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Treat dolls like children, friend, or simply just as an inanimate object?

Mar 28, 2011

    1. I don't think of them as people with thoughts and feelings of their own, but I do feel affection for them. I love buying and making things for them. But I love making and buying things in general, so this is just a new outlet for that.

      Mine do have names, and a rough sketch of a personality. (I just got them)

      I think they are so amazing looking and so much fun to create for, I love planning an outfit to sew, or buying one. I'm making them rooms, but I'm making these because I love to make miniature rooms, not because I think they need a real bed to sleep in, lol. It's been a lot of fun to create in a different scale, previously I had worked in 1/12 and 1/6, so this is new for me.

      I do talk to them a little, but like a lot of you, I also talk to my car and my computer. I talk to my dog a lot too, and although I know she doesn't really understand what I'm saying, she likes it when I talk to her and I like her, so that works.

      I don't really enjoy socializing that much. I'm pretty introverted and also have a demanding job, and other things that take up most of my time and tire me out. My idea of a big fun night is staying awake long enough to watch some youtube videos and cutting out an outfit. I do have a daughter a mother and two sisters that live close by, so I think I probably get enough people interaction with them.

      SO I"m kind of in between I guess. I don't consider them JUST a hunk of expensive resin, but I don't kiss them goodnight. Ifeel free to let them sit on my bed for days if I am busy or tired or not feeling the doll thing that week. Real people would not deal with this well. Children definitely would be off of that bed and all over you after about ten minutes! I know-I have four-they are all grown up now and not at home any more, but I remember well the days of meeting needs.

      I would rather that the dolls did not come alive and start having needs and opinions and requirements. It may be a little selfish but I like to decide what those are for them, and not deal with any of it unless I feel like it. However I don't THINK I have replaced real people with dolls, because I didn't have a whole lot to do with real people before I got them. I like reading about other people's dolls, watching them create on youtube, looking at pictures, etc. I don't think I will get as in depth with stories and things as some do, but I enjoy their creations.
       
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    2. I notice many people said they are inanimate objects... To which I ask are they then "it" instead of "he" or "she"? I think something that gets a gender (in English anyway!) has a little more life to it than just a rock. To me not having some affection for a doll is more strange than talking to them.
       
    3. Inanimate objects but with a big 'charge' of energy, if that makes sense. They have a presence for sure. None are children so not that feeling at all though. Not exactly friends because at least 2 don't like me at all.
       
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    4. I guess I treat them as inanimate objects, kinda like how I treat stuffed toys? I take them out once in a while to play with and take photos, but most of the time they're stuck in the cupboard. ^^;; I do like having them sitting around to watch shows with or look at and talk to when I'm bored. :D
       
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    5. My dog is my baby but I don't feel any sort of maternal instinct towards him, I just happen to talk to, love, and adore him, and same with my dolls. They're under my care and I will love and protect them, but I don't feel motherly towards them.
       
    6. This is a hard one. I only have 1 doll, so I'm fairly new. When I first got her I didnt know how I would react, but it was love at first sight. She was perfect.

      She quickly became something much more than just a doll for me. She hangs out in the house wherever I go - on the couch to watch TV, on the desk when I'm on my computer....shes not allowed in the kitchen though.

      I have named her and I take lots of photos - usually of her doing mundane things like staring outside the window.

      I don't think I could ever treat her like an inanimate object.
       
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    7. I treat my dolls almost like fashion accessories or props, I use them in order to play up the image and aesthetic I'm trying to achieve, oftentimes this does mean treating my big "companion" dolls (i.e. MSD size or larger) like my children or even an objectified version of myself.

      My little ones (Yo-SD size and smaller) I treat literally as just playthings and dolls, but even that's all done in order to convey the sort of image I want to project.
       
    8. A very precious, therapeutic inanimate object. Anything beyond cheapens life, imho. There's a huge difference in actual consequences between neglecting a doll and neglecting a pet or a child.
       
    9. I don't see them as my children, but they have their own stories etc. I guess you'd say I treat them as friends. I don't talk to them, but I take good care of them and treat them to nice things, but I don't call them 'it'. They have pronouns of 'she'.
       
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    10. For me, while I'm logically aware that she's just a doll, I think of her kinda like a new roommate. Because of my school work, I spend a lot of time alone, so I kind of got her to keep my company. She's so new to me though, I feel like I haven't earned the title friend yet. like yes I know shes technically not alive, but I kinda feel like shes a person that I'm growing a relationship with. A really adorable small roommate.
       
