Fighting that Doll stereotype

People always stereotype all things unknown to them, or try to justified something they don't relate to. In my case, i don't think much about it. I'm a geek, ha! when kid and in college i was refered as a it, and as adult ppl see me as a very intelligent but peculiar and strange persona, and is because of my hobbies and learn not to mind people judgment.

I can see where the goth and lolita stereotype could come, if i'm not mistaken, some clothes, shoes, accesories and wigs are very goth or lolita like, or at least someone can see them as such, i do! And about being weird, is maybe because their lifelike and some people considers this creepy.

 

xD I don't think Kerli is gothic. she is a little strange, yes, but goth? nah.
you could also call me gothic, it's happened before, but I highly disagree.
people wear what they wear- who cares? I don't even think about the things I buy other than "oh this is pretty I like it!" Kerli does the same thing (I only know cause she's my friend's.. love interest xD)

it's annoying when people assume you're gothic because you like BJDs, just as it is annoying when people assume you're gothic because you wear black (and whatever else). I really don't care what people think about me, though. I'll wear what I wear and do what I do, no matter what they say. if it makes me happy, it makes me happy.

anyyyyway- the main stereotype I hear with BJDs is:
"you must be some fat chick that never leaves the house and has no friends." it's funny, but not true at all.

have I gotten my point across that I think stereotypes are pointless and stupid, yet? I hope so, haha.

 

I agree with a lot of what has been said. It's like a lot of Lolita, my sisters, are classified as gothic--dark, brooding, and the like.

I am not that gothic.

We are not into this because necessarily because we have "issues." I think we are collectors because we have an eye for beauty and art. People, I'm afraid, have always misunderstood artists of all kinds.

We love our BJD--and whatever reason we collect them, we should be true to it and ourselves.

 

Maybe because of the Uncanny Valley?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley

(:

 

You know, I am completely unaware of any of this and have never encountered anyone who thought I was creepy or who thought my dolls were. (but perhaps it helps that I don't care what people think. This entire thread made me shrug) Most are intrigued by them and I've talked to quite a few strangers who saw me with one of my dolls and told me they were doll-collectors themselves.
It's all how you present yourself, I guess. I'm very straightforward and act as if doll collecting is normal (which, btw, it is) and because I treat dolls as merely objects, people aren't freaked out by the character-part of this hobby.

I'm not going to look for 'evidence' of stereotyping on the internet: If I don't see it, I can't be bothered by it.

 

It's kind of silly to me that BJD collectors have been stamped with the Gothic stereotype. I mean...our girls and boys may wear Gothic / Lolita attire, but that doesn't mean that we, the owners, are the same.

To be perfectly honest, the BJD owners that I have encountered have varied greatly. I've met a couple that fit the Goth stereotype, a few quiet young men, and the rest wouldn't even be distinguishable from the masses unless they were toting along BJDs (I'm not trying to say that Goths or shy men are unusual...I'm just stating what I've seen).

Personally, I wouldn't consider myself Gothic by any means. I went through that phase in high school, but now I'm just a 22-year-old college student with a mom haircut. I'm pretty boring by most people's standards, I'd venture.

Stereotypes are stereotypes though. Sure, a couple of people will fill that mold, but meh. I mean...I drove past the San Diego Convention Center while Comic-Con was going on a few days ago, and I was very surprised by how many people were not typical comic book fanboys. I mean...the girl to guy ratio was actually pretty equal! So...stereotypes are silly! D:

Also, interests don't dictate that a given person has some sort of mental disorder. Well, unless, I suppose, said person has an unusual fondness for stabbing themselves (or others). /shrug

 

This topic is the first I've heard of BJDs = Gothic o.o

However, don't they sometimes (or have at least once in the past?) feature in the GothLoli Bible? So it's possible that some people see that and think it's a GothLoli thing.

I don't care for stereotypes anyway, I'm an otaku - being branded a 'goth' or 'lolita' is probably a status improvement or something As far as I'm concerned, I enjoy my hobby and if someone thinks I'm mentally unstable because of it... well, that's their prerogative and they're probably not the kind of people I'd be interested in associating with anyway. But then, I get that for watching 'kids cartoons' at 23

I have more important things to worry about than letting a stereotype bother me, that would take away valuable time for me to be moaning about something or queueing





(note: British Stereotype)

 

I believe it is how you present yourself very much. If you huddle in a corner with your eyes darting about while you stroke the hair of your doll, people will draw some conclusions. My family is fairly conservative and old fashioned. I never hid my hobby and never hesitated to explain the fascinating(to me) aspects of it,and the general reaction I get is fleeting interest and little more.
There is a doll newsgroup I follow and it is amusing to think of those silver-haired grandmas as goths or creepy, although they do sew extremely cute goth and punk outfits for their beloved bjd's.
I do know a few online who lean toward the goth look in their attire -however, they are about the look, and and lead pretty mundane lives actually.

 

Exactly the reason I cannot tell my parents...

