Has owning BJDs increased your tolerance toward other people's 'weird' hobbies?

Nope. I'm old enough to have developed a pretty strong "To each their own"-attitude long before I owned dolls... I don't see anything wrong with having weird hobbies.

That said, there are still things in this hobby that can make me face-palm. I won't tell someone that they CAN'T or SHOULDN'T do those things themselves if they want to. It's their business and not mine, after all. But I do reserve the right not to participate, myself.

 

No they haven't. I have always been tolerant and accepting of all kinds of hobbies. What people do, collect, like, is none of my business. As long as it doesn't hurt others and makes people happy then that is awesome

 

I'm fairly new to collecting BJDs, but I have long had hobbies or interests considered weird by other people, and have kept a large part of my life "secret" from others because of it as I have been mocked before. So while Bjd collecting has given me more insight into collecting as a whole, I was already pretty non-judgmental about others' hobbies in the first place.

 

I don't think of doll-collecting as a weird hobby or something that sets me apart or makes me "strange". And I don't get that reaction from other people, despite the fact that I make no secret of my dolls. People have been collecting dolls forever. Them being Asian ball-jointed dolls really doesn't make any difference: doll-collecting is a pretty standard hobby.
I don't pay any attention to what hobbies other people have. I barely have enough time to enjoy my OWN hobby; I see zero reason to try and keep track of all the myriad hobbies other people enjoy, let alone form opinions on them.

 

I'm new to BJD's, but I've collected dolls for a while. It really does make you feel like a kindred spirit to all sorts of collectors But I dont think it changes tolerance, I always let people hobby as they please lol

 

...Increased?

Compared to some of the fandoms and hobbies I'm part of BJDs are downright mainstream. Casual to the core.
Mmkay. I've seen some funky stuff over the years and bjds aren't even the tip of the iceberg. So no, I can't say it's increased my tolerance. Frankly I find it a bit of an insult to other hobbies that they're even something you have to "tolerate" like they need approval or that they're any less than this hobby is.

They exist and will continue to exist no matter what someone on the outside looking in thinks.

Choice of words aside, I think it is nice that having a hobby that isn't widely accepted can help people understand what it's like for others in a similar situation. The world could use a little more empathy.

 

No, to be honest, I haven't changed my opinions on any "weird" hobbies. I'm still don't get some people and what they do. The only thing that's changed is now I understand why this hobby is so expensive. You need to buy EVERYTHING for these dolls.

 

i guess going into the bjd hobby has made me more open minded about 'weird' hobbies and such though, i wouldn't say that it is all because of the bjd hobby other factors impact my open mindedness too.

 

Yes, actually they have. When I was growing up, I was taught some pretty wrong and intolerant things about hobbies. Mainstream hobbies like sports and sewing were encouraged, while "weird" hobbies like dolls or toy trains were considered bad. Growing up, my parents always made special note of how "bad" adults with "childish" hobbies were.

Case in point, when I was about 8 years old we met a man who was 50+, he and his 36 year old son were toy train enthusiasts. My mother took one look at them setting up toy train tracks across their living room, with three more toy trains on tables littered around the house and was disgusted by it. On the car ride home I remember her making several comments about how she considered them to be mentally unhealthy, and warned me to stay away from people like that. At the time I kind of mirrored my mother's reaction due to her teachings, but now I feel ashamed of myself for being so judgemental of those two men and their adorable hobby.

They were just two people having a great time and now I think it's wonderful that they had a hobby like that, specially one they could share together and bring their family closer. Now when I look at hobbies I put them all on a level playing field, instead of thinking of one being better than another. Now no matter what hobby someone has, I think of and treat them all the same. Is your hobby dolls? Makeup? Toy trains? Painting? Rock collecting? Chocolate tasting? Fabric feeling? Good for you! All of them are valid so long as you're not hurting yourself or someone else in the process!

 

I was a fanfic writer for a long time, which one guy found "weird" enough to break up with me over when I finally let him read something I'd written. (And I liked him, too. Oh well.) So I've already had that experience of not being considered "normal."

I enjoy hearing about other peoples' passions/hobbies, even if it's not something I'd be into. If everyone liked the same thing, it would be really, really boring.

My father was actually into model trains, but I know he would have been very nasty and dismissive of my dolls. He used to make nasty comments about getting me a pacifier and diapers because I still had stuffed animals around in my twenties. By then I was old enough to realize it was his problem, not mine, and I was an adult and entitled to do as I pleased so long as no one was getting hurt.

 

No because I've always been tolerant and not judgemental of what other people like.

 

I've always been pretty tolerant, I think people should do what it is they like to do!


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I knew by joining the BJD hobby I would be judged for it, and I already have. So I've become a bit more understanding of the "weird" hobbies.

 

Probably any hobby that involves stepping into a fantasy world, even by proxy, is going to be considered a little weird. The problem is that everyone does this. It's just that trying to copy the latest fashion or tricking out your vehicle is more socially acceptable. Face it, if you aren't just dressing to keep yourself warm, cutting your hair to keep it out of your eyes, etc., you're trying to look like something nature did not intend. I find that guys are particularly spooked by anything that doesn't fit into the strict male canon of behavior. Poor things need to be liberated.

 

I've prettymuch always been tolerant of other hobbies and lifestyles. Sooo, no change for me.

 

No because I don't think that this is a weird hobby and I usually don't care for other people's hobbies as long as no one gets hurt by them.

 

Before collecting dolls, I collected (and still collect) skulls. So this is normal for me :P

 

No because i really didn't even think about this before ~ I mean, as long as the hobby doesn't cause any harm, people can always enjoy it ~

 

No, I've just always found it ridiculous to judge people based upon what they like if it isn't hurting anyone in the first place.

 

I said no because I'm pretty weird myself, and also fairly tolerant of other things. Also, I was at that convention when it happened. That was my 4th year attending and the first year I decided to stay at the hotel. I'm in the furry community as an artist. You can see some of my work on my Deviantart linked in my sig. I like drawing animals and I was raised on comics, video games, and fantasy, so for me it was never a weird thing. I think the thing about BJDs that caught me off-guard was discovering they had genitals, but I wasn't freaked out or anything. It was more along the line of my boyfriend asking me "So my doll is technically anatomically correct, want to see?" *Pulls up doll's dress* "Oh, I didn't know that." And that's how I found out, haha.