girlfriends and your dolls

I thought about that. but please just let me say it again. it was in no way meant to be offensive lol its just what Ive observed in the last 3 years or so of my being in this hobby.

I love guys who are into dolls.

 

What a neat topic. I don't think I even thought for a second many guys would be on here, way to prove me wrong fellas. Hee hee hee.

Anyway, I think since BJDs are so crafty it's awesome for guys to be into them, but if I saw a guy playing with, I dunno', a Barbie doll or something, then I might be a little weirded out. Funny how things work like that.

 

i would love it!

my boyfriend collects model planes and stuff,
i think anything your passionate about is cool ^^

 

Oh man, if my boyfriend liked dolls then he would be even more attractive to me than he already is. Alas, he had a nightmare about them when he was little, so he doesn't like the idea of them.

But he does like Faye and Faye seems to like him too...so there's hope!

Yeah, if a guy liked these dolls, I would definately not think that he was gay. A lot of guys like to fix cars or build stuff with tools and it takes just as much skill and knowledge to own a BJD, if not more.

 

I honestly don't think youstolemysoul's comment was at all offensive or discouraging. She didn't say "all male bjd owners are gay " she was simply observing that those that she's met happen to be. In fact I think her saying she'd like to meet more straight male doll lovers is an encouraging remark towards the guys.

so guys... come on out we want to meet you lol In all seriousness though... guys if a girl doesn't respect your hobby and is closed minded... is she really someone you want to date? There are plenty of girls out there who would love a guy who's into such a creative hobby like bjd's. be confident and put yourself out there!

also: Cat91151: idk if I'd say BJD's take more skill than cars or building stuff... but a different kind of skill... like artistic skills as opposed to car skills. cars are VERY complicated creatures O_o

 

Im a boy. Straight but doesnt have a girlfriend atm D: None of my friends know about my hobby mainly because im in school still.

 

They have all been really cool about it. I'm fortunate to have friends who support my interests even if theirs aren't the same. I try not to overload them by talking about my dolls all the time or constantly showing them pictures but they do take an interest in the things I like as do I with their hobbies and interests. No bad experiences, thank goodness!

 

im a guy! im 28 and im married. to a woman.
we both got into bjds together, we are similar people so have similar interests. but we dress and own completely different dolls. she has afew msd girls, i have three sds, one of which is male.
i guess i dress my male doll like myself, and my two female dolls i dress up in clothes i really like, plus i like making girl doll clothes. i dont dress them slutty, wild, or any sort of stereotype, just in clothes i guess are female versions of my own clothes.
i guess one of them looks like my wife too
guys should be not afraid to come out with their dolls, id love some male friends who are into dolls! when i say to people 'im into dolls' people tend to imagine me sitting round with barbies dressing them up in frilly clothes and making them have a tea party until they actually see them. they also know im not all about my dolls, and people who know me understand why im into them, as in general im a very creative, interesting and unique guy who has plenty of rare hobbies. people are weirded out by different things, so dont dwell on the idea it will be dolls that will put a potential girl off you

 

My girlfriend loves dolls too, so I guess it's okay. It's sort of like a bonding moment.

 

It totally doesn't mean you will never have a girlfriend. All of the things you have mentioned I think are totally awesome. If I could meet a guy locally who collected BJDs then it would make me more interested not less.

 

haha I really do displike these first few months on the forums :3 untill my group order goes through and whatnot i'm cursed answering threads with things like "I will" XD

anyways, I'm moving into ABJD from Gundam Model building, so I already have a rather extensive table set up for model building. I'd LIKE to think any women visiting/possible dates might view it as something more of a constructive hobby then the pretending and cuddling dolls sort of thing ^^; which I know i'd still end up doing on my own time. I'd take this stance because I agree with some of the harsher girls in this thread, I think its reasonable to assume a great deal of women will initially have a problem with this! and I like keeping secrets anyways ^^; but I'm sure it would come up later if the relationship got serios!

but yeah TL;DR:
I think my Gundam style Doll Armor would make Allison look more proffessional... or something

 

Ooh I'm typical college age! I would so love to meet/date a guy who was into dolls! and anime and probably MTG and still love football and UFC like I do. Alas I live in nowhere land and there are no guys in nowhere land or they all try to act hard and selfcentered and the few who dont are either gay or taken. Actually I dont think there is anyone in my city who likes BJDs... Near my city yes but not in it.

lol I love these

 

So there's a couple of things going on here. First, it seems like most everybody wants to say that, yes, a guy should be allowed to collect BJD's or whatever he wants. And to a large extent, that's true. There is nothing specifically wrong with any person taking up any hobby, and in our increasingly fluid and egalitarian society, people are becoming better at judging others on the merits of their personality more than on their interests.

All that said, much of the BJD hobby for the average collector is going to be centered around hair, makeup, and clothing. The typical male in the typical heteronormative society (which, let's be fair, is still the dominant mindset) just isn't brought up to take an interest in hair, makeup, and clothing. Thus, much of the hobby is going to be lost on most men. There are other aspects of the hobby, to be sure: guys who research doll history have been mentioned, as have guys who actually sculpt the dolls. But that distinction is important, since the way in which they have associated themselves with the hobby is not through the more common customization aspects of the dolls. A guy who enjoys BJDs for their hair and makeup is going to be as unusual and will be looked down upon as much as a guy whose interest is in hair and makeup for people. While a guy coming into the hobby for those reasons isn't bad per se, it is ... weird.

