Modification Ethics

Oh my great galloping buddhas, wow... now modifying dolls is taking food from the mouths of homeless orphans and lost puppies...? :... Sometimes these debates spiral into such fanciful territories overnight!

But: the party ain't over until somebody mentions Hitler. C'mon, who's gonna drop it first? Anyone? Can I get a "Someone who would mod a $1000 doll shows a callous disregard for humanity even worse than Hitler's" in the house?

 

Sometimes, collectors feel that they don't just own an item themselves, but they are preserving it for future generations after they are gone. There is an idea that items you collect go beyond being your own property, and are cultural property. That is a valid way to collect items. If you get into collecting anything historical, other collectors will consider you the "guardians" of the property, and consider it your responsibility to maintain that item in good repair. This is where the ethical question comes in. What responsibilities do we have, since we aren't collecting things that are historical? Saying "none what-so-ever I could burn it if I want" isn't realistic.

I think we've all seen mods that went horribly awry. I would hope that those who are learning to mod, such as opening eyes, etc, would practice on non-limited dolls first, and only mod the limited dolls when they have the appropriate skills to do so.

 

Why JennyNemesis, you certainly can.

One word.

Dollocaust.

 

As a rabid customizer who can't leave any doll in her possession as it came "out of the box", as it were, I guess I'm one of the worst transgressors when it comes to severe modification. But they're my dolls, why can't I make them look the way I want them to? I have no intention of selling them. Also, BJDs (the "standard" ones, anyway) aren't works of art. They're blank canvases on which we create our own works of art. That's the whole point, isn't it? If we all had exactly the same doll as it came from the company, why would we even need a discussion forum at all?

 

Nichan- its still a Minifee Shiwoo even after you mod the eye shape and sand the nose and whatever else you choose to do to it. Its just been modified now. You didn't sculpt the base, you altered it, so you really should note that its Brand X, but modded. Even the ones burned, boiled, and covered in epoxy should be listed as modified Brand X, because at its core is a doll someone else sculpted. Its like taking a drawing or painting and just changing the clothes and colours and hair. That tends to get frowned on in the art world it you don't say where you got the original.

Is it really a big deal if someone wants to completely destroy their doll, because that is the look they want? If they want to pay $5000 to destroy it, they can. Its their money and their doll. They don't have to please anyone else. Isn't it just as selfish to demand people do things the way you like with their dolls? Maybe when you are renovating your house you should run it by them to make sure its a colour they like or they won't be upset by you taking down that wall. Or ask them before you put a new sound system in your car. You spent a lot of money on those and now you're modding it.

If the doll is sold without a faceup doesn't putting one on count as modifying? If it bothers you so much buy your own and then you will know there is at least one unspoiled doll in the world. I, however, will continue to sand and drill my dolls to my heart's content.

 

By extreme mods do you mean gore/zombie type mods? Those I can see possibly needing a warning. But just modding a doll extensively should not need anything like that. It's not that I want to be rude to people, and in general I think warnings are a good idea when it comes to explicit content. However, if people cannot handle the fact that other people mod their dolls -- sometimes very extensively, then they are really going to have trouble in this hobby, because the hobby from the beginning has been based around customization to such a large extent. That's why people getting upset over modding doesn't make any sense -- it's just out of place in a hobby where even companies encourage customization. It's not really the modders who are doing anything out there or weird in this situation.

I can certainly understand that, and in cases involving pieces with great historical and cultural significance I would agree. However, these dolls don't really fall under that category considering that they have little significance at all outside our own small hobby and their intended purpose has been as customizable dolls rather than pieces whose primary value rests on them staying as perfect and pristine as possible. In this particular situation, bjd collectors should not be expected to keep dolls in their original condition for future hobbyists. Turning customizing customizable dolls into an ethical issue is just really misplaced. And where you have people modding, you have beginning modders and people who really like to experiment, so it follows that there will be those mods that didn't turn out the way they were intended (or maybe they did and beauty is simply in the eye of the beholder). The particular culture in this hobby just makes it really hard to argue against extensive modification since it just goes with the territory.

 

Hold there. I wanted to bring Micheal Jackson and his plastic surgeon into this debate before we got to Hitler.

 

Agreed. And don't forget about religion! The thought of great Buddha galloping is just beyond the pale for me.

 

Depends. If the design actually IS flawed, the sculptor (or maybe just that sculpt) should have noticed and improved it. If you did fix a knee that wouldn't bend by sanding, sawing or hacking it off, I think you can claim you've improved the sculpt without insulting the creator.

I have a Bobobie sprite and I think her legs are ridiculously long. She looks like a crane. I'd love to make her legs shorter, but I'm afraid to experiment. I am one of those people who is not a doll-modding genious, and she might end up crippled. Still, that is my personal opinion. I'm sure loads of people think the sprite is perfect.

 

I don't think modification is an ethics issue, however, I think how people perceive what is "right" and what is "wrong" will be different.

Personally, I feel modifications are a part of the hobby for a lot of individuals. However, sometimes, I wonder if it is possible that people get impatient and mod dolls which are eventually released anyways. With all the dolls on the market I don't know if modifications are a way to create something that hasn't yet been created or perhaps some mods are experiments and not about creating anything at all. Or, perhaps, some mods are somewhere between on the spectrum.

So, I don't think modification itself is the issue of ethics, but perhaps how people approach modifying dolls could arguably be a bit of an ethical issue. Are there certain things people should consider before modifying dolls? Or is the catch-all phrase "It's mine to do with as I please" a good enough reasoning to do any modification in any way? Does the end justify the means?

Personally, I feel it would depend on the individual.

 

Your long leg example is more a matter of personal taste as you say you think the legs are ridiculously long. This is not the same as saying the legs are ridiculously long, there's something wrong with the sculptor for not seeing that while sculpting and the doll needs to be fixed or it will remain a flawed product.

Iplehouse EID and JID boy bodies have trouble sitting up and a lot of people recommend sanding a bit off the lower torso near the hip sockets to improve posing. The bodies aren't flawed, but there's room for improvement should an owner want less hassle with making their doll sit.

 

Any mod using the equipment by BJD crushers.

http://www.bjdcrushers.co.uk/

 

I think this is a very creative and customizable hobby, so these things should be expected. If you pay the undreds or even thousands of dollars for your doll, you can do whatever you want with it, whether that is preserving it as a fullset exactly as the day you got it or modding it beyond all recognition.

I HAVE seen some...not so pretty....faceups and mod jobs, but we all start somewhere and if you don't practice, you don't learn. I've also seen some professional quality faceups or mods that I find hideous and I have gotten the thought of "what were they THINKING??" but when it comes down to it, I don't have to like their dolls. They aren't modding on MY doll, so if I don't like it, I just stay quiet.

The only time I think it would be unethical would be if you bought a sculpt, modded it and claimed ALL the work for your own. "This is a heavily modded DiM Robel" is okay, because you are giving the original sculpter credit but saying you changed it alot....either claiming credit for the work you did or admitting how badly you ruined the doll. lol As an artist, I'd much rather someone admit to modding one of my works than claim it ALL as theirs, even if only one tiny piece of my original work is visible...it was still MINE.

 

Ethics in this case varies from person to person. I know that if I buy a doll and I want to mod it, then I will mod it, and--to be frank--to hell with anyone who has a problem with it.

I already have a slightly ambitious project I plan to do one day that will involve creating digitigrade legs for a doll to shell out a character of mine. That will likely mean modding existing legs parts in addition to creating whole new parts.

Granted, my plan isn't to mod a head... yet. But I take deep offense to even my family telling me what I can and can't do with something I own. I certainly will not let someone I don't even know do it.

Yes, to be honest, I would be quite... put off by the idea of someone just going hog-wild on the modding on like... a OOAK or something rare like a Bermann. But at the end of the day, it is honestly not my place to go and tell this person off for doing what they want to with *their* property.

...Oh, and for JennyNemesis--> Only Hitler would commit and such a grave injustice as to mod a $1000 doll... So I guess I may one day be the next Hitler.

 

*Sigh*

Just when I think the official rules of how to own a BJD have been fully laid out and expanded upon, another notice about "questionable" behaviour pops up. It's as if people think they have the right to do whatever they want with something they paid for! Honestly, I sincerely wish that you all would think of me each and every time you take your beautiful limiteds out of the box. Why, if something should happen to one of them think how hurt and upset I'd be to no longer find the occasional picture of that wonderful doll posted on the internet!

I really do get fed up- not with the debate, since this has actually been a pretty entertaining read- but with this concept that something I OWN- that I purchased with MY MONEY belongs to ANYONE but me. I have three limiteds with plans for more, and if half of 'em weren't tan I'd mod the holy heck out of them! If Maxxie was tanned all the way through that nose would be gone like, tomorrow. There only 16 of his sculpt in the world- does that mean I should put up with a nose that can slice cheese just because someone else may not get a chance to own one? LMAO- the thought makes me laugh. I understand the difference between cultural perspectives, but just you go try to tell those Japanese girls that their limited edition "Baby The Stars Shine Bright" skirts belong to you. See what happens.
Or go try to tell a Masai man that his cow is actually yours. For real- I dare you. No matter how "collective" a society is, most people do believe in ownership of something. That tired old schtick about "well, we're a collective society so..." fine- then your most prized possession is mine now. I will tell you what you can and cannot do with it. Does that make sense? Hopefully I didn't offend too too many people, but honestly, what you do with what's yours is your business. If I don't like it (and there are plenty of times when all I can think is "eye poison!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!" ) then I'll hit the back button and get on with my life. Will I question your taste? Maybe for like a second in the privacy of my own mind, but I'm not going to deny you the right to ownership at any point.

 

Amen, Teruchan.
Dolls are still dolls. They're not historically meaningful, they're hobby. Just because some people didn't get the LE doll they wanted doesn't mean that others can't mod them to their liking. I guess they'd buy the doll given the chance and just leave them in the box, preserving them for the next generation. =_=

And about that cultural perspective thing. WHAT does this have to do with modding dolls? I'm European, I have many Korean friends and Chinese and Japanese guest visitors though college and through visiting their country. I can understand the perspective in general but guess what? Some of my friends modded their dolls and that has nothing really to do with "respecting somebody's art" but more with the fact that they can be creative through those dolls.
I always thought that was a huge thing in the doll world: 10 people get the same doll and each might look different because of the owner's intention for this doll. That's why I personally like to look at pictures of dolls on here.
But that you all just be me.

 

To me, once you pay for a doll and it is yours, it is nobody's business what you do with it.

 

That's hilarious! I wonder what those are actually used for.

I might be using this quote in a different context than it's original intent, but I do find this piece true. It's not just in whether to modify a doll or not, it's also in a lot of other things within the hobby. There are probably people out there who believe that buying your doll with a company face up is a bad thing, or consider you less of a hobbyist if you don't sew for your doll, or do something people tend to do with their dolls. When it comes right down to it, you have to choose to be paranoid about having even one other person ever find fault with how you mod your doll, or you can just mod the doll.

I don't doubt that that's true for some people, but I think they're generally a minority. People treat this hobby differently, so some things that might drive Owner A off the wall, and make them feel compelled to say "WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A HEINOUS THING?!" might not mean a thing to Owner B. Some people think it's crazy to not make every wig for your doll, and some people really don't care. So, if someone decided to get on their case about why they don't make their doll's wigs, they can brush it off because that person's opinions just seem ridiculous to them.

 

Breaking limestone for the production of quick lime. got there trough autocomplete when I typed bjdcru