 

I have to admit that when I first got into BJDs I was really concerned about what my immediate family would think. (my cousin got me into them, so I knew I had one person who understood me) I had to rationalize and explain every little thing to my family. Which ended up just being silly because they love me anyways and don't really care what I collect.

I guess my point is not to let the people who stereotype doll owners have any effect on you. The people who really truly love you won't care and will see your hobby as just another part of you.

Besides that, BJD owners are some of the most talented people I have ever been in contact with. Wether it be sewing, face-ups, wig-making, or photography... everyone has something to offer. Its kinda sad if people outside the BJD community can't see that.

 

I don't think you can get away from the belief that the dolls are creepy simply because of the uncanny valley, like moom said above. A lot of people have a phobia of dolls with eyes that can watch them. It can extend to anything with eyes too, as a little girl I wouldn't change in my room because I felt like the posters on my walls were watching me. Almost everyone that's said my dolls are creepy(whether it's my shiwoo or a machina) say it's the realistic quality of the eyes that freak them out.

I was a goth in HS, and I certainly had a thing for anything creepy. I do like lolita clothing but I don't pull it off very well. XD

Stereotypes are something you have to deal with no matter what you're interested in. Just being yourself fights any stereotype about you or the dolls. I've met people from every walk of life in this hobby. It takes all kinds.

 

Stereotypes happen for every hobby, activity and interest. There's both the stereotype that those who don't collect dolls think they're creepy and those who do collect them don't. But the reality of the situation is, that each individual case is different and should be treated as such.

My grandmother collected paper dolls, my mother collects porcelain dolls, my other grandmother collects angel statues. I've collected dolls of some sort for my entire life. And yet, I'm not terribly fond of lolita styles. Steampunk and Decora FRUiTS are more my thing. I'm about as far removed from goth as you can get. I love anime and took Japanese for three years and intend to visit some day. But I did that because I want to travel the world and am tackling both Italian and Gaelic as other foreign languages. Does this mean I can't stand those who do enjoy lolita and those that are goth? No. It just means that it's not my cup of tea (note that I don't actually like tea, I'm a coffee drinker).

But I still have friends that wouldn't sleep in my room because of my collection of various dolls. I've had boyfriends that didn't like to come over and hang out in my room because of said dolls. My own sister thinks it's the weirdest thing in the world that I love dolls enough to spend this kind of money on them. That's their opinions, and they are entitled to them. No matter how much I disagree or how amused by it I am.

What it all boils down to is that people as a whole (here's me stereotyping) want to give the people around them cookie-cutter outlines. Whether it's creepy, goth, lolita, nerd, punk, jock, what-have-you. They want to give people an outline they can understand and there for, make their own lives a little more comfortable. Being in a world of strangers is scary, I think stereotypes is just a way to make it a little less unknown and a little less scary.

 

"Mainstream" media have also stigmatised my other collection, Reborn Dolls

Has anyone seen the British documentary where the reborn doll maker is pushing a trolley around a supermarket and asking people if they want to buy her baby?

...or the news story that police broke into a car to "rescue" a baby locked in it....it was a NON MOVING doll!!

no matter what the hobby, if it isn't part of the "mainstream" then every one and their dog will try and make you feel weird.

 

I'm going to be truthful. I'm a Goth otaku [anime/manga fan], and I've been a Goth since before it had a name. But Ryuichi, my 60cm Shiwoo that I take with me nearly everywhere isn't. He's a rock star, so he dresses in bright, colorful clothes and leather pants and glittery things. So, even though I might choose to dress in dark clothes on any particular day, he usually doesn't, because for the most part, it goes against his personality.

My family is more or less creeped out by Ryuichi BECAUSE of those movies, but personally, I feel that that's their problem, not mine. I will still take him to family outings, and hey can make comments all day long that I'll ignore, but when they finally show some actual curiosity towards him, then I'll talk about him and explain what fun being in the BJD lifestyle is!

I don't consider myself peculiar, I'm artistic. I write songs and fanfiction from my favorite anime/manga.

Who CARES what others think of you? They're going to think what they want! All you can do is be yourself, and if they choose to not get to know you because of some preconceived ideas, that's their loss, and they probably weren't worth getting to know in the first place.

We don't all fit into Society's little boxes, many of us exist outside of the box!

Ryu

 

My 2 cents worth...

Stereotyping happens everywhere. From gossiping office ladies to little children.

I've been stereotyped as one of those older teens or young adults that always stay at home and never leave the house(I forgot the term for this). Just simply because there was this period where I was so into sculpting miniatures that I spent months on them, hence not leaving the house. That time, I didn't own any dolls. Only played with my friend-***-neighbour's. I still do sculpt miniatures. Just not as bad as last time where I spend months...

I've been stereotyped as attention-seeking for wearing punk/goth/visual clothes or cosplaying. I do admit I want the attention when I'm cosplaying since I spent time and effort making the props/costumes. But other than that, in real life, I could totally pass off as one of those 20-year-olds who would want nothing to do with fame/tv-interviews.

