Social Status

Honestly, I haven't seen any people who try to use their dolls for social status. Someone only having dolls from one specific company, or only limited dolls, or buying their clothes, or treating their dolls a specific way doesn't make them a snob. Unless they INSIST that their way is superior, their choices usually just happen to be personal preference.

 

Echoing this for emphasis and agreement.

Admittedly, there are always some people who feel the need for a pecking order, and a position within it -- they just process things in terms of that sort of structure and will mentally impose one even if it doesn't actually exist. Some want high standing, to be the elite, and some actually want low standing, for 'victimhood'/to be the underdog/etc. This hobby is small enough, and diverse enough, that the ways to 'get status' are fairly varied -- varied enough that there's plenty of room 'at the top', since there are a few dozen potential mountains to climb, if one really wants to go there. Personally, I don't see the point, and it seems like a waste of energy to me.

 

Well, I wouldn't perceive keeping the dolls in a box as anything but utilitarian. A few of mine sit on a shelf over my bed (so I can tickle the bottoms of their feet), one on a table nearby so I can stare at his face, and then my Kenpachi sleeps on a pillow at the head of my bed. . . but he's completely spoiled. The only ones that live in a box are the ones I haven't finished yet. My notion is, I don't have to dust them if they're frequently in motion.

I wouldn't know anything about behavior at meet ups, I've never actually been to one. Well, other than meeting Aernath at Anime Expo that is.

I imagine there are all kinds in this hobby. Actual elitism seems to be few and very far between. As others have pointed out, most anything else is possibly a matter of misperception. Although I haven't been in this hobby long enough to notice any specific instances either. On the other hand, I have run into elitists in my other hobby, cel collecting. There are some true "gems" out there that will make fun of your collection to your face or disrespect your collection by flipping though your cel book carelessly without actually looking at the pages.

 

So true. Even if someone is proudly talking about their doll, it doesn't have to be a sign of elitism. In fact, most of the time it's not. Most of the time it's simply coming from the fact that this person never thought to actually own this one.
Like Baakay said, if you've been hunting a doll for years, almost giving up hope you'll ever going to get it and then suddenly you have one in your hand! Try to stay cool then...
Doesn't mean that you know look down on any other doll or owner who doesn't own X brand, you're just proud of an achievement and you want to share it. There's nothing more human than that: wanting to share something with someone else.

Personally I don't think there's any social status in this hobby, only perceived social status and differences in collecting combined with miscommunication. But I'm getting tired of all this paranoia and butthurt behaviour in this hobby nowadays. Just shut up and let's play with our dolls.

 

I'm not in Lolita fashion... but to some extent, I acknowledge there are hobby culture norms that people outside can't understand.

While we can make the argument that most dolls can be "equal" because their cost basis + sentimental value will even out... there are hobbies where some things are just better than others. Sometimes it's based on price, sometimes its based on who made it, sometimes it's durability, sometimes its graphics or gameplay. I don't understand why saying something is better or more valuable than something else is inherently bad. Sometimes its a fact.

Equating "she has better things" to "she is a better person" is not cool.... but I really rarely see that happen, especially in dolls.

I am really starting to feel like people enjoy thinking that they're being attacked. Maybe there's something romantic about it. But more and more often, I feel like I'm interacting with people who are mentally writing fanfiction about themselves where they are some downtrodden, misunderstood heroine and everyone is out to get them. Reality isn't like that because the villains are far too apathetic; no one really cares about other people's collecting habits.

I have no idea what can be done or said to make people stop harping on about oppression, elitism, and classism. There just isn't much actually going on to perpetuate this. People need to give others the benefit of the doubt and stop caring so much about what dolls and accessories other people have. Some people are more talented than others, some people have more money than others. There's no point in being angry or jealous because it won't change anything.... and it cuts off the opportunity to actually meet people and make friends because you're angrily squatting in your bunker, waiting for Dolly WWIII. Seriously? A great big "Get over it."

