So what should we call ourselves? (Opinions Wanted)

How about BJOs (Ball jointed owners)? We're not ball jointed but we own them so it half works

 

XD I like Resinist but I own vinyl dolls too so that's not really fitting least to me. XD

 

I will always marvel at people's desire for labels. I don't see why it's necessary to call ourselves anything at all. My collecting, customizing and owning of BJDs is not such a significant part of my personality that I feel the need to categorize it. If people want to know my hobbies, I tell them that along with my other hobbies I collect and customize dolls, and if they're interested I tell them more about the dolls themselves. At a push, I could describe someone as a BJD collector/owner. That's pretty self-explanatory. Anything more esoteric would become like a tribal identity, to me, and I don't think that's the way to go. I don't see why it needs to be complicated.

 

Personally, I think BJD hobbyist is the most inclusive, as it includes people who own BJDs, make BJDs, don't actually have a doll but want/plan to get one, and people who don't have dolls but are in some other way involved in the hobby (e.g. they do faceups, customizations or clothes of/for other peoples' dolls). I think it also includes the idea that the hobby can be about a lot more than just collecting dolls. For example, in my case being part of the hobby includes doll-related activities like making clothes for my dolls and RPing with my dolls' characters, but for other people those activities may not be as important (they may just want to collect dolls, they may be more into photography or modding, etc.).

I don't really see the problem with "doll collector," though, at least for those folks who actually collect BJDs. They are dolls and people do collect them. We fit into the doll collecting hobby. It's not like we can't use that label because we don't collect Barbies or whatever (note: yes, I'm aware that plenty of BJD-collecting people also collect other kinds of dolls).

I don't really like "resin collector" because it makes it sound like we collect tree sap. "Resiner" and "Resinist" kind of grate on me too. Resinist sounds also like job title, like someone who professionally collects and analyzes tree sap samples or something.

 

As weird as it probably sounds, I call myself a resinista (like a fashionista, I suppose).

 

I have to agree.

When asks me to explain what I do, I use words that everyone understands, not words that sound 'catchy'. 'Doll collector' might be too generic for us perhaps, but people outside the hobby know what I mean when I call myself that.

 

Labels aren't exactly unnecessary. They help create solidarity within a community and a feeling of belonging to one. It's the reason teenagers are so desperate to apply labels to themselves; they're more aware of this need to fit into a group. That's not exactly a bad thing, to want to have something to call yourself so that you can happily sit under that label with your friends.

On linguistic terms, it's just easier to call yourself something in one or two words than say 'I am someone who owns a ball jointed doll' every time you want to refer to your involvement in the hobby. It's just long-winded.

But on the other hand, I'd just say 'BJD collector/BJD hobbyist'. Simple and easier to communicate to people who aren't in the hobby. *shrug* Although the other little names for it are pretty cute, I don't think I'd use them, especially not outside the hobby.

 

Word.

I'm a doll collector. I don't see a reason to make it more complex than that. These things are dolls, after all; there's nothing wrong with just calling it like it is. If people want specifics on what kind of doll (and they almost always do; it seems like the logical answer to 'I collect dolls' is 'what kind of doll') then I'll tell them, but other than that I don't particularly see any need to fancy up something that's pretty basic. BJDs aren't a focus of my life; they're merely one facet, and not a very big facet at that. If I say I'm a doll collector, then people outside the hobby Get It, as it were. That's fine with me.

 

"I collect big-ass Asian dolls" is fine for me ^_^ it hardly ever comes up anyway.

 

That's the best answer ever.

I tend to say 'BJD owner', which I suppose is the bluntest most obvious one. Equally if somebody asks me about my hobbies I'll say 'I collect BJDs'. It's funny actually because I don't really see my dolls as a collection.

 

*shrugs* I don't see a reason for there to need to be a general term that we all go by. I call myself a Doll Collector, and am very happy that way. I don't just collect BJDs. I also have some porcelain dolls, both that were my own from childhood, and ones that belonged to my grandmother. I have some Barbies that I love dearly. And I collect and customize Monster High dolls. So I really am a doll collector in that way. I do way more customizing and modding than is what people perceive as 'normal' for a doll collector, but I'm happy this way, and happy to call myself a doll collector when people ask.

 

This.

"Doll collector" seems just fine to me.

 

Yeah I agree doll collector is good enough when you're talking to people out of the hobby... no one will know what the heck a Resinist is
And if you're talking to other doll collectors, just say BJD collector...... they should be able to understand (and if not, it takes all of 3 seconds to explain..)

 

I claim to be a BJDAOC- a Ball-Jointed Doll Artist/Owner/Collector idk that's kinda all inclusive-ish... idk interesting idea...

 

This

And this.

 

I will always marvel at some people's need to dump on a thread subject that is obviously just for fun.

Personally, I don't like to simply say that I collect dolls because, as an older woman, I know people are imagining me hoarding reborns and Himstedts or, even worse, those cheap plastic dolls with the crocheted dresses. Not that there's anything wrong with any of those.
I think of my dolls as mannequins/models for my photography and the two hobbies are so intertwined that I don't believe I would pursue one without the other. Plus it all stems from a life-long interest in miniatures.

So I do have to do a little explaining no matter what I call myself.

 

Oh, so expressing an opinion in a thread where the title specifically says "OPINIONS WANTED" is dumping now, is it?

Your desire to have an elaborate handle for your hobby is your own personal neuroticism, and from your comment seems to be born out of a fear of other people's judgement of you. So what's going to sound weirder: "I collect dolls" or "I'm a resinoid/resinist/mannequin photographer"?

Personally, I find that if people are going to judge me for collecting dolls, that's actually quite helpful because it means I don't want to be their friend anyway. You say there's nothing wrong with collecting reborns, Himstedts or "cheap plastic dolls with crocheted dresses" but your language implies you actually think the opposite. So what if someone thinks you do collect cheap plastic dolls with crocheted dresses? Imagine how odd it would look going "I collect dolls, but not just any dolls, these are special customized Asian dolls and definitely not cheap and having no involvement whatsoever with crochet!!" (preferably while having a manic expression and hitting the inquirer over the head with a Yo-SD.) Just say you collect dolls and be done with it.

 

I usually go with "Ball-Joint Doll Hobbyist/Collector" (no acronyms!) because it's both inclusive and specific and most likely to elicit an "OK, but what is that?" response. (Yes, I bait non-hobbyists so I can prattle on about my dollies.)

I agree with Harlequin-Elle that we don't need a fancy name for ourselves, but I am very interested to hear how other people refer to themselves.

@Phanuel & Harlequin-Elle: I think I read Elle's post the same way (it sounds kind of negative), but I think that Sianserais also worded their post in a way that implies something about the way we currently refer to ourselves might need to be fixed (and I also disagree with that, so I can understand where Elle is coming from). At the same time, if Sianserais had just asked "How do you refer to yourself when talking to non-hobbyists?" it wouldn't be nearly as interesting of a discussion.

You could call yourself a "vinylist" but that might confuse people into thinking you play violin.

That's adorable! I think I think I might start using that when talking to other hobbyists.

 

ooo I like Resinist. It sounds.... sexy. :}