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    11. I think I treat my doll like my sister.(although I always call her daughter)
      Indeed, I prefer make her dress up clothes, wigs and colored eyes that isn't suited on me.
      (or that isn't possible appear in human beings accesorries)
      like white, tiffany green wigs or cat eyes and so on.

      And also I will take their pics.
      They are my perfect model rather than real people Lol

      When I don't have time to play with them.
      I may let her sit down in a conspicuous place.
      When I’m tired I can look up her and healed.:chibi
       
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    12. Definitely not an object to me. They are like my "kids" so to speak. I get attached easily. I get offended when people say they're creepy looking :pout:
       
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    13. I suppose I err towards thinking of/treating mine like inanimate objects, albeit very special ones. My BJDs are artistic projects to me and a means of creating a physical representation of the characters that live in my head - they're elevated in my mind to a status above most inanimate objects through that association (and because of their beauty/the skill that goes into creating them), but there's definitely a big divide between how I feel about/interact with my BJDs versus my friends and pets (and children I'm sure, if I had any).
       
    14. I treat my dolls as inanimate objects but I like to play pretend that they have their own doll spirits/energy and have feelings.

      To be honest with the energy and time I give them I do believe that they do harbor some kind of good energy, like some believe a ring passed down from their loved one would. That's why I find it funny when people ask if I ever get scared of them; I give them such positive energy, I feel like they radiate it too :) I know there's a term for that idea although it's slipped my mind :sweat

      Edit: Talisman maybe?
       
    15. I enjoy living in my own little world sometimes, so I consider my dolls as friends. They share our family home and are always set up in their elaborate displays for us to enjoy on a daily basis. Yes...creative, artistic, unique friends that always have an entertaining story to tell! This way, they're constantly fueling my imagination.
       
    16. I get this... because I'm the exact same way. While they may be "just objects" I tend to treat them almost like children. I've even started making clothes and even shoes for them. I took a sewing class in college and bought a sewing machine so I figured this is just one more reason it can be used.

      But, I'm glad I'm out alone on the talking to inanimate objects thing... makes me feel a little less crazy! :kitty2
       
    17. I guess friends is a kind of Choice phrasing, but I don’t treat mine like an object. He feels like company, and has an energy to him. I talk to him and have a sort of communication with him haha
       
    18. Okay, this is going to be a weird analogy, but do you know how guys think of porn?

      Hear me out for a second.

      Logically speaking, masturbating to porn isn't anything like actual mating. Yet, when the average person does it, they suspend their disbelief and pretend/imagine that they're genuinely doing it with an actress. Same thing goes for playing with your dolls. From a rational perspective, you know that they're not conscious, but you suspend your disbelief in order to feel a form of enjoyment from "bonding". You want to trick your brain into thinking it's an actual person, because it resembles one, so your brain can produce those pleasure hormones it typically does from socializing.

      That's one way to look at a doll. And typically collectors have dolls designated for that. That's the "friend" aspect.

      The other two you mentioned manifest for different reasons: when a someone simply thinks of their doll as an inanimate object, it's usually because they want to see it as a work of art, rather than something you bond with. And the "child" aspect is, I'd say something that every collector does when they "take care" of their dolls - when they buy them clothes or the like, or maintain their quality. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the reason that mostly women are interested in the hobby is because they can scratch that reproductive itch, or "the maternal instinct", as it were. That may be why cutesy, baby-like dolls are so popular.

      I don't think collectors in general do it for one specific reason. It's more like they have some dolls that serve one purpose and others who serve a different one. But of course there are some who predominantly use dolls for, say, having a proxy child and have more BJD's that are baby-like, while others see them as primarily inanimate objects used in artistry and thus want more subversive designs. It depends on the person, really, but again, I don't think most people see dolls as just one of the things you mentioned.
       
    19. I'm aware they're inanimate, but I get attached to inanimate things. I talk to my computer, I talk to my blankets of all things, I talk to my fan, suitcase, and bags.... I'm just that kind of person.

      My dolls to me are my kiddos. Never gonna have real ones, NOO way sir, but dolls? I can have a million and each one is my lil munchkin. .) Closest to kids I'll ever have, ha.
       
    20. I treat them as inanimate objects... definitely with more care than to a cup or a spoon though!! When talking about them, I refer to my dolls as "she/he" instead of "it". My dolls are stored in a box without any wig, clothes, and accessories, and only dress them up when taking pictures. My dolls are precious to me as they are 1.EXPENSIVE and very valuable 2. I really admire the artistic aspect of a bjd (i.e. sculpture, stringing, expression, customizability, etc.).
      TL;DR my dolls are valuable to me, but they are no more than materialistic objects.