Sock dresses and the anger they seem to generate.

WOW TrevviesBaby,...that was incredibly well written! I agree fully. I'm going to take bdwvr's lead and dress my dogs and my husband in a sock dress.

 

I fail to see how this is comparable. Most of these people are just stating opinions, it is allowed. We can all think whatever the heck we want ABOUT whatever the heck we want. This does not mean others have to agree with us, or that we can't be polite to people in person. In our own little heads we can think WHATEVER we want.

I sometimes see somebody in person and think "What the hell were you on when you got dressed?" but I wouldn't actually go up to them and tell them "You look like a train wreck, go home so I don't see you." To say that you don't judge ever - is a LIE. Saying that you don't ever act on your judgements is also a lie.

For example, you see somebody in an alley with a knife. In your head do you think "Gee, they must be having fun slicing cheese" or ... "Huh, maybe I should avoid this person." People make snap judgements all the time - even when the are trying to be non-biased. This is animal nature. Yes, I said animal nature. Animals judge their prospective mates too - it is not a human only trait. You think that a bird in mating season is really going to think all those prospective males are the same? They compete for her attention because, guess what she JUDGING who is the best/most attractive/etc.

Really do fail to see how looking at how a person displays a LUXURY item is remotely the same as somebody working to get an education/better job in life.

For your edification a luxury item is defined as :
lux·u·ry (lgzh-r, lksh-)
n. pl. lux·u·ries
1. Something inessential but conducive to pleasure and comfort.
2. Something expensive or hard to obtain.

This means that when you boil right down to it, clothing of ALL types for a doll or human is a luxury item. You want clothing, feel more comfortable in it, but guess what you can technically survive without it. Of course you might get arrested for doing so in some places, but that is just a detail.

We can all take a deep breath, have our own opinions, state them politely, and MOVE ON if this thread really bothers you THAT much. You are not being forced to read these words, go play with your dollies, eat yummy foods, sleep, be merry, whatever... though I respectfully request you do not go on a murderous rampage.

 

How is that any different than any of the numerous snap judgments people make about other people every day? I'm assuming you are not some enlightened holy person/divinity wherein you are beyond judging anyone or anything, but people do make judgments on how people look or act or talk or the car they drive every day. People do this. I do this. Other people do this to me. It is how humans and other animals operate.

The mature thing? It's to be happy with your own situation and not care about the people who are judging you, however erroneous or correct they may be. If someone is truly butt hurt that someone in a discussion forum said they think sock dresses are ugly, because they maybe have their precious doll in a sock dress, then I say they're the ones with the problem. Not the person who said they think sock dresses are ugly. These are not unsolicited opinions. The OP wanted to know why people do or don't like them. People have said why.

 

I've found that people who are insecure with their choices seem to be the most vocal in defending them.

That said, unless people are stealing socks to make the dresses I don't see how it affects anyone else.

I'd actually have to care to notice whether there's elitism in rejecting sock dresses as legitimate clothing. I've come from a hobby where you are looked down on for not spending a middle four figure sum on one item. It's not like wearing a sock dress is going to permanently ruin the doll, you know. An expensive doll in a sock dress is still an expensive doll. *shrug*

 

(Yeah, I know I've already been in this thread twice, but every time I check back, there's always something that makes me want to respond again...)

People will dress their dolls in sock dresses for many reasons - they're waiting on actual outfits, they're making an outfit, they're trying to show off the doll before dressing it...

We all say that we can't be upset over what someone else does with their doll... but sometimes we do, even when we might know it's kind of dumb to show it.

For instance, I can't say to you: "Grrr...your doll's in a sock dress...I don't like you!"

So, if you do end up getting upset because of something like that, fine. I can't help that you're upset, and everyone has pet peeves that urk them once and a while. Just don't go on some holy tirade about it, because some things that might annoy us might end up making us look kind of coo-coo if we ever told someone else.

And we shouldn't be holding sock dresses to a kind of standard, or an excuse. "I can't afford BJD clothes" - to me, that's an excuse. Might I point out Dollmore? Lots of good-quality stuff for a low price. But if the sock dress isn't going to be your doll's main choice of outfit, or if it's just a place holder, then I can understand the simple - but often messy - sock dress.

It's not like every piece of clothes you can get your doll is $50 or $60. If that were the case, I'd be a lot more sympathetic. But it's not the case.

Sure, you don't have to listen to me saying that no, I don't like sock dresses. I'm not saying I don't like you or your doll - or personally attacking you in any way.