From a personal perspective, I'm only taking an interest in the hobby because of my wife. I'm fascinated by the sculpts of the dolls, and enjoy moving and posing the dolls. However, I still leave the clothing, hair, and makeup to my wife. Plus, while I have idly considered purchasing a doll of my own, I find the concept of having to dress a doll or select wigs for it so intimidating and so alien that I will have to continue enjoying the hobby vicariously.

 

When I opened this I thought it was about how the girlfriends of BJD collectors react to the hobby. I'm not sure how this was the original intent, but that's how I'm taking it.

I've had boyfriends and girlfriends who accepted the fact that I collect BJD and some even thought of it as one of my endearing qualities. Most girls I've dated either were already in the hobby or became interested in purchasing their own dolls after being introduced to it. Although, it's the expense that's usually the deciding factor in whether they actually make a purchase. Many have not gone through it. Most guys I've dated either wanted his own doll -not to be i the hobby per se, but want the doll itself- or was indifferent about it.

Not once have I come across any opposition regarding my hobby from those I date. But then again, I tend to keep my romantic life and my BJD life fairly separate. As in, no dollies in the bedroom, etc...

As an interesting side note, many collectors of BJD are women and a certain percentage of them have lesbian relationships with other female BJD collectors. But I don't think this was where the OP was going.

 

Well, I' a guy (22) in college, straight and at first I thought collecting dolls was weird however fate handed me my first one and now I love them and don't see anything really weird about owning them. We all have dolls for our own reason (Roommates!) and most of them don't have anything to do with being a guy or girl.

Though I do only take them out into public when I have other doll owners around (plenty of weird looks but I'm getting used to it) I think at first you just have to tough it through until you realize how much you like the hobby then it doesn't really matter.

Though now I get to figure out how to tell a girl that I'm into dolls... that should be an interesting conversation.

 

My husband is just beginning to collect. I love that we have yet another hobby in common ^^
And it's kind of nice cuz I can't justify getting 2 dolls for me at a time, but if I get one and he get one... hehehe.
And we can share wigs, clothes, shoes, etc.

 

To me it;s all about context. It would seem a bit weird to me if a guy was into dolls that are all pinkish and cutesy just to dress them up in lace and frills. There's nothing wrong with that, I guess that the stereotype is just stuck too deep inside my head from an early age. I wouldn't dismiss a guy as a possible partner for that, though.
My boyfriend is really into fantasy, sci-fi and role playing. He loves coming up with cool new characters, and I really wish that he used BJDs to create a realistic portrayal of his fictional characters. I love it when people do that, and I would have loved it if he did that. But he doesn't . Which is too bad, because if he wanted to get into BJD's I would totally buy him one.

 

some very interesting comments! very kind of some of you to like, feel bad for admitting that there are some cases of doll guys that you'd find unpleasant. But that is indeed fine! because in both men and women there are going to be creepy people, or even just people were incompatable with, and no ammount of dolliness is going to fix that!

that said, I'm sure you'd all agree that a reasonably normal guy getting excited about dolls in short bursts would be very much acceptable, provided his lifestyle is normal, small ammount of girlishness at home should be acceptable.

another saving factor would be if he treats the hobby with a certain professionalism, because as a guy, i'm all up for cuddling and playing with the doll, but if I didnt spend time and effort on construction and maininance , it wouldent mean nearly as much to me, and I like to think thats deffinitly something of value over the man who orders a doll ready made, and slings it around with no regard.

and finally, you can't forget about weight, especially in a hobby where beauty is a factor, the owner's creepiness is unfortunatly linked to how well they take care of themself, in this case of a man with a doll, it shouldent take more than a few seconds to pucture a skinny boy and a doll and a larger man with a doll, it's a pretty natural comparison that you find the twig-boy's love for dolls adorable, while the larger man's doll obsession is confusing. Which really is unfortunate, but once again, just something we do in normal life that liking dolls can't save :/

 

I'm not particularly into the idea that there are distinctive gender-specific categories for interests, so I'm quite supportive of guys enjoying BJDs. The more the merrier! My father primarily cooks for our family...it's what he does as a chef, but some people find it weird that my mother isn't the one who handles that. When I was growing up in the suburbs, people found it strange that both of my parents worked! O_o

My parents have encouraged my doll-ing over the years, but have also encouraged my (and my sisters') interests in things like welding, electronics, and power mechanics. I could care less about the stigma of a woman getting into welding and "male" hobbies--if I like it, then I'm going to try it out to see if it's for me in the long-term! I think it's great when people are passionate about their hobbies. It's lovely to share interests, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Therefore, having someone who is supportive of your interests is quite nice as well, even if they don't have the same hobbies.

 

A lot of girls love guys who dance. But there's a lot of guys who doesn't like to dance like the ones in "Dancing with the Stars." I think there's a similar concept to that with dolls. I used to be not interested in dolls and back then I probably would have thought that a guy collecting dolls would be weird, but now, I think it's really cool. I still haven't gotten a doll yet, but it would be great to meet a guy who's into them.

People liking anime or comic is immediately a nerd is another stereotype. There's nothing wrong with being passionate about something and enjoying it. There's a lot of rude people out there. I've read some stories on DOA and I can't believe how mean the people who considers themselves "normal" to doll collectors. If they don't like it, then they don't have to comment on it. It's not their right to tell others what to do.