Perfectly said.

 

LOL Armeleia, putting all the dolls in fatigues waiting for Armageddon time.
I do care about people's collecting habits, and I love them.
I actually love the people with amazing, big, costly collections, it gives me the opportunity to see dolls IRL that I never would be able to own. I also love those with focused collections, like Marianna, who only has SD size now. I admire that ability to expand on a theme, I think it takes you so much further than being all over the place like I am.
It also amazes me and makes me harken back to the uproar over the Gallery Plus section, which I find has reflections of these arguments all over the place.
Myself I like to see all sides of the hobby, from the adorable first time owner, to the high and mighty I Have One Zillion Gorgeous Dolls ones. They are all wonderful to me. And if someone derives a sense of self worth from their collection, well, good for them. Why would that affect me?

 

This statement sums it up for me. Dolls-- we're talking about dolls here. Not hunger, or wars or social injustice. These beautiful, sweet playthings are supposed to bring us happiness, not serve as a launching pad to rail against perceived injustices against us.

Let's not forget if you can afford a doll-- even the cheapest one out there-- you are in better financial shape than the vast majority of people on earth. How's that for social status?

 

I have noticed this too On flickr mostly, I read a comment once from someone that collected a certain type of doll, then sold them all for REALLY pricey BJDs and the wrote: "I never comment photos of THESE dolls anymore since they are not as classy and sophisticated, but nice pic" Like, REALLY? How rude is that?! It's one thing to be proud of your dolls, as we all are and of course everyone must feel special in their own ways having their dream dolls and such but....this isn't high school >_>

 

Oooh, yes, I don't need to type of thing about my distaste for turning a wonderful hobby into a pseudo-High School campus that focuses on one-upping the other with a self-proclaimed "prettier" inanimate object.

 

Sometimes the way u read pple's comments and dolls they own can be due to your own judgement. I do agree owning which dolls kinda show your social status. If you own all the expensive and limited dolls, it kinda means you are rich enough to buy all these, but doesn't mean u are trying to flaunt that you are rich or anything. It all boils down to your financial ability. But what's most important about this hobby is enjoying what you do. Nothing good comes from judging I think, only negative feelings.

 

I haven't noticed any elitism here, not even what is so much typed about in Volks collectors (all the Volks people I know are quite nice, actually!) Some people collect in general, and some people collect more specifically within a collection, such as a particular brand or style. And most of what I've seen in people is more bragging about something they love and just can't share enough of, not of any sense of superiority. I do believe that most of us suffer from an excess of enthusiasm about our own dolls (so guilty of this myself) that those who are prone to insecurty may percieve as snobbery... The truth is that many of us are just really really into our collections.

If I gave a damn about social status I wouldn't be the fabulously-geeky doll-loving nerd I am today.

 

And bravo to those who are enthusiastic and are willing to be vocal about it!

It's not that I'm insecure about my collection (far from it). . . I'm just insecure about sharing.

 

This says a lot. I am quite new to the hobby. In fact, I am not even sure I am part of the 'hobby'. I've been a doll lover (I don't consider myself a collector) since childhood. I ran across BJDs way back in the day when I was sculpting my own dolls from poly clay and paper clay. I found a Japanese site - "how to make Noah's doll" You've probably seen/heard of it?
I was ENTHRALLED. I didn't hear about Volks and other companies till much later and always thought that these dolls started out as art dolls?
Anyway, I don't mean to go off topic but my point is, my fascination with these beauties was shaped by these one of a kind hand sculpted dolls. They were of course way beyond my budget and at the time, even if I'd had the money, I had no idea how to get hold of one. I did toy with the idea of making one myself but never did. And then...a few years later I realized that BJDs were available from companies....yippee!!! So now I can buy what I can afford and make clothing and do faceups and make wigs and whatever else I'd like to do because to me, these dolls are art but art you can cuddle and love.