Why some pro-sock dress people are feeling that they're being personally attacked is beyond me.

You can say to me you're not one for Dollmore, and I wouldn't start saying how totally wrong you are. I'd like the pro-sock dress people to stick up for their theories of this kind of outfit, and not trying to attack those who disagree with them. You probably don't start going at someone who disagrees with you in real life, so why start now?

 

*applauds TrevviesBaby's reductio ad absurdum*

This thread is too much fun!

 

The "if you can afford a doll you can afford clothes" argument isn't doing it for me. I respect people's opinions but I'm speaking for my own right now (just as everyone else, yeah?)

And yeah, I know the definition of luxury. Did you read the second part or copy from dictionary.com? "expensive/ hard to get" - which, at least for me, these dolls aren't. Therefore to ME, they aren't luxury. I'm sure plenty of people on this forum are in the same category.

If you buy a car.... do you get ALL the extras? What if it costs more? I mean you spent money on a car, why not get EVERYTHING?

Yes, those are COMPLETELY different things. I never said my comparisons made A TON of sense, but I seem to have alot of people that are liking the words that I'm speaking. If every single person was completely against me, I'd stop talking and reevaulate my entire topic or my entire argument - but that isn't happening. So here, I stay. Plus if everyone agrees it defeats the purpose of a discussion, eh?

The point is... sometimes people only have the money for the bare essentials of something. Maybe they are waiting or saving up to get something else for their dolls. It shouldn't be this big of a deal. It's just clothing, right? I'm just trying to promote unity amongst all of us doll people but everyone always seem to want to judge something as being "ugly, tacky, tasteless, lazy, etc." ... why can't we all get along?

 

Because not everybody agrees.

 

People can disagree and still get along. For the record. I like everyone in this thread.

 

I think a lot of people are ignoring that it has less to do with the sock itself, than poor quality clothing. Yes, if you do a good job of it, you can make a sock dress look great. Yeah, some companies even make clothing that is similar to sock dresses. However, those things actually look... well, good. The thing people are complaining about when they say "sock dress" is not something that looks for all the world like a well-made dress.

And even socks cost money. And a nice pair of socks that would make a lovely dress would still cost the same as any cheap pre-made clothes. I mean, we could easily use the Dollmore sock dress thingy as an example. That kinda looks like a business-type sock (if it was a sock, blah blah), which are at least $15 and above where I live.

I think people are missing the point. The point is why buy something for 200 dollars if you can't afford (whether buying fabric or buying it pre-made) any of its accessories? Seriously, all the things you did to save up for the doll base, you could do for the clothes as well. People say "Well, I already spent so much!" Yeah, and that's too bad that it has already taken a lot of saving. But that is part of the hobby. Unless you buy fullset, you have to spend extra for eyes, hair, clothes, and faceup! And I would rather spend more money to have my already expensive doll look good, then try to start cutting corners. Because it shows! And that is what people are complaining about. The very obvious, and not well-done corner-cutting. You can say it's subjective, but I think sometimes there are things where you just have to be one of those "non-judgmental" saints not to at least think "Wow... that's ugly!" I think it is really worth it to just save for better things. Or make it known that you are a beginner trying to learn how to make clothing.

 

Actually, TrevviesBaby makes some wonderful points. There's a big point on her thread that everyone is missing.

The reason why we don't all have college educations (I do) or have $400,000 jobs (I don't).

It's the same reason we don't all drive Jaguars and have an army of dolls in sock dresses.

CHOICE.

When it all boils down to it, people choose to dress their doll in a sock. Just like people choose to look at it. Just like people choose to be offended and then choose whether or not to be a jerk about it.

So the real question is, not that it offends you, but...are you going to be a jerk about it?

Please don't.

You wouldn't want someone to be a jerk about [insert what you do that offends someone here].

 

Actually I'll go ahead and elaborate, maybe to an extent that it's easier to relate to for some people.

When I first moved into a college dorm room, I had a roommate who I wasn't sure I'd get along with. It came less from her appearance and more her attitude and the way I'd seen her treat other people. Her appearance and preferred style was lots of girly colours, such as pastels and she predominantly wore pink and other pastels, as well as pink/white/pastel crocs, flip-flps and opened-toed shoes. She also liked clothing with shiny things on them, such as sequins and rhinestones. I, on the other hand, prefer shades of grey, black and white, plain shirts and t-shirts, plain black shoes (with the toes covered), never painted my nails and I loved stripes as much as she loved pink.

