Too many? (Dolls in drag, / relationships, etc)

OK, so, could I ask you what you think of as sloppiness in a photostory? Joints showing? Hair in the eyes? camera strap hanging down that wasn't cropped out? Dolls not positioned believably? I'd like mine to not be run-of-the mill or ugly, so I could use the advice.

 

Some things I would list as lazy/sloppy would be:

-Unbrushed, frazzled wig (or wig that's sliding off the head, backwards, etc...)
-clothes that are wrinkled, dirty, etc...
-dolls are not posed and are just plunked down with that arm crossed flail
-dolls photographed in a dirty/gross area (cat litter ground into the carpet, trash on the ground, dirt and dust everywhere)
-photos are not in focus at all
-dolls themselves are dirty or smudged with stuff
-the photographer's foot(especially) or other part is in the shot

 

This is the one that always baffles me.

So much of what's been discussed here is a matter of taste: a cliche-fest for one person may be a touching story for someone else, a trendy outfit may be overdone to one and gorgeous to someone else, a low-budget set-up may be an outlet for awesome creativity or an excuse for a weak end product - there's no right or wrong to any of it. Sloppy hair and clothes may be an integral part of someone's story, bad lighting can be used for effect. And even if it's not to your taste, no one's forcing you to look and you can always hit the back button.

But if you have a dirty old sock on your sofa, a rotten head of lettuce on your table and haven't dusted your baseboards in years? I'm comfortable saying that's not quite such a subjective judgement there - sure we all have different standards of cleanliness, but rotting food and animal waste (especially in a sitting room or bed room)?


Of course, (coming back to the years-old start of this thread) maybe someday that dirty house look will become a fad and suddenly everyone wanted to take rotting-food-and-dustbunnies shots as some kind of post-modern statement (or post-post-modern, maybe) and that will become a popular tend in itself!

 

These are definitely things to remember, thanks.

 

Yeah they're totally done to death XD

Having said that, I love all three and never tire from seeing them. I mean these things - homosexual relationships, drag, androgyny - these were all things that only a few decades ago were considered taboo. There's still stigma around all those things, especially from the more closed-minded people in society. I remember at first declaring that I wanted to get two dolls to be in a lesbian relationship to my gran (I wasn't a yuri/femmeslash fan at the time). I simply wanted it because I support it, it's okay and I wanted a kind of haven where there is a forcefield surrounding all the ignorance and cruelty people often show with these things. (My gran thought it was disgusting, couldn't understand why I would do it, which kind of proved my point). And I think it's nice that this community is one where the above are so common to the point we're discussing if there are too many ^^

Definitely, me included ^^

I completely agree, and that's very well said. This is a hobby of creative freedom. Regardless of how many people have done it before you, if you haven't and you want to then just do it.

 

Yes. that happens all the time, either with dolls, or fanfiction.
If I don't want to keep seeing/reading, I just keep going.
Ultimately a person does it for their pleasure and not for the audience that might, but also might not be there.

 

I think people should just do what fits the character of their doll.

When I got my first doll this spring I picked a mold that resembled an existing character I had made up and had been writing about for years! He was a Japanese male recently relocated from Japan to the United States, was a homicide detective, blonde hair and blue eyes and a werewolf AND 100% gay.

This character is very dear to me and I've been role-playing him for at least 5 years. He wasn't a trend, He's not going anywhere, and I don't really care if people think he's unoriginal. I didn't get a doll to try to show other doll owners up with my superior originality. I don't think people should buy dolls just to show off. I think that's shallow.

My friend, who plays my character's significant other, is waiting on her doll and I can't wait to flood this site with lovey dovey yaoi pairing pics of these two :3 If you don't like that stuff, you don't have to look at it, but don't judge me for what I like or assume that I jumped on some bandwagon. I take high offense to that. I take offense to that because it's like saying my doll isn't as good as someone else's because he is gay.

And maybe it's just me, but attitudes like this seem to put up divisions in the ABJD hobby and I think we should be united as fellow doll owners instead of putting down others for having effeminate or gay or anime-ish dolls or whatever. Attitudes like this chase new doll owners away from posting on this site because they think the hobby has elitist owners.

 

XYumekoX - I'm afraid you mistake a plain cliche-fatigue for elitism. Being bored with a stereotypical anime bishonen, who are a dime a dozen, does not constitute either elitism, or homophobia. If your writing/roleplaying is fresh and original, then your blond Japanese gay werewolf will stand out from hundreds of exactly the same anime cliches, and you have nothing to worry about.

 

I don't worry about it, I just think people shouldn't judge a book by its cover so to speak. And I think of my friend who is avoiding posting on this forum because she feels her doll is being judged before she even gets it in the mail. Maybe you don't think so, but to new members, this kind of attitude can be interpreted as elitism. I'm not saying I personally feel people are being elitist but it can come off that way to others new to the hobby.

 

XYumekoX - I am always surprised when people talk about fear of being judged on DoA. As far as the interwebs go, this is the nicest, most controlled, drama-free and troll-free environment you will ever find. The mods work very hard to keep it this way. In fact, one is more likely to be coddled by loving support than get a detailed critique of their work. So your friend shouldn't fear, no one will judge her and her choices. It's especially pointless to worry about being judged before even offering anything to the public eye. Why deny yourself the joy of playing together because of some imaginary fear?

