How open are you with your BJD as a hobby?

I'm very open about it. My sister is also a collector as are several of my friends. Other friends are into gaming, figures and art so even outside the BJD hobby, they understand geeky and artistic things. It's not a secret at all. They don't have to be a fan, but I don't have time for people who can't respect that the hobby makes me happy.

 

I can't really think of dolls in terms of being in or out of the closet but...
I often have one doll out where it can be seen because I working on it and tell people what it is if they ask. If someone asks about my interests/hobbies I'll mention BJDs along with other things. I don't share doll talk all over the place because most people don't care and have nothing interesting to say about a hobby they don't take part in.

I understand some people have rude family or friends who will say negative things about their interests and may be afraid to share. I had a friend whose boyfriend was mean about her interest in dolls. However, I won't tolerate that and would stop hanging out with someone like that for being a jerk. Fortunately my family doesn't hassle me about dolls.

 

I don't make a big deal about any of my hobbies... but I don't bother to hide my interests, either. Pretty much anyone who's ever been in my house has seen at least the "downstairs" set of display cabinets. They're in a recessed passageway/landing space between my living room and kitchen/dining area, so in fairly obvious view.

Most of the time the dolls don't attract any more notice or comment than any of the other decorative objects in the house. If someone does ask about them, I'll explain what kind of dolls they are. If they want a closer look, I'll even pull somebody out and let them tinker a bit. (Visiting kids are most prone to that, but I have had a few adults who were curious about them, too. XD)

'Thing is, I'm not the least bit ashamed of the gang, or of being a "doll lady", and I think that comes through when I'm talking about the collection. People take cues from each other. We're social animals. So, if I'm obviously comfortable with it, they're more apt to be as well. Plus, I'm an older chick, so doll collecting is pretty much on the list of 'socially acceptable' hobbies for me to have, anyway. Even the most stogy, Propriety-Is-Everything types can't really argue with that. But honestly? No one has ever seemed to find it any stranger than my gardening or my collection of antique cookbooks.

 

I'm quite open about it. I take my crafting projects everywhere with me, and people like to ask what I'm making. Since I usually craft for dolls, that's how I answer. Sometimes I bring my dolls with me. People tend to be more interested in my creations than the fact I'm an adult who likes dolls.

 

No reason for me to hide this or any other hobby. If hobbies come up in conversation then I tell people. I broadly collect toys, so in general I always just reference my toy collection and then will dive into details if people ask.

 

If you ever stopped for a visit to my place you'd see my dolls in the office on a cabinet & on my desk. They aren't hidden at all. I always have to tell people if they hear I have dolls they are like OOAK art pieces.

 

Yes, this was exactly the point I was trying to get across! If you approach it with a lot of confidence, then people are more apt to accept it.

 

Personally, I'm open about BJD as my hobby. If I had to hide, it would be new dolls and I had to hide it away from my wife, in case she asked me how much did I spend again.

There are people who gave weird looks and that's ok for me. If I see another grown man carrying dolls, I _might_ gave him the same kind of look too.

 

I'm open but some of my friends find the dolls scary because they are so lifelike. I always have the mint in box mentality from collecting Barbies previously so it is very different with BJDs for me to be so hands on, so to say, with my dolls

 

LOL - I'm open about being Pagan - I told the guys on my Zeppelin list I was deep into KPop. So telling people I collect BJDs? LOL LOL LOL hardly a big deal for me

 

I collect plenty of dolls and I guess it depends on the person. There are some people (... majority) who think it's a little odd so I tend to keep quiet about it to avoid getting your so 'weird' and 'creepy' comments. However what I love about the doll community is that you get people who appreciate them and here is where I love to exchange collection photography and talk about the latest releases

 

My Bobobie Elfkin is on the display shelf in my living room but she's not very noticeable. I did post on Facebook when I got my dolls but these days I don't mention them much. My Souldoll Tae is kept in the spare room. I think I don't mention them much because they seem like such a luxury item that people can get tetchy when they find out how much they cost.

 

I'm super open and pumped about sharing the hobby! I walk around in public with them, and I get a good mix of freaked out looks and happy laughing looks. I honestly don't care. I enjoy talking to people about them and recently convinced a girl to buy her first! I feel very proud haha.

 

I only really tell people who are also in the hobby or I know can appreciate. Most people I have told either a) think the dolls are creepy or b) don't understand why I'd pay so much for them. And I don't want to be bothered to explain it again and again so and I am a pretty private person in general so it's no surprise.

 

Well, I certainly don't hide my dolls. If you come to my house, it's pretty obvious they're there. I live with my parents still, and they usually sit in the furnished basement. HOWEVER, for parties I will normally put them in my room for a safety reason, not really an embarrased reason.
I post them on my FB,
When people ask what I like, I mention them.
They're a part of me,and I'm not going to hide it. People like football, I like dolls. They might think dolls are stupid, I think football is stupid.
SO to me, sharing this piece of me isn't a big deal. If someone gives me poop about my hobby, I'll give them poop about theirs. Lol! I am someone who tries not to take things too literally or to heart so... I live my life happily and openly.
I will take them for pics, etc.
However, I don't bring them on daily tasks. (Work, shopping, etc. There's a separation there. Lol)

 

I don't go out of my way to tell anyone, but I don't hide it either. I don't really see a reason to hide any of my hobbies. If people don't like that I have dolls or play video games or whatever else, that's their own problem.

 

I'm not very open about it out of fear that people will think its childish or weird (especially since enough people have thought that about me throughout my life). But I recently told a very close friend and he was very supportive and even told me he found them beautiful! It's not so much out of shame, but out of fear and I'm a generally private person who doesn't share a lot of my interests so I don't think theres much of a surprise that I don't talk about them with most people.

 

I'm very open about it. In my view, there's no reason not to be. I don't go around telling every person I meet that I'm into dolls, of course, but I will make reference to the hobby to co-workers and friends and I'm not worried about being seen in public with my resin folks. There will always be people who will find it creepy, weird, extravagant, or a waste of time and money, but there are people out there who will think that about many different hobbies and pastimes, too. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and everyone is entitled to their own hobbies and pastimes. Also, I'm an adult with a job and money, so I'm not too worried about other people's judgements about what I spend my money on.

That having been said, I think there's a relationship between how open a person is about the hobby (or any hobby/pastime, really) and how others respond to it. If a person tries to hide it and acts as if it's something to be ashamed or embarrassed about and that it should be hidden, others who find out about it are more likely to respond negatively to it. In my experience, being open and communicative and not embarrassed about it tends to elicit more positive and respectful responses.

 

I tell some members of my family and some friends but some of my friends find it creepy irl because of Anabelle and all those scary doll movies.

 

I'm VERY open about my involvement with the hobby. I carry my dolls everywhere, post tons of pictures on Facebook, and talk about my dolls with anyone who wants to chat about hobbies. To me it's not any fun if I don't share it with the world!