Girls view on guys who own BJDs

In my honest opinion, the most romantic line I've encountered on this website so far...

 

My fiancee got dragged into the hobby by me when I had been carefully trying to pick out my first doll. He went from that attitude of "why would you want a doll???" To having the first actual bjd in the family. It makes it a little easier for me because I am very shy around new people, and he is always talking to new people. So most of the time he asks all the doll questions and I do not have to. ^_^

 

I would say it is very normal and expected. I hadn't even occurred to me that someone in the hobby might think anything of the gender of another hobbyist at all before I saw this thread. The dolls are the main focus of the hobby, after all. Not the owners.

Now that I think about it I think I know mostly women in the hobby, but I have several male friends who take interest in my dolls and who are really fun to discuss characters and brainstorm ideas with etc. Some of them I share other hobbies with, which cross over into the doll hobby, such as miniature making, sculpting, sewing and photography. None of them have any real plans of getting dolls of their own, as far as I know, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if one of them did eventually.

I don’t think gender matters and I don’t think it should. It’s just dolls! Every one with an interest can join the fun as far as I’m concerned.

 

I think its really cool, not strange at all. If the guys out there want to own BJDs let them, I admire their courage because some might think it strange (not me). Actually one of my best friends is a guy and he introduced me into BJDs in the first place...

 

The thought's a bit weird at first, but whatever, right? If you like them, go for it!

[SUB]Then again, there's the "special" torsos some company makes for DDs that are 100% terrifying.[/SUB]

 

I think its absolutely fantastic. To me these dolls are Art. And everyone can be artistic. My hubby isn't into them, but he sure supports in me in my adventures

 

I think there are some circumstances where it gets a bit creepy...like elderly men collecting near life size dolls. But generally if its for art purposes I reall respect a guy who likes dolls and openly collects them. That takes a lot of guts given todays stigma against men showing any "femininity." I really respect male collectors!

 

how far away of a step is it from, say, action figures?

I'm still in the closet about my BJD hobby to my friends because I'd get ridiculed, but yeah, I think guys should be allowed to look past the "dolls are for girls" and see BJDs as a legitimate form of art.
I did recently manage to convince a close male friend to look at it more as an art piece than an overpriced plaything. Small victory for me!

 

I got my boyfriend into helping me customize and I think it's awesome! I don't think anyone with in the hobby would be judgemental for any reason but of course I could see someone outside the hobby now being as welcoming, which is really so sad. If your friends are any friends at all I'm sure they won't pass any judgement either.

 

I think its an equal hobby just like any other. I'm a female and I game, collect action figures, firearms, and am an avid comicbook reader and collector. I wouldnt appreciate not being accepted in my other hobbies so I think men should be accepted and welcomed into the doll hobby as well.

 

This is so sad! True friends will love and accept you despite, and sometimes for, your "odd" quirks. "The people who mind don't matter and the people that matter don't mind." You shouldn't have to hide your harmless passion from the people closest to you.

As for guys and dolls... when I see a guy carrying a doll around at a con, depending on how he is dressed and how he moves with it, I find my gut reaction is to wonder if he is queer. I don't care if he is or isn't though –*I recognize this is social conditioning. I think it's cool when a dude has the guts to not be ashamed of what he likes, so I always think "Kudos to you, bro." My boyfriend likes looking at doll stuff with me, he's even been tempted to own one, but he's not so passionate about it to want to spend the kind of cash that a doll hobby requires. One of my best friends has a couple Rozen Maiden Dolfie Dreams. We supported him whole-heartedly when he got them, though I don't think his girlfriend that came along later was as appreciative.

 

I've seen a couple of guys on youtube that do reviews and what not, at first I was kinda surprised, but it's really awesome to havea mix of people actually like the hobby, get their opinions, ideas and what not, it's pretty cool

 

I think it's great! BJDs are a way to bring your imaginative characters to life, so who says that only girls can do that? As a girl, I see nothing strange with it.

 

I typically say that people should do what they want, no matter their gender. It's silly to place a gender on a hobby. Just because a lot of girls are into it doesn't mean guys can't join.

However...I have seen some male doll owners with really erotic dolls. Like, girls with HUUUUUUGE breasts, dressed in sexy lingerie...I'm not going to lie, that kind of makes me uncomfortable. You can do anything you want with your doll - it's your property - but I still think it's a tiny bit creepy.

 

The person who got me into the obsession many, many moons ago was one of the manliest men I've ever met. He has the most amazing collection (I'm pretty sure at this point he should own half of DoD given how many of their dolls he's bought over the years), and he always dressed them so impecably, and occasionally made these absolutely gorgeous Victorian era-styled. Male and female dolls, full SD's to 1/12's, he had a bit of everything.

Hadlais: Agreed. Gendering anything is silly! But I too get weirded out when I see hypersexualised dolls. There's getting into a hobby, then there's getting into the hobby for the wrong reasons...

 

Being a 26 year old guy abjd collector.
I have mixed feelings on this, I find myself more of a closet abjd collector. There are very few that know about it. Sadly not even my parents know, simply because as Leliel mentioned, social conditioning.

My brother and I both share interest in this hobby, and from his past experiences with x-girlfreinds they immediately question sexual orientation despite the length of time they were together before knowing. This has really stopped me from pursuing a girlfriend. I live in Northern Texas right smack dab in the middle of the bible belt, which seems to exaggerate simple issues like this. Not to say where I live is bad, but people here seem to be much more closed minded then other places I've heard of.

Just my 2 cents.

 

That summarizes my feelings pretty much exactly.
I had to leave a meetup before because there was a guy with a hyper-sexualized doll there. Though in that case, if it'd just been a guy with a super-busty Dollfie Dream in kinky lingerie I probably would have been okay... but the way he kept petting the doll was wayyyy too much for me.

 

Bit off topic, but bisc, luv, go to meetups and get to know girls there! XD Seriously!

 

It really depends on how they treat/dress their dolls. I've seen some guys who have the sexiest, ero type dolls and it puts me off a little. Otherwise, I think its just another person with the same interests

 

So... a few people have mentioned not being comfortable with guys who dress their female dolls in super sexy ways. While part of me understands that, another part of me rears it's ugly contradictory head and points out that there are a number of female doll collectors (myself included) who leave their male dolls shirtless, or dressed in ways we believe are attractive, or male dolls who get dress in tiny leather shorts and corsets, things that are still somewhat erm... mature? Sensual? I dunno. The genders may react to it differently because we are conditioned differently.

Personally, I am happy to chat with and know guys in the bjd community. I think it's cool, no big deal really. What would bother me would be someone talking about their doll (regardless of gender) in an extremely sexualized way, or referring to any of their (or anyone's) dolls as a sexual object. So yeah, I guess I view male hobbyists just like any other member of the hobby.