Is your doll habit a dirty little secret?

Its not quite a secret, but I am a little bit careful about who I let into my studio to see them - not least because I have baby dolls (reborns) too. My sister doesn't know I have them but she's going to find out when we move nearer to her, and I know she'll be judgemental. My adult daughters think I've lost the plot but are just about tolerant, and the grand-daughters love them to bits!!

 

I let all my friends know about my love for BJDs even though my first has yet to arrive. My talking about to them got them interested anyway but didn't care if they didn't like them or not. Not my problem. My mom talks about them to my family more than I do. They actually find them interesting since they have there own expensive hobbies. My mother is also the reason why I got my first dolly collector friend. If anyone asks about it I'm happy to share.

 

Only my closest friends know about my dolls, but they are not very interested on them.
My closest one even has pediophobia, so I have to hide my dolls when she comes home... T_T

In my family, I don't have much support either.
My father doesn't like them, but likes the fact that I have asked them about professional photography and he got to teach me a lot and spend more time together.
My little sister thinks they aren't that great to be that expensive, that said, she always help me with them if I ask her to.
And my mom doesn't care about them much, but she always want to help me to dress them or restring them when they first come home.

 

...sort of? I mean, it's not a secret, but I rarely mention it to anyone and would feel awkward doing so unless there were a specific reason I thought they would find it interesting, or they were already interested in BJDs. My friends are familiar with my hobbies but only vaguely aware of this one in comparison to how familiar they are with the fact that I draw, write, and own pet rats. My close friends and housemates have seen one or two of my dolls when in my room and thought they were cute, but since (except for my vinyl girl) they're only taken out from their boxes and drawers to take photos, they mostly do not get seen by other people.

Basically, I don't feel any particular urge to mention it to anyone. The first reply to this thread is pretty relatable.

 

Heck noooo! My family and friends know I'm nerdy and I like weird things and I love collecting stuff so I don't mind anything I even post my dolls to FB sometimes lolz

 

Do you make your love of bjd's very public, or keep it a secret?

With me, only two of my friends know I like 'dolls' but basically no one outside my family knows about my love for bjd's. This is why I'm really excited to be attending a meetup very soon as like my love for kpop, there's no one I know who also has a real passion for bjd's that I can talk about it to.

Does anyone else have this problem? Living in a place with no other fellow dolly enthusiasts, and your enthusiasm for bjd's being a dirty secret.

Let me know .

 

Yes and no. I'm selective in who I tell about my hobby, simply because many of my friends/family really don't seem to have much interest in it. I talk about it with a few of my artistically inclined friends (who might not be into BJDs but certainly understand collecting and crafting beautiful items), and I've also made a few friends who also collect BJDs themselves. As far as my family goes, they already know that I collect dolls, action figures, and toys, and so I think they just consider BJDs to be another category of that particular little "quirk."

 

It's interesting isn't it...reading these comments... most are not forthcoming about their love for their dolls.... why?
Is it the money aspect?... or the fact that its dolls, something you are supposed to outgrow.
My family thought I needed medicating when I started buying dolls, now they don't say much but probably still think that and I'll bet they don't tell their friends about their problem relative..... I don't care though, I'm fine with it.
Love my dolls!!!!

 

I was worried about the reactions I would get if I decided to purchase a doll when i first started researching BJD's. Not from my close friends mind you seeing as almost all of them collect monster high, My little pony dolls, and we all have our own particular animal/animals that we collect pushes of whenever possible. But I was worried what my wider circle of non collecting, cos-playing, convention going friends might think. however despite this worry I went ahead and posted pictures of my Doll Cinder when he arrived a few days ago and now I have several friends who have already messaged me that want to come over just so that they can meet him ^-^.
I'm still a bit hesitant to take him about with me because of the reactions I might have to deal with but my hobby is not a secret from my friends or family (my mom collects baby dolls and is honestly happy that I'm collecting BJD's its so much fun ^^ Dad just thinks its weird that they are anatomically correct but is otherwise neutral)

 

I don't think that I'd mind my friends knowing, but I really wouldn't want anyone who I interact with in my professional life to know. I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of my friends wouldn't mind much, we're all a bunch of oddballs. And I don't care much about what strangers think.

 

I actually enjoy flaunting my doll. I have taken her to school with me several times. I put a lot of work into customizing her and I am very proud so naturally, I want to share my joy and her beauty with the rest of the world. I am not a shy person so I don't mind questions or stares.

 

I'm kinda selective about it; my mom got me some Monster High dolls I asked for for Christmas but I never mentioned my resin one to her, so she's got sort of an idea. She's super artsy and agrees that the monster high ones are beautiful, so she'd probably like my resin one, but the price probably not so much haha. My boyfriend finds them a little creepy, but understands why it's important for me to have mine to practice sewing clothes for (form to work with, moving joints, etc.).