On a shopping trip at some point in another, I mentioned I don't like pink. On the same trip, I mentioned I don't like sequins either. Later, I don't like flipflops. This concerned her because I didn't notice, at all, that she was wearing pink sequined flip-flops. I never said I didn't like HER pink sequin flip-flops or disliked HER for wearing pink sequined flip-flops (or anybody else!), only that I don't like these three things, which she just happened to be wearing. I didn't notice and really, I didn't care either. If she liked them, whatever, that's her thing.

For some ungodly reason, she thought this meant I disliked her; in reality I was indifferent to her and her tastes in whatever. Her solution was to go buy black nail polish and paint her nails black in an effort to get me to like her. Guess what - it didn't.

I largely feel the same way about socks and sock-clothing. No, I don't like it, I don't have to like it and I largely don't care if other people do or don't do it nor do I especially care if they like it or not. I don't even care why they do it. That's their choice, it doesn't affect me, whatever.

I don't like sock clothing anymore than I like pink, yellow, rhinestones, sequins, Justin Timberlake, frogs, desktop computers, plaid and Legally Blonde, but you can bet that when I go to the cinema (look at the gallery), I'm going to go see Let the Right One In (dolls that match my tastes/the sock contest entries during DoA 5th anniverary) instead of House Bunny (dolls in fuzzy Nike sports socks). However, don't cry foul if you ask an entire theatre (DoA) on their opinion of House Bunny (sock clothing) and get mad when not everybody likes it. That's kind of silly.

If you really want to prove the meanies wrong, start a thread in picture requests about "Show us your sock clothing!" That will likely change a lot more opinions and argue your side than pointing fingers and flinging insults.

 

From the tone you use, in this one and the post above the post you just made, I'm going to assume it came out like this:

"I just can't stand people who wear things like this."
or
"I couldn't possible degrade myself by putting on something so ridiculous as that." Ie. "You're a retard for wearing those."

And that would probably be why she thought you hated her. Because you said so, and you don't even remember saying it. Sometimes it's better to play nice, even when you don't want to.

 

I've just been on both sides of that situation, and seeing how -detatched- you appear to be from people, it wouldn't be hard to misunderstand how your words affect other people. :3

 

I read the story Praesagium told, and in no way did I get that they were saying this.

And I'm starting to think we're getting a tad too crazy in this thread. It's about sock dresses, and we're acting like we're discussing big issues here! Even people who only came to elaborate on their reasons are being forced to defend themselves, when we really shouldn't have to defend ourselves. Are we really so up in arms about this?

 

Exactly, thank you. My entire first impression and judgment of her was "Hm, she has brown hair and likes pink." In the end, it was her deplorable attitude that determined we would not be getting along.

Staying on-topic, I have a handful of friends who owns dolls of various looks and appeal. Some of them look great, others don't, but in the end, I like their dolls anyway because they're good people and nice to me. Thus, I like the dolls because I like the owners. I couldn't care less about whether or not said dolls are wearing socks; if anything I'd be willing to help them buy/afford better clothing, should they show the interest in it.

 

Haters gonna hate my pretty socks dress xD


I suppose its depend the pattern of the socks?
When I got my first SD I was too poor to clothe her before getting her, and also I wanted to make sure of her measurements to get her the perfect size of clothing.
I have never judge anyone with theyre first dolls picture wearing socks because ive been in the same boat when I got my first SD and I understand.
But I will never do a big photoshoot based on that kind of clothing xD

 

Yes, but praesagium or whatever is being.... I don't know. Rude? The tone in most of the posts are a very "whatever" tone... coming from the "do you want a medal?" question when I was simply trying to not have ANY argument. I understand completely what Kohaku is saying. Not that I necessarily want to put words in mouths.

But, this thread is going to get off topic. I suppose this would seem alot worse if we weren't in a topic that does in fact ask opinions. Thinking about it, I'm sure most of you guys wouldn't say something negative to someone in person, yeah? It's not a big deal. Definitely not worth getting super defensive about.

And by the way... I'm a boy.

 

This. This was what I was getting at. That Praesagium probably didn't understand what they were saying at the time because they're so used to saying rude and uncalled for things that it just popped out. To them, the world is rude. But to everyone else here, um, I'm sorry, the comments you've been spouting are down right not needed.

And as for 'I couldn't care less about whether or not said dolls are wearing socks; if anything I'd be willing to help them buy/afford better clothing, should they show the interest in it.' I don't think they'd be willing to take you up on that. Because that kind of offer usually comes with strings attached. Bad ones. Lording it over your head ones.