth/underground ideas about their dolls. But really when you get right down to it, they're just another type of doll.

      Dolls are the number 2 collectible in the world, right behind stamps/coins which are lumped together for some reason. It's definitely not a fringe hobby & while BJDs are only a small part of dolls in general, new collectors are popping up all the time. Even if people don't choose to add one to their collection, most of them find them fascinating rather than creepy. I've been giving programs on BJDs to many local doll clubs & the response has been overwhelmingly positive with quite a number of collectors rushing home to order one for themselves. They're being featured in all the mainstream doll publications, they're at IDEX & there even was a presentation about them at the UFDC convention, the largest doll organization in the world with members from all over the globe.

      Perhaps moving in limited circles have caused some folks to think there is a stereotype & for high school kids there just may be. But remember, high school is tough & anybody who doesn't fit into whatever is the popular mold at the time is going to ostrasized & thought of as weird. Even in the adult world there are closed minded people who only see their way as the right way.

      But as for a Goth stereotype, I don't think so. There's a fantasy/sci-fi group, a haute couture group, an everyday clothing group & many other ways people perceive, dress & play with their dolls. There's really nothing to fight. And if some people tease or torment you about your dolls, just remind them that you're part of the second largest collecting group in the world that includes such mainstream folks as Oprah Winfry, the Rockefellers, Cameron Diaz & many other wealthy people & celebraties.

      If you want to use your dolls to feel unusual, then more power to you. But that isn't the way it really is in the world at large.
       
    3. You bet!:lol:
       
    4. Ironically, I've always been seen as weird or unusual before I started the hobby, so really there's no big difference here. Lol most people find my dolls very pretty and say he looks like me (he being my Bory)

      I think the only time I really acknowledged stereotypes was when I was a freshman in highschool... but after that the lines blurred and I thought the concept was rediculous xD



      This. I love the 'stigma' to be honest. But while on the thought. Does anyone know Scarlet from Silent Hill 5?

      ;D Now -THAT'S- a killer BJD. I will provide a link. Offsite. Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdiJYubBb0k - start at 5:00 XD
       
    5. Yep. I'm a Goth. Dolls are pretty Gothic. Unfortunately, Goths have an incorrect stereo type of their own. Like it's not confusing enough already.

      Anyway, I don't think I've ever done anything major that hasn't got at least one person to mock me. Either I'm exceptionally weird, or people will judge you for absolutely anything you do. Apart from spend all your money on clothes and make-up and women's magazines and giggle with your friends in cliche restraunts. No, wait, /I'll/ laugh at you if you do that.

      Actually, it's probably both.
       
    6. Don't you just love the media's take on everything ^_^;; That being said, one cannot blame entirely that on the media for portraying these images as having a BJD means being goth or "Classified" a category - It's as someone has probably posted due to the "Norm" of society... If it's different or something that people don't see everyday, people tend to panic and jump to conclusions in order to comprehend what is going on, and because people have been exploited to constant images of different type of dolls general stereotypes are bound to follow..

      Some find them scary due to many doll horror type movies, some assosciate it with goth, or who knows what other reasons lay hidden... However at the same time, you'll meet people like in DoA who share the same passion and have a better affection towards BJD's... An ongoing battle of stereotypes but what can you do ^_^?

      Its impossible to make everyone in the world follow one ideaology - As for me, i enjoy BJD's not because "im gothic" but because they are fascinating, the detail and different poses and dresses make it all worthwhile...

      That being said, i don't see a lot of these stereotypes~ those stereotypes are usually blown out of proportion, i could easily lets say assosciate anyone using a broom a potential witch~ (More stereotypes about witches xD sorry)
       
    7. I think the stereotype mainly come from the more visible members of the hobby:
      The mentally problematic being those acting most strangely
      The Goths (especially Elegant Goth Lolita section) being the most visually obvious and already have a controversial image...

      As for those who sees dolls are all Chucky, all I can say is that if you can't win a fight against something less than half your height and less than 1/10 your weight, we probably don't need your DNA in the gene pool

      Having watched a bit of Doll Master and looked into its actual plot, this film actually make me feel kind of warm and fuzzy inside. I find the idea of the doll avenging for her maker/owner who was killed unjustly very touching
       
    8. After showing a younger friend of mine my dolls she said "if you didn't have so many other interests I would think this was creepy." I am an artist, a mother of three, a happily married wife and we are all in a happy stable existence. I have never felt the need to conform or explain myself. Still, I keep my dolls, and especially the price of my bjds, mainly to myself. I definitely sense that others think collecting is weird if there isn't a reason to have them. Surely I bought them to pass them down to my daughter, or I am going to use them in an art project. Honestly I cannot explain why I am drawn to dolls. Not the real reason. Of course I love their craftsmanship and their changeablility. They are relaxing to play with and they photograph beautifully. But I am DRAWN to these dolls. They really give me pleasure looking at them. Maybe there is a creepy aspect to this but I couldn't care less.
       
    9. That's definately true about how people can be frightened by inanimate realistic dolls. I've seen horror movies baced off of it. Dolls that seem inanimate that come to life and kill people. *cough Chuckie*. So I can see where the 'scare' of the dolls comes from. But once you see one face to face, most of that 'scare' goes away (from what I've seen)
       
    10. candygears: Im glad that I am not the only one enjoying the creepy factor.

      I really don't care about stereotype's, we probably just label people with them so they can fit into what we think they are
       
    11. That would be the same as someone being afraid of having elaborately carved boxed around because of Hellraiser. It's just a flimsy excuse for people to dislike what they don't perceive as 'normal'.
       
    12. I mean with life today is anything REALLY 'normal'??
       
    13. Oh, I'll admit that I'm weird all right. But I'm the extreme opposite of goth/lolita. In the summer I take leisuely walks in 80s style clothing...in Corning and Ithaca. ( I have pictures on myspace. ^^; ) Believe it or not, most of the people I pass smile or compliment me. When the weather gets nice Gen, Eben and I are going to take some of our kids to town for photos. :)
       
    14. No, sorry. I'm not seeing this stereotype at all. Maybe other's have had bad luck with this, but it also may be because you are fitting that stereotype. I mean, if you have a doll that looks like a crazy raver (and there's nothing wrong with that, I like ravers.) then you're going to hear a stereotype more pertaining to that then the whole creepy gothic thing. But you know what, the world is full of stereotypes, and whether they are right or wrong it doesn't matter. People are going to judge, and even if they try to understand they are going to have their own opinions, and they might not be to our liking. That's how the world is, and all you can do is just not let it get to you...

      I am certain everyone who's posted in this thread stereotypes one things or another. Just think about that.
       
    15. In total agreement with you... Seriously guys...we are headed to a world which is getting close to Chobits. Google the series up but note, this is 16-18+ series...

      However, this can be a reason why anything looks human but not can be considered creepy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjQa0RZrTH0
       
    16. Haha..Oh chickie...you want to talk about sterotypes. I collect Transformers, read comic books and manga, collect dolls, love horror movies and am a techno junkie. I have to break sterotypes across the board! XD
      Yeah, I agree with many on this tread, not worry about what others think...sides, ya can't please everyone and you can't make them see things the way they really are if they don't want to.
      And Morgue has it right, what is Goth is very different from what is percieved as Goth.
      If you are worried still, when you meet people (and are afraid of sacring anyone way) don't bring up the hobby, stick to more bland likes and dislikes until they get to know YOU as a person. Then slowly kick in the hobbys you think are "strange". 9 times outta 10, they won't care one bit, cause they know you.
      In the end, I think what is strange for one person is totally normal for the next. My friend and I were talk at work and I can't remember how we got on the subject but I said I found collecting those little decorative shoes (I admit, I still don't get it) was kinda weird. My friend looked at me and goes, "Uhhh, you have a bookcase full of Transformers and dolls at home. I have shelves of Mini Lighthouses and I don't live anywhere near an ocean. I don't think either one of us is qualified to call anyone else weird." XD And shes right!
       
    17. I think for me personally, the stereotype i'd be hit with before and more than anything if my friends knew my interest in dolls would be that I am 'childish' rather than them seeing the dolls as being weird; It would be me being labeled as strange to want to collect dolls over anything 'normal'. I do care what people would think as i feel my friends would have a hard time getting to grips with my reasoning or seeing the interest in them as its so foreign from what ANY of my friends are interested in. Ultimately, i am someone who probably just wouldn't mention it to anyone and keep it as a more personal hobby.
       
    18. Well... I am kind of Goth. I like to wear black, watch costume dramas, read old Gothic books... I started to like ABJDs because they look a bit like antique dolls, but more realistic and beautiful.

      Lots of owners dress their dolls in steampunk, so perhaps that is why ABJD hobbyists are sometimes thought of as "Gothic".

      I too think it's the fault of that movie Child's Play (1988) that lots of people today think of dolls as creepy. Plus there's doll phobia, when people are scared of dolls because they look human, and think that they could come to life (if I got the definition right).
       
    19. I think dolls fit 2 main stereotypes and that thier stereotypes are passed to thier owners.
      Dolls are seen as creepy OR childish. And then you have the 3rd doll stereotype that comes from the doll collector or the openminded people; they are beautiful.

      Childish - When dolls first came about they were ment for children I'm guessing. So they are toys, and some people just haven't moved on with the times. Since the doll has become a hugly popular collectable item this has lead to people (reborners for example) and companys and such making dolls for that purpose: collecting. But some people just prefer to put dolls, collectable figures and such in the toy catagory. *sighs* You have no idea how often people have asked why my room looks like a toyshop >.<

      Creepy - I think dolls were thought of as creepy before chucky and such. My theory behind dolls being creepy is its all about thier eyes ;) more often then not people will say dolls with thier eyes open are way more "scary" then ones with thier eyes closed. I'm not saying its just the eyes, but I think eyes are 1 of the main factors. You know a doll apparently always looks like its looking at you? It's something to do with that. *looks arround* currently only 1 of my dolls and 1 of my fairys is looking at me XD But I do think its the realism. The more realistic a doll the more "scary" it is. I guess a chunk of humanity doesn't like being impersonated ;)

      So really you are screwed by both stereotypes unless you are under 9 years old, because then you are either "allowed" to play with dolls because you are a child or you're so young you don't know any better lol

      Anyway... Does this bother me... erm... no. I don't care how childish or creepy people think I am... but I don't like my dolls being stereotyped lol Anyone dare call my Nikki creepy, I get pretty defensive lol
       
    20. Well, I'm in love with Gothic and Lolita as well as old-world charm, so I guess I fit the stereotype. I do try to emphasise to anyone who talks about 'those gothic dolls' to me that there is much more to them than just that. I explain that you can make them look anyway you want, even fashionable and modern, if you should choose so.
      I suppose any aspect of the doll hobby is a bit inexplicable to anyone who doesn't collect anything. They don't feel anything remotely like what a doll fan feels when engaging in activities with them.

      Maybe if dolls in general become more mainstream or involved in art exhibitions people will understand their beauty and our attraction to them.