Has doll modification altered your view of human modificaton?Vice-Versa?

I have pretty strange views on the subject, no denying it. I'm all about the 'follow your bliss' thing when it comes to one's own body. If some crazy socialite wants to look like a cat, more power to her. I don't have to like the result, and I may find it horrifying, but you know? If she is pleased with the result, she is ultimately the one who counts, because it is her body. For those with a very strong sense of aesthetics that don't jibe with what nature gave them, if they have the resources (time, money, effort to expend) altering the form to fit their personal ideal in a safe* manner, I genuinely and wholeheartedly support them in doing so -- even if it makes them 'ugly' to me in the final result, because when it comes to their bodies, my personal taste is not relevant; their own is. Whether it's 'medically necessary reconstruction' or aesthetic doesn't really make much difference to me. Essentially, if someone wants to treat their body as an expressive canvas, I firmly believe in their right to do it, even if I don't like what they're expressing.

Given the resources (again, time and money), I'd change my appearance significantly. Being 'old enough' to know I wouldn't achieve my ideal result, I've set the idea aside without much woe.

Unsurprisingly, I have even less concern when it comes to mods on dolls. They're a great canvas for expression! They were designed with that very potential in mind.

*Let's face it, nothing is completely safe. There is a difference between reasonable risks and outright recklessness, however. I don't support recklessness in -anything-. Saline implants? Go for it if you want 'em! Shooting silicone caulking into your bewbs? Not so brilliant a strategy. That's a good example of what I mean about the difference between 'reasonable' and 'reckless'.

 

I always thought there was no much point in plastic surgery when the objective is to make changes so slight that people won't even notice consciously. /shrug I do believe strongly in reconstructive surgery, though. After seeing doll mods, I still hold about the same opinions.

I don't do mods, and I refuse to mod my dolls in any way except maybe eye-opening and a bit of sanding. I don't like the idea of additive mods, on dolls, and on humans especially, because for dolls, there will be the material mismatch that I will constant worry about, and on humans, the biological processes involved in holding bioinert implants in place is creepy. I don't like the idea of piercings on dolls and on human either, partly because I'm terrified of needles, and partly because it's an area of weakness created. /shuddershudder. Subtractive mods, I'm ok with.

 

"Not so brilliant a strategy" -- BWAHAHAHA! Oh heavens I love the way you write, surreality.

I never really cared for tatoos, because the bulk of them that I had seen were really bland greenish-looking things on battle-scarred veterans. And then there was the "I used to have a 30 waist and now it's 48" effect on some of those tatoos; some may like it but it did nothing for me personally.

However, in the past decade or so they have become incredibly more beautiful - maybe they were that way before and I never saw them but the newer ones I've seen have been gorgeous.

How this relates to dolls? It actually does, for me, in an odd way. One of my earliest posts here, back in the dark ages, was "why would you want to scar your doll"? I just didn't "get it." Time has passed; I've seen some truly horrifying (in the way they were intended) gore mods that were exquisitely done. I've seen tats that were awful and others that were breathtakingly beautiful. AND I've had occasion to do a fair amount of modification on some of my dolls, with various levels of success.

The result is that I've developed a much greater awareness of what it takes to do body modifications well, why they might be important, and how to appreciate them for what they are as opposed to looking at them with the eye of the early 60's, which is when I was a kid. Just like anything else it's a learning process.

Now would I have modifications done on my OWN body? Aside from ear piercings - the safe bland one hole punch on either side - not likely, primarily for reasons other than aesthetic. If I could swap out bodies like we can with the dolls, though... oh wow I'd be there in a second.

 

One does not effect the other for me, because dolls are not human. I've never had an issue with tattoos, piercings and the like. Plastic surgery has always icked me out and still does. I have features that I don't like, but they are part of what makes me me, and these came down through the genes I inherited from my parents. To surgically mess with my face feels like I would be erasing part of who I am and where I come from. It's unnerving. Of course it's a personal decision -- that's just why I myself have issues with it.

Since dolls are not fleshy human people and are made to actually be customized, it wouldn't make sense to be all against modding because I don't like plastic surgery with real people.

 

To make a long story short, a few years ago I was offered the opportunity to have re-constructive surgery but refused. Funny thing is that afterwards I have always preferred my dolls to have an "un-perfect" look. I suppose we project a bit of ourselves and how we see the world into our dolls.

 

ratty: I just wanted to say- I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm really impressed with the information you gave, too- thank you!!!

 

I am on the fence about how I feel about this question. On one hand, BJDs has not changed my perception on human modification. I feel that doing a modification to a BJD is more elastic (more easily reverted back) than modification on a human. I'm referring to surgery, scarring, etc., not piercings, and other minor things.

Braces are an example of cosmetic alteration that is widely accepted, yet sometimes plastic surgery is not. I myself have had moles removed on my face (not plastic surgery, but still considered to be surgery) because they made me feel uncomfortable, but to others they would consider them to be beauty marks. Something interesting to think about. But I take alterations on humans to be much more serious than alterations on dolls.

I would like for at least one of my doll to have a tattoo, though I myself would never want one because I would get sick of it in two weeks With a doll, you can do things to it that you can't/don't want to do on yourself.

 

I am all for modifications on dolls but I don't compare that in any way to human mods. With dolls there is always a way back depending on your level of skill. You can shave away and add on to your hearts content and there is no lasting affect to the doll since it's an inanimate object. For a person, take a look at Michael Jackson and anyone who has had major health complications due to surgery. There are many cases where ppl can die or get terrible infections due to botched surgeries. Even if you can take the implants out the skin on the bewbs will be stretched out and saggy. There's no reversal for humans.