 

Believe, I've told her more than once that she has nothing to worry about but she gets sensitive when she sees threads like this one because to her the title might as well say "Aren't you sick of fem boys and homosexual dolls too?"

She's even worried about the ethnicity of her doll not fitting in here because she interpreted the rules as saying all the dolls talked about on the site should be Asian aesthetics or something along those lines. I had to reassure her that that is only referencing the style of the doll not the ethnicity of the doll. I know she's just being a worry wort but I was only pointing out that threads like these COULD possibly be misinterpreted and give the dolling community a bad name to some new people to the hobby.

Also, it's hard not to take the criticism a tad personal when dolls are so much like a personal work of art. If someone was to criticize my art and say the subject is cliche, that would hurt me because cliche or not, I poured a lot of myself into my work of art. Dolls are the same.

The journey into getting the perfect doll for my first doll started 5 years or more ago. I didn't know what I wanted at the time and didn't have the money but I didn't lose interest. When I finally got a job where I could afford my perfect doll, I spent months looking at different sites for the perfect doll. I picked one out but hesitated. Then suddenly, my doll was released, I changed the OC I wanted to get a doll for, and everything just fell into place.

I'm attached to my doll and I could never take him and turn him into a different character, he is what he is. I can't help but get a little defensive about him ^_^ I think it's the same for my friend, she just worries more than I do. She'd rather never post a picture on her to prevent any negativity where as I have a IDK attitude and post what I want.

 

i feel sorry for your fiend, it is not funny being scared of judment But i don't think she have anything to fear here, it seems the anime/ yaoi hate is being kept in separate threads and out of private picture threads. And i am 100 procent sure that many will like her new doll.
It is really cool you have a werewolf XD

I agree this is a very nice place to be. Tell her she shall not be scared she also have you to suport her

I started being startled by all the homosexual/ cross dressing dolls, but the longer i was here i released there is just as many goth, normal people, Lolita,elves, vampires osv. I think some of mine own is even more cliche
and there is many, incredible homosexual or cross dressing dolls. i saw one a time that literally took my breath away, so beautiful was he.

 

My doll is casual but I'm trying to find something that looks detective-ish. I want my friend to make me a vest style gun holster for two guns. Plus I want to get him a long coat and maybe sexier pants haha. But I'm also looking into a more formal police uniform for him. As for my friend, I keep telling her not to worry but somehow she keeps finding these threads that she interprets as negative so it's been difficult to convince her not to worry.

 

I have seen amazing unique dolls, and simple dolls.. truth be told, I crave them both. I personally have many sides/extremes ..I just love beautiful dolls

 

It's more a matter of "like likes like." Drag enthusiasts will seek out other drag enthusiasts, yaoi fangirls will seek out other yaoi fangirls, and when they get together, what you wind up with is a massive flood of whatever it is they're into because they want to share it with others who have the same tastes--mostly because the overwhelming response they get from people is the one you're expressing: "ew gross/ugh enough already."

I happen to love drag, and it doesn't bother me at all that people translate it to dolls. I think most queens would feel complimented, and it's always nice to see the art gaining legitimacy in people's eyes whoever those people happen to be and whatever their reasons for it are.

I also happen to get tired of yaoi on occasion, despite being homosexual myself. I don't like seeing something that's just a part of who I am viewed as a fad, but that's me and I'm weird. So I just don't look if I don't feel like seeing it. I would never tell anyone they can't have a queer doll because the market is flooded already; that's just silly.

I once heard someone say no one should get angel wing tattoos anymore because "they've been done to death." Does that sound reasonable to you? It's just as nonsensical to complain about an "excess" of queer or drag dolls.

 

Fads & fashion come & go. Some will follow a trend, while others stick with their own personal style regardless of whats in. It's the same with bjds. The way they are dressed and even the collecting of them can be because of a trend. Something I do find annoying though is when someone assumes you are doing something because it's suddenly in fashion when it's just that your style has just become fashionable again. Most of my bjds (all boys) have long hair and some are very androgynous or dress flamboyantly. I have not done this for a trend as it has been my style for most of my life. The cycle goes around though and things that weren't popular become so again. I think in the end everyone has the right to like whatever they want and style their bjds as they like. They are ours to enjoy

 

I actually have an androganous doll and I don't see a problem with it, but I don't like seeing dolls in underwear or in seductive poses. That's too far for me.
Dolls should be there to bring back your childhood (for some people anyway). That's what I think anyway.
I also have a "sort-of" punky doll too, but she's not extreme. She doesn't wear plaid/leather/anything like that.

 

well i guess with most things in general there are fads and trends that get overdone and beaten into the ground. but yes I see a lot of i guess male/male pairings with dolls and they're usually done by girls so i wonder if its because thats how they really pictured and wanted the char or are they just in a yaoi overdrive or some kind of gay man fetish

 

I haven't looked at enough photostories to know if anything has been done to death or not. I'm not into yaoi or goth stuff personally,but I wouldn't want to discourage people from posting their photostories. The only thing I'm really tired of is being told by other people what real art is.

 

I agree with this post so much. Opinions are like noses; most people have them, everyone thinks their own is the most important and nobody like somebody's else's poked into their business. If you don't like a post then press back. If you can't press back and feel the need to complain about aesthetics then you're probably too sensitive to be on the internet.