Fighting that Doll stereotype

Pot dolls?? O_o lol Never heard of those. Good idea though...I'll tell her that. But now the big decision (for me at least) is: tell her BEFORE he gets here, which I'm having a hard time figuring out how to broach the subject, or just be all excited and tell her when the big fat box ends up in our garage. XD

I'm going to be excited either way, so that's probably when it'll happen. Either then or when I get the shipping notice from DDE, in which case I'll have an excuse to say something about it. *snork*

 

Exactly on both points! People do a lot of diverse things that may not be typical, but shouldn't be considered strange.

 

That is cool, but to be honest i don't get any hassle over my dolls at all, my mum and Nanna even helped me to sow a Kimono for my doll today and my Nanna said that my doll was being a little bitch, then laughed when she wouldn't stand up and said it was because she called her a bitch. That is more then i have ever done with my doll.

 

I would say embrace it. There is no need to get upset over something like this. Stereotypes, unfortunately, often exist for a reason. And it's more fun to laugh at yourself than to feel self-conscious because of people who choose to remain ignorant of who you really are. And if someone is going to judge you based on a hobby, they are most likely a stranger, so why care? If you don't want people to not talk to you because of it... Well, do you really want to be friends with someone who sticks rigidly to stereotypes and chooses who to interact with based on what they assume instead of what they know?

Just don't worry about. ;D It's really not a big deal.

 

Gothic? sometimes i think it depends on how you like to dress your doll, people just tend to call me weird...which in a sense i am and im not bothered by it... no ones ever assumed or asked wether i was into the Goth scene or lolita for that matter... most of the time im asked wether i like anime or Manga, which i what i thought the steryotype was. and most of the time it usually is... well thats what i tend to sense over here in the UK, ABJD's are usually connected to Anime and Manga over here mainly because of the places where we do meets. one of the big meets is at an anime convention.i dont know about anyone else but thats what i seem to see.

 

Yeah over here they are very much manga and anime related because my sister has been to anime conventions and she said they had loads of dolls there. Because My sister saw a BJD in real life before i did. Although on seeing them she left me alone about me having one a lot more but she is kind of like that.

 

i dont care what people think of me. i dont care if they think i'm weird, because in their minds, I AM! if i like something that most goth people like, who cares? i like it. if i like something that preps are only supposed to like, who cares? i like it! who says i can't put my backstreet boys cds inbetween my marilyn manson and black sabbath ones? who says i can't wear rainbow striped suspenders with almost EVERYTHING i wear? lots of people can, but will it stop me? no! because i like it. so if people think i'm creepy, and if they sterio type me as a goth or lolita, then they can go dip thier knuckles becasue i do not fit in any box, and if they can't look outside the box then they don't matter, they are trapped in thier own steriotypes and can never grow and be exactly who they are.

i like dolls. if that slaps a creepy sticker on me, that's okay, i'll just cover it with my rainbow suspenders and keep on having my fun.

 

I don't care what people think about me or my doll if it's negative, I try to ignore and avoid those types of people. These dolls are very life like and expensive, and since not many people know about BJD's, they find it foreign, different, and possibly hard to comprehend. I think people should just learn to accept how we express our imaginations and ourselves.

 

I don't see why people get so much stick seriously, as i keep seeing stories of people getting all kinds of stick from other people who are not in the hobbie. But i think there must be something some of these people do because i have been in Manchester UK with my doll taking photo's and npt have had a bad word said to me. None of the people know have either. But in these rants about people "not understanding" they have referred to people outside the hobby as "muggles" personally i think this could make things worse for the stereotype because i believe it is a term lifted from Harry Potter for "normal people without magic" it seems to separate you more from everyone else which is bad really.

I have a doll i happily tell people about it, but no one i know cares. The only jokes we get is a couple of lines from this, but this is me as much as them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTSkWnKs9rM&feature=PlayList&p=A67DC3620EB6074A

 

now, being one that has looked into this hobby for years and just got her first BJD, I take her everywhere with me. even to college since all of my friends LOVE her... I mean, they just really dont understand why its so much, but they still love her none the less. I do get looks from other students around me when I have her out, but then again I always get looks for something I do in school

as for the gothic thing... Im a little bit of everything, but I dont think only gothic people like/get these dolls. but I do think mostly people that like anime/manga know about these dolls lol maybe thats my own stereo type on these dolls?

when it comes down to everything, I dont see why anyone should care what the rest of the world thinks. as long as your happy and you have one person who backs you up, who cares? thats why I love this site! your never alone on here ^__^ (that sounded weird lol)

 

I'd first like to respond by saying: I NEVER thought that I'd see a singer/celebrity who owns a BJD or a BJD in a professional music video... That REALLY took me aback when I got a better look at the doll in that video and saw that it really was a BJD....

But I know what you mean when you say that the sterotype bugs you...
Back when I was a teenager i had a "Gothic" influence, but now when I look back at that I just laugh really... Its a sterotype that really needs to be disconnected.