I will say that while I wouldn't choose to undergo plastic surgery (not talking about piercings or tats here) myself I think ppl are allowed to choose what they want. It's common knowledge that looks opens doors no matter which industry you're in. Studies show that ppl who are better looking are immediately judged as being smarter and more competent whether or not that is the actual case or if it is disproved later. If making yourself look better by using a little plastic surgery, then good for you. It's a good investment as long as you do the proper research and make careful aesthetic decisions.

On the other hand in terms of reproduction, you aren't passing on that double eyelid fold, small nose and little chin you got under the knife. So it kinda sucks for the ppl who expect good looking children from a partner who's had work done.

The other question is, would i date someone who's had plastic surgery that is not reconstructive. No. I prefer someone to look the way their genes describe them.

 

i've never really had an issue with body mods at all. My biggest issue with them is the damage they can do to a person if not done correctly. So seeing doll mods hasn't really changed my view.

Mods done on a doll, at least to mine, are more about making a sculpt fit a certain character, not about making him/her fit society's idea of beauty OR for shock value, which is often what human mods are about. (not always! but often) My doll isn't thinking "Oh, I'd be prettier if I were thinner/bigger breasted/less saggy in the face". And when I got my tats and piercings, I wasn't thinking "My body will look more like who I'm supposed to be if I get this." yes, it is expressing myself, but it's not like my body is just like other people's until I remove this, add that, etc.

 

Honestly, they are so radically different from each other, the parallels are few and far between. However, I do believe my personal interest in bodily modification has affected my perception of doll modification in some aspects. Basically, I love seeing extreme modifications, both on dolls and people. (Providing of course that the people mods stem from the feeling that one's life will be enriched by the change, and not coming from the desire to follow a popular trend of frankly unhealthy standards for an "ideal" body. And definitely not because someone else told you to do it.)

 

I know very well the difference between resin and flesh. For instance, taking a paring knife to resin will only result in some emergency restoration, while taking a paring knife to flesh will result in an emergency room visit, stitches, and an impressive scar to brag about later.

However, I would like to say that I have definitely been influenced by both human body modification/repair as well as doll modification/repair.

My uncle (who had been one of the ones to help raise me) had been having a lot of trouble with his leg, and eventually had to have it removed. I cannot say if this happened the same time I decided to make one of my dolls an amputee or not as I honestly do not remember, but the timing always struck me as interesting. Perhaps I was making my doll an amputee to help me deal with my uncle's new condition, or perhaps it was lucky happenstance.

I am now more interested in seeing dolls with false/prosthetic limbs and/or what the modifications would look like had they not had a prosthetic limb. I'd like to see what others have done with that idea.


I'm not saying that surgery to remove a failing limb is the same thing as breast implants or a nose piercing, but my experiences with my uncle and BJDs have influenced the way I look at body modifications - whether necessary or voluntary.

 

I'm quoting both of these to point out a point.

It all depends on your personal aesthetic preference, If you like pricing/tattoos that's nice, if you don't then that's fine as well.

For the OP's questions: I like seeing tattoo-art on BJD's rather then on human bodies, It's less permanent. and I like it better if it's done tastefully or as an expression of the doll's character. (horrible looking tattoo's on doll's make me wince, honesty.)

As for changing my mind about tattoos/piercings body modification in general?
It does not,

A bunch of piercings on a BJD's ear makes me wounder more about the resin strength with so many drilled holes and weight on the small area.

I myself, am considering getting some tattoos done, but only three which are significant to me.
I'm not too fond of getting multiple piercings or body modifications myself, but I like looking at them on other people.

 

It's so easy to mod dolls; I only wish human modification was as simple.

I find nothing wrong with doll or human modification. As long as you don't find yourself nit-picking at your own body to the point where you might be diagnosed with BDD, I see nothing wrong when someone wants to modify their body to some degree.

Sure, there are some procedures that I think are on the verge of foolish, like removing your pinkie toe so you can fit into a pair of shoes, but no matter how much sanding I may do to my doll, it's not going to change my mind on some things.

 

Owning an art doll (bjd) certainly has made me more aware of the choices humans make about their bodies,
but my opinion hasn't changed, just expanded.
I think humans should work with what they got and not seriously (surgery) alter their appearance. Modifying someone who is already unique seems silly to me. And consider that the plastic surgery or whatever is being done to make that person more like the current perception of beauty to be like everyone is "supposed" to be. The unatainable image of perfection-
Dolls, on the other hand, were meant to be customized. In any other art form, I would be extremely hesitant to modify an artist's work, but with bjd's, it is a natural part of the process of owning a doll. This level of personalization of dolls makes them more "real" in that they each become unique, with their own story and look; they become more "human" in a sense.

 

Well, the two things are completely different. Kind of like how Qwuilleran said: one is making an artistic difference to a belonging which can easily be replaced or thrown out if you do something wrong or you're bored of it. The other is often a result of societal pressure telling you you don't look the right way. In dolls, you make modifications a lot of the time because you want them to be more unique rather than the same perfect mould. Humans don't usually do that when it comes to plastic surgery. Tattoos and piercings, however, might be more along the same lines as BJD modification.

I wouldn't say that either has changed my view on the other. You can do whatever you want to your belongings, so long as you're using proper safety gear. But I am more likely to try to persuade someone not to get extreme modifications on their own bodies, or even visible tattoos, simply for health or employment reasons. Obviously you can do what you like to your own body but I would definitely try to talk someone out of getting a face tattoo or unnecessary surgery. That's just being a caring human being, because it could seriously hinder their life forever. But that's just not the same on a BJD, as everyone else seems to have said.