I've been stereotyped as 'emo kid' for wearing head to toe black. I like black because you can't tell when it gets dirty.

I've never been stereotyped as creepy for owning and collecting dolls. But rather...'deprived childhood'. And it makes me wonder what they would say about the people who has a wide collection of Barbies and appearing on TV. They definitely won't say that those people have 'deprived childhood'.

But for dolls to get stereoptyped. It's always 'creepy' or 'Chucky'. From my personal experience. I've learned to laugh it off. They're probably thinking that I thought they were joking. But in actual fact, I was laughing that they were unable to understand the beauty of dolls.

I do love all dolls. As long as they don't walk, blink and talk/sing. I still have phobia of those dolls.

 

I've heard the gothic steriotype, and even more so the 'old lady with the cats' type of steriotype.
People assume that those who like these dolls, are obsessed to a social disorder degree.
That's absolute blasphemy.
Sometimes, I just have to wonder where people get this stuff.
Honestly, its another art form. It's simply a 3-d, huggable art form.
People will spend millions on a statue, but it's not alright to spend hundereds on a doll...one that you can carry with you, and engage in hobbies with?
The dolls have plenty of use and investment, ignoring the obvious art factor. Many use them for photography, and models for a new line of clothing. Even actors in a stop motion film.
So why does the owner have to be gothic lolita or someone with a social disorder> Doll lovers come in all shapes sizes and steriotypes.

 

my post, apparently didnt show.
ali project, which i happen to love, niether kerli, is goth. they just have thier own style.
ive seen the doll master, and its not scary, maybe to ppl under 10, and who get scared easily. ppl r afraid of abjd cuz o this movie, thir religion, myths, and the lifeikeness.
the reason y ppl call ppl who collect abjds goth is cuz :1. they dont know wat goth is, 2. thier idiots, or 3.u actually r goth.
its like calling a guy gay just cuz he wears pink(poor dudes).
i personnaly could care less if i was called goth(i would just kindly tell them to shove it).i dont look like a goth(though i would like to dress in gothlolita someday), but, i get called girly just cuz i wear abercrombie, holiister and aeropostale. tbut, my personality is more like a boy.
i hope i have made my point.

 

I'm honestly not aware of any prevailing "doll stereotype", and in my experience the people who see the dolls don't associate any stereotype in particular with them because, generally, they have never seen something like that before in their life. They might think it's a little strange, but that's not a stereotype in itself.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: People really react to how you present yourself. If you're completely matter-of-fact about your dolls they're more likely to take them in stride, but if you get all worked up over them they'll assume there's something to be worked up about and respond accordingly.

 

Pretty much the only times I've been seen out of the house with any of the resin, I get a quirked eyebrow. The neighbors already know I'm 'that weird lady in the house on the corner', so I don't think this confused them any more than anything else ever has. The only time I've had one of the dolls out with me in a public space was when walking through a hotel lobby after checkout, and the lady behind the desk had a baffled look for a second while she tried to figure out what in heck I was carrying before her eyes lit up and she grinned like she'd just seen something pretty awesome. So I can't really say I've gotten the hairy eyeball from anyone -- any more than I usually do.

The reality is, though, I'm a bunch of walking stereotypes and people assume a lot of things about me based on my appearance anyway. I'm heavy, therefore I must be stupid, lazy, and have no self-control. I'm very busty, so I must be a vapid, brain-dead bimbo. I'm very short, so I must be twelve. (No, really, I still get carded, and I'm 35 -- and how this meshes with the two elements preceding it will never make a lick of sense to me ever, but it happens.) I wear weird, artsy clothes -- or men's tee shirts from Target with crazy skulls and clip art designs all over them (because I think they're much nicer than the women's stuff, and more comfortable since they have printed tags instead of ribbon ones) so it's already assumed I'm a complete flake or creepy in some way.

Adding a doll to the pile really doesn't make people assume anything worse about me than they already do, so it doesn't really trouble me. Most of the "issues" I face stereotypes about are ones I've grown up with, and while I'm not immune to them, I am well-accustomed to dealing with them in my daily life. I don't mean to sound dismissive at all when I say that how people look at me on the day I'm carrying a doll just doesn't rank in comparison to the rest of it -- as I know that it's something very challenging or upsetting for many people on this board and it isn't fun to be treated poorly in some way because of a hobby you love and just want to be left alone to enjoy with like-minded people -- but it is true of my experience. I can leave the doll at home if I must out of a need to to avoid those problems. I can't leave -myself- at home in the same way.

 

A year ago, when I first heard of bjds, I thought that a lot of the people who owned them were "goth", and so I really didn't think I would really fit in with the other people who like them. (I'm not gothic, though I do think gothic things [music, clothing, etc] is pretty cool.) But once I joined DoA, I noticed a lot of people that were just... normal-"i-don't-belong-in-a-stereotype" people. (: