Should She Worry What Her Friends Think About Her Having Dolls?

I don't really care that much either, but I like to read the various threads....and I must say, it's a mixed bag of stuff. *LOL*

Some topics I agree with and if I feel strongly I'll reply too. When I don't agree with it.....again I have to feel very strongly about it to the point where I'm re-editing my posts so it sounds so overly snarky.

Some Thread topics make me happy, some sad while a few threads.....make me want to bang my head on the desk because of the drama involved in collecting BJDs.
(Come on, we've got LOADS of drama happening at any one time.)

Either way I'm never bored.

 

I personally get nervous, because I do react very sensitively to criticism. I've receieved harsh words from many in my life about my girls, because of their cost, so I tend to keep them away from anyone else. I just want to be able to have fun and not be scrutinized, especially by folks I care about. :/

 

I also like to do all the above things - I'm a social person & love getting together w/fellow geeks to spazz out over things (ergo I belong to a Steampunk group, am a member of Star Fleet, & go watch anime w/a bunch of otakus most weekends...). I always like compliments, on my own costumes, on my writing, dancing, singing, my dollies & their costumes, etc etc.
I don't wilt away & die if somebody criticizes me, however. Lord, if I did I'd be a glob of sticky stuff by now, because my daughters are not shy about explaining to me my lack of discernment in music, clothing, TV & film preferences, etc etc etc.
I do what I do because I LIKE to do it - these dolls, making clothes & designing photo shoots, writing the stories etc fulfills a creative need for me - & I would still do it & publish a blog (uh, eventually) even if I somehow 'knew' that noone would ever look at it - after all, I could still look at it!

 

I really don't care one way or another. If you like something other peoples attitudes towards it shouldn't dictate your opinion or change your feelings about it.

 

I'm not bothered by what other people think about my dolls, unless they insult me. Then I'm more bothered by their manners. Obviously, I would prefer that those that don't like my dolls don't show obvious disdain, and it's nice when people compliment my dolls or are just interested.

I don't actively seek bjd owning friends, and I don't think they are superior to my other friends, but again, it's nice, at times, to commiserate over a joint passion.

I also don't like taking my dolls out in public because they're rather large and heavy, they're expensive so I'm afraid of theft/damage, and truthfully, unless it's a photoshoot or to a dollmeet, there's almost no reason to take them out. I did take my Supia Rosy once to an American Girl boutique to see if she'll fit one of their sofas. She did, I bought it, it's a beautiful settee, and I'm glad to have it.

 

I understand how strange this hobby can be from the perspective on a non-doll person, since it wasn't too long ago that I dislike dolls, so I'm okay with other ppl seeing them as creepy. My family and friends are not interested in this hobby, one of my good friend and my mom did call them creepy, of course I spurt out some random comment just for the sake of arguing, but it really didn't bother me if they don't like them.

I have no problem taking out my msd girl out shopping or photographing but I will admit that I have mix feeling about taking out my sd boy in public. One of the reason being that he is big and a bit heavy, and I am small and not that strong. My other reason is that carrying something that will attract so much attention just won't do me for.
For me, it's a personality conflict, I just don't want to be the center of attention. I can't stand that feeling of being watched by so many pairs of eye.

Of course, I'm still new to this hobby, so maybe in the future, as I get more into this hobby and photography, things will change.

 

How many of you honestly do not care whether other people like/dislike your dolls, whether you have BJD-owning friends, or about taking your dolls out in public?

I don't care if my friends like my hobby, or my dolls, but it's always welcome if someone does. Disapproval after disapproval can be quite tiring. I don't care if other people dislike my dolls for whatever reason; if they really don't like something, they have every right to their opinion. Now, if they physically get in the way of my enjoyment, that's a different story. I heard a story about someone's family secretly trying to return their doll when they weren't around. That I wouldn't tolerate.

Right now, I have one friend who I know of who wanted a doll, but I have no idea if she ever got one. So the only other doll owners I know of are on the forums.

I am also was never a fan of the whole 'dolls in public' thing. If it's a meet-up, fine, because a lot of other people are there and I don't look like the odd-one-out. I'm just not interested in taking my dolls out in public unless I have a real need to; I know it's going to attract a lot of on-lookers and my skin isn't thick enough to tolerate it.

 

I'm in the same boat. When I got my very first doll, I'll admit, I expected I'd be more social about my dolls, but that's just not the thing for me. I don't feel the need to attend meets, take my dolls out on errands with me, or even spam threads with pictures of them (I've only taken photos of my dolls once, aside from a few cell phone snapshots to a friend). My passion for this hobby was infectious, so now my partner and one of my best friends also really enjoy BJDs, and have each gotten one for themselves, but I never shoved the hobby onto them, or tried to steer them into my way of thinking.

It is cool to enjoy the hobby with them at times; it's nice getting to show off my projects like that. But that's all I need. And really? The biggest thing that's good about having "converting" people (my partner especially) is that he no longer gets nasty about me "wasting money" on the dolls. He gets it now. I'm a pretty solitary person generally, so something small like that is plenty for me to be happy with.

 

I wouldn't care to be honest,everybody like different things,but I would be worried about taking it out since they attract a lot of attention and you just can really trust people these days,what if someone try steal it?maybe I'm being paranoid.

 

I could not care less. I have only one friend in this hobby (who is an online friend anyways) as it is, and I'm just fine. If someone doesn't like me or my doll, that's not my problem since I'm not spending this kind of money to make someone else happy. If they don't like my doll, they can just go about their business and I'll go about mine.

Making friends in this hobby would be a big plus for me. I love having friends with similar interests, but I would be perfectly content to enjoy my dolls all by myself. I have other interest and friends that share those interests... so it's not like there's a void. Personally, I think these 'emotional difficulties' are more often just people blowing things out of proportion so they can whine and get sympathy. I have seen some legitimate issues that could cause upset... but sadly, those are not all that common, and not just in the doll community.

 

I own a lot of dolls that other people consider really ugly. Doesn't bother me one bit, because I'm the one who has to like them, no?

But... One time, I posted a picture of a doll that I had done the faceup on on Flickr, and got a comment along the lines of "OMG HOW AWFUL WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE POOR BABY??!!", and that DID sting. But I think it didn't really sting because I felt insulted that they didn't like what I'd done, but more because I was shocked that a complete stranger would be so rude out of the blue. If they'd simply said: "Oh, I really do not like the faceup, sorry", I don't think I would've cared.

 

I guess we are alike in that my doll hobby is reasonably personal. I don't have any inclination to go to meet-ups and don't take my dolls out in public either. I do intend to take a few out to be photographed at some point but will try to be as discreet as possible because I just don't enjoy interacting with total strangers in public that much, it makes me nervous and so I would feel very self conscious.

I draw and paint and for many years did street art to earn extra cash so you would think I would be OK with it but if anything it made me much more wary. People tend to be accepting when you are out there drawing on the pavement and asking for money because its a performance - and for them - but I am a little worried about reactions when you are just enjoying a hobby they don't understand and it isn't for them at all.

Those are just my own personal hang ups though and probably the reactions I would get in reality wouldn't be hostile just disinterested! It wouldn't bother me if people thought my dolls were ugly, I just don't want to be bothered by strangers. The few friends that know about my BJDs have all said that they are beautiful, maybe they are being polite, but I honestly don't think I would be worried if they didn't like them. Lots of people have hobbies their friends find puzzling now and then. Two of my best friends go ballroom dancing, beyond polite enquiry, we never talk about it. I don't think people generally need their friends to all be super interested just to enjoy their hobby.

 

I personally don't care if people like me or dislike me. I'm not shy about telling others that I have bjd dolls that I make clothes for. Everyone in my department at work knows about my dolls.

 

Having been an artdoll maker for many years I am used to people not "getting it" or ugh, what a creepy doll why would you make such a thing. Depending the mood I either laugh it off or make a snarky remark. Personally I don't take my dolls out much just because it can be a pain to lug them around. When I did take one of my big boys to the Arboretum in Seattle to take some pics all I got were polite questions but that is the big city and not my poo-dunk town I live in. I love my dolls and wish I knew other middle aged woman like me who like to play with dolls but I don't (only "cyber" friends) so I deal with it.

 

I don't expect everyone I meet to have the same taste in dolls that I do. In fact, I'm pretty polar opposite of a very close friend when it comes to what I like in dolls. That's never caused a problem, though, because we respect each other. As long people are polite about their opinions and treat each other with respect, it should never be an issue. I love going to doll meetups and have been to lots over the years, and I can count on one hand with fingers left over the number of times there was any real drama. I don't have a problem being out in public with other people, but I'm not as confident when I'm by myself. However, that's because I'm actually pretty shy -- there are times when I don't want to deal strange people, and having a doll out with you does increase the chance that people will want to interact with you.

Ultimately the doll hobby for me has it's public and private side. I really like being part of the community, but I buy my dolls for my own enjoyment only.

 

I'm definitely in the "I don't care" group. I bought them for me, not for anyone else.

 

I wish I could say I don't care, but after being laughed at in public, I can honestly say I definitely do care.
I don't expect my friends or family to get it, or to go ga-ga over my dolls. I just expect that my interests be respected.
Also it's so very nice to be in bjd communities like DoA, where everyone shares this interest even if we don't share tastes in what looks good. Atleast we all get the appeal in having a doll, right?
There's far too much stigma that doll owners are weird, I wish I could blow it off... but it gets an emotional reaction out of me every time.

 

Unless I'm attending a meetup or meeting someone who is interested in the type of dolls I collect and wants to see them first hand, there's no way I take my dolls out in public. I like my dolls to remain as pristine as possible and I can't control the cleanliness of a restaurant or a store or any public meeting place. Dirty, grimy, gross dolls disgust me to no end. So uh, no, I absolutely refuse to take mine out in public. Also, they each weigh a -ton- and I'd rather not lug around extra large cargo. hehe

In general, though, I don't care what other people do or don't do with their dolls. They're their dolls, their hobby. All of my friends, both doll and non-doll, feel this way. To each their own.

 

Honestly, I don't care whether or not others like my dolls. My dolls are for me and no one else. I have my doll friends and I have my friends who aren't into the hobby, but my non-BJD-lovin' friends haven't disrespected my hobby. When I first got into the hobby, they'd poke fun sometimes and say that the dolls were "freaky," but I never expected all/any my friends to like BJDs like I did/do. No big deal. My family was the same way. When I got my first doll, my dad couldn't understand my spending so much money on a doll, but he never discouraged me from the hobby. My sister and mum were more open to it, and still are! My husband married me when I still had one of my dolls and, though he shares my father's mentality, he didn't discourage me from enjoying the hobby. He just wanted me to be happy.

I was never adventurous when it comes to toting my dolls around though. I was a shy person (and I still am) and tried to avoid attention, but when with fellow BJD-lovers or going to meet-ups, I felt braver because I was with others who enjoy the hobby. Even so, despite my shyness, I still overcame it to take pretty pictures of my dolls.

In returning to the hobby, my husband wants me to be sure of the doll I want and that I'm not going to just sell her off when I get her. My mum is excited about it because she's always liked my dolls. My sister and two fellow dolly friends (one newly made!) have had to listen to my doll ramblings. They've all been awesome and have just let me rambled.

... I think I've gotten off track.

 

BJD's are my "just on my lonesome" time. Sooo peaceful
So, they do not get shared or offered up for judgment