If I do post about it so far, it's been WIPs on sewing stuff for her or something on tumblr or Facebook BJD forums. I haven't posted anything on my personal account yet but I probably will once I finish her first outfit. I'm not the type to take her out and about though.

 

No secrets here! I'm passionate about my hobbies, and this one is no exception. My family knows and so do most of my friends. I try not to drive them nuts with idle dolly chatter, though.

 

Not one bit. That is part of who I am. Anyone who knows me knows I love and collect dolls.

 

Hmmm from some people? My mom and dad know. Most of my friends know. One of my coworkers know. My grandparent's don't however.
It's not something I publicly display. It's kind of like anime. I watch it a lot, but I don't discuss it usually unless someone directly asks me or is interested in the subject.

I think what I actually hide is how much I spend. I will NEVER share how much I spend on just one of these babies. It's none of their business.

 

Yes, I've basically said this before... I'm pretty guarded about the hobby. I like to control who knows or sees the dolls. I have an in-law that the whole family agrees should never see them if I want to have a good relationship with her. Maybe her and people's light teasing got to me. Part of it's annoyance with how people perceive one another at first glance. I bring them out for shoots once in a blue moon and I just suck it up and have to do my walk of shame where I'm this sore thumb walking around with a huge doll (in my head I'm a sore thumb anyhow) usually one of the guys, so he looks nothing like a traditional doll and I just imagine it's very odd and curious to people who don't bother asking. I'm also prone to getting tongue tied and forgetting how to explain things to people when they ask about the bjds. I also get weird around regular doll collectors but I'm getting better with that. I now have this paranoia that I'm going to get pulled into having to hear about their antique doll collection and all about crocheting. I'm too friendly and polite for my own good. I have a partner who gets involved though, and he's carried the dolls in public, put up with my long photoshoots and even is building a doll of his own with my help. The price is a sorespot with everyone who knows though. I get crabbed at by my folks for using some inheritance on dolls. I feel like I need to dodge the question of prices constantly to keep them off me. Meanwhile I genuinely enjoy toiling away at these dolls and the awesome people I've met because of them. I am reminded of their price when I look at them sometimes but that's what I put up to create this awesome thing. They are my creations and the creations of everyone who contributed to them. Artists, seamstressess.... I find the dolls in themselves so much more impressive than the money that's a means to an end. If I can get people to understand that, I am comfortable with them knowing my collection. Some people just don't "get" passion. I don't "get" them. This is how I live. This is fulfilling.

 

My parents know, but everyone else, not so much. It doesn't bother me tbh.

 

Oh certainly not a secret! I have taken Grigoriy to the craft store with me and had him ride around in the child seat in the cart. One of the women who worked there had wanted to see him so I brought him along and he got to "help" pick out fabric. She and I had a wonderful time with him. I got looks but I get looks anyway when I go to the craft store (I usually get excited and have made friends with all the women who work there)

I do, however, keep them shut up when some of my friends come over. This isn't because I am afraid of people finding out about them, all my friends know, its that some of my friends are afraid of them and I don't want them to be uncomfortable. Once when I posted some pictures of my new Dollshe Bernard online, excited because I had finally brought my grail doll home, I got so many negative comments from friends that I had to take the picture down. I made a new post instead that expressed my hurt that my friends were so disrespectful about my hobby and that I would not tolerate that sort of commentary again. I don't make fun of their hobbies thank you very much.

So now I don't invite problems by bringing the dolls up around people who don't like them. It makes me sad that I can't have the same pride in them around my friends that I do when I take them out around strangers. The friends I have who like them are very great about them, though. One of my friends has even appointed herself Grigoriy's "godmother" and made him a beautiful box for his things.

 

A big secret! I'm generally a rather private person, I keep my real life and my hobbies pretty separate. I never liked people coming into my room as a teen and I don't even really like having my family come over. I have a lot of personal things in my personal space and it just feels really invasive for someone to come in and look at all of the things that make me who I am.
I even made a doll friend recently and I have yet to give her the exact number of dolls I have because she only has 2 and I don't want to seem like I'm bragging about having more. I thought I was ashamed to share how much money I've spent but with her it's just clear that I have a wall up between me and everyone else. Only my dolls won't judge me!

 

Occasionally I take the doll with me to public places to take photos - I feel like I need to practice.
Also, whenever some of my boyfriend's friends come to our place they see the dolls. Weird hobbies are absolutely mine. And bjds are not my only hobby, i also have quite an impressive collection of niche perfumery.
Idk if some people might judge me, I do not have any close friends to talk about that either. I just do what I feel like.