None of my dolls are dark, or evil, I personally think that there are way too many of those and there needs to be more dolls that are not "dark and evil"

 

I'm not sure if "goth" is the right pigeon-hole for us... of all of the members in my local BJD community that I've met, the majority is pretty peppy, or "loli", if anything. Most of us are pretty laid back people, most of us are pretty normal, but you're always gonna have those few who stick out like Lady Gaga in a sea of New Kids on the Block, y'know what I'm saying? Those are the people that everyone latches onto as our poster-children, which leaves the rest of us scratching our heads.

Personally, I'm not worried about any kind of stigma attached to BJD's. If my Shoyo is creepier than Chuckie, then there's a personal problem involved, and it's not mine. Besides, there are worse hobbies.

Nascar comes to mind :B

 

I think all-in-all that stereotypes are given more power than they should be allowed to possess. I think the human brain by design will lump things together to create an easier way to grasp things around us, but in the process, so many people get their feelings hurt. No matter what, if YOU enjoy doing something, it shouldn't matter that everyone around you thinks you are weird. If you truly love what you do and how you spend your time (after all, its YOUR life), then that's all that matters!

I plan on taking my BJD everywhere with me! And I don't care how many weird looks I get!

The truth is, there are so many people out there who are too embarrassed to admit that they too would love to own and walk around with a BJD but they just don't have the courage to do so because they fear what society will do to them if they are seen! How many people out there spend their days wishing they had the guts to do something they really want to do (even things like sky diving or taking a marital arts class or something) because they were too afraid that the outcome WOULDN'T be in their favor? Its really sad that people don't live their dreams based on what the world might give them in return.

As far as these stereotypes for dolls go, people are going to have them no matter what. Its best to just go about your own business and let people stand in the shadows and be insecure! I can't wait to walk around with Akio and show him the world!

 

I think it is more then that. I have done photo-shoots in the middle of Manchester and i have not had any thing bad said to me or anything. People have asked don't you get funny looks? Or don't people have a god at you? I am like no, not many people even give me a second look, i have had a couple of people ask me what they where because they have never seen them before, but that was like in the Trafford centre close to Christmas so you can imagine how busy that was.

I think people who get bad press must be doing something else and it is not just because they have a doll with them. Cause i have taken my doll all kinds of places and have not had a bad word said to me. Or even people stare (i do admit that is probably because it is Manchester so they don't look twice at most weirdo's so i am nothing compared so some wandering around).

But seriously i have taken my doll, to gaming conventions, hotels, shopping centre's and in the town centre more then once. I think people who get bad press must talk to them or something.

Although i do admit i do think it is a little odd you want to take yours every where with you, but that is because i use my doll for photo-shots and that is about it really. So i am curious to why you want to?

 

To answer your question, I want to take my doll everywhere with me for the same reason why people who own little dogs carry them in purses everywhere, or little children carry their Gameboys and their Nintendo DS or their Pokemon cards or people carry around their iPhones...because its an extension of myself. A BJD may not be able to have the use that a cell phone does, but just like you, you like doing photoshoots with your dolls, and you can't always plan when there is going to be the perfect place to take a picture. Have you ever been out and about without your dolls and seen a lovely spot and said to yourself 'OH! I wish I had one of my dolls here with me now!"

Its just my personal preference. I do not even own any yet, but I have a strong connection to these dolls, as I have for every doll that I've ever owned and its just the way my brain works!

That's awesome you live close to the Trafford Center! I recently went to England to visit my fiancee and we drove past it...its such a beautiful place! I'm moving to the UK soon (Kendal) so maybe we can meet up one day and have a doll shoot!!!

 

I love you. I'm glad I'm not the only one

 

To me honest i think the people carrying the dog around with them on the same level. But in the UK we find that very strange too. A kid carrying a DS etc. with them gives them something to do and it shuts them up because they are busy playing games.

Yes i do think, oh that would be a good place to take a photo of my doll, but i think i will come back at some point with my doll and camera. And i tend to spend a while with photo shoots any way taking 100's of pictures at different angles etc. and picking the best few. So it is not convenient to say, ohh i am just going to stop he and take a few shoots because i know it won't be as good.

Kendel is very far from where i am but, i do plan to go on Manchester and Preston meets. And too be honest Present is a little trek for me and is a little pricey.

I don't mean to be rude when i ask you why, it is something i just don't understand and i am trying to get an insight to see why people would want too. And to be honest i am still a little unsure. Especially since i think they're other ways round taking your doll every where for a cool shoot.

I do admit though, if i went on Holiday to some where cool i would consider taking my doll.

 

I was at a cafe-bar recently with some friends when we noticed there was a Doll Meet going on there. A small group were sat in the middle of the bar with all of their dolls out. Every person in the group was a Goth type, so yeah I guess that perception of ABJD fans is justified.
There was the occasional odd look, but most people just didn't seem that interested.

 

Doll stereotype? Isnt that like saying people of specific races that follow a certain fashion are stereotyping too?

 

I SOOOOO don't fit that "stereotype" - at least OUTWARDLY! I dress in jeans every day. But, you should see me when I "dress up"...

Not possessing a doll just quite yet, I dunno if I have any really deep insights here, but other than skewing younger than me, I don't perceive it being just the 1 type!