Each of us has developed a fascination for BJDs in his/her own way. I think that maybe most of the perceived snobbery is being misconstrued and misunderstood.
I love my dolls and don't really give a s**t what anyone else thinks of my tastes or how much I spend on them. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than a dolly for whom someone has lovingly created clothing, face-up/personality/character. This in no way means that I 'look down' on someone who prefers limited or expensive dolls/clothing/whatever. It boils down to personal preferences and tastes.

 

Well, only thing I have noticed is, that people that are not into the hobby but know about it, put doll owners in a certain social status, which I think is ridiculous...
I know rich people who own a BJD and I know people who are considered 'poor' that own one.
I am myself always very attentive with my own clothing, so when I go to a convention and bring my doll with me, people constantly ask me if my parents were rich or give me the 'Oh my god, what a spoilt brat'-look.
And they're always stunned when I tell them that I saved my money for months to get this doll and craft her clothing myself.
Then I'm suddenly not the rich and spoilt brat anymore but get comments like "Wow, you made that outfit? You're so talented!"

So, that case is mostly a misunderstanding.

But back on topic, I have not noticed social classes among BJD owners. Sure, every hobby has this, but I never experienced it so far.

 

How many times have people heard "Aren't you too old to play with dolls?", "Why would you spend $XXX on a creepy doll?" or something similar? Owning a sports car, a diamond ring, a big plasma TV screen, a Prada handbag, or something more widely associated with wealth is more likely to give you status in other people's eyes. Dolls not so much. Dolls are generally considered toys and it doesn't matter if it's a $1000 toy. Within the niche hobby a $1000 doll may be recognised by fellow collectors, but this hobby is quite small. Whatever "status" you can get within this hobby does not carry over to the total of your life, because let's hope most of people's lives are about more than just dolls.

Should there be someone looking down upon others because of the dolls owned, there's a big chance it's not the dolls, but that person's character. That person will look down upon others for reasons other than dolls too. So just enjoy your dolls, like Silk mentioned before.

 

Having been to a lot of doll meets and one DollPa I can confirm that many people are REAAAAAALLLLLYYYY into their dolls. Their eyes almost roll back into their heads as they chant all the amazing wonderful details about their doll or chosen doll company Sometimes I'm not certain if they even require me to keep standing in place during one of these out pourings of love and devotion. I say that with a lot of love myself because I know I feel the same about my collection.

People need to recognize when it is their own insecurity coming into play. When someone is seriously laying the love down for something you don't have it might be triggering a vulnerable spot. My advice is to take their lead and roll your eyes into the back of your own heads and begin chanting and swooning about the amazing awesomeness of your doll.

 

Or that you simply had the patience to save for a long time Though the hobby can be expensive, it doesn't take being wealthy even for LEs.

 

Well said.

 

Ditto on that. My friends will sometimes gape when they find out the cost of a doll, but then I have to tell them that I saved for 4-6 months to buy it.

As for those who are insecure about having bought their clothes and commissioned their face-ups, there's no need to worry! It's like the difference between painting a portrait and creating a collage-- they're both art, just from a different approach. I try and make all my own clothes. Not because I think it's better than buying, I simply 1) can't afford to buy all the clothing I want when the raw material is cheaper, and 2) can't find styles I like in the sizes I need. Even the artists can envy the people who preffer to buy. Many times I've thought "You bought that outfit and it fits perfectly? Damn, you're so lucky.... I had to make mine; took me hours and hours."

 

Yes! Thank you. This 'you must be so wealthy' is an argument we hear often, but I think those who can buy an LE on a whim are a an (almost extinct) rarity. It's more likely that someone has to save up for months, if not years.

Funny thing is that many who've expressed to not being able to afford such an expensive doll have bought more dolls in 2 years than I have in 5. So, it's not really about the money, but where your priorities lie. Perhaps you prefer to buy a couple of more affordable dolls, perhaps you only have eyes for that diamond covered LE... There's no right or wrong in collecting dolls, only what you like.