Why are so many boy dolls so girly?

J-rock= Japanese rock. Its a basic term used by (american/foreign) fans. Feel free to replace the J with a K or C if talking about Korean or Chinese music, and pop or any other genre too. for pictures, take look at www.jhouserock.com and look at a few bands. Other than that, google a few of those bandnames for better pics and you'll see why we keep refering to it ^^;

 

Could it be due to a bit of manga/anime influence? Many male manga characters (especially from shoujo) are quite androgynouns. I own a DZ Yuu; people has told me that he has manga-like features, and he has often been mistaken for a girl (although he was wearing an outfit which shows his flat chest XD)

 

Just my own tastes, but I looked long & hard at the male doll bodies before settling for one that had male-type muscles (without being Ah-nuld/GI Joe) before getting my 1/3 guy. I love the new muscled (but not overly muscled) torsos that are being offered, altho most of them are still too scrawny for reality, proportionally. They all tend to look, well, elf-ish, or fairy-ish (not referring to sexual orientation, here; I mean the supernatural!), fragile & ethereal. The same goes for the faces. I had a hard time finding a company putting out a body with a compatibly masculine face, even tho the masculinity was marginal. I did look at the hound, Bernard, etc. as well as the rather angry-looking elf headed doll (can't remember his name just now, sorry), but thought they were rather depressing or grim in expression. I'd settle for a head that was ... more boyish, but also more benign & friendly. I'm thinking sort of Elijah Wood as Frodo, in one of his better moods. He was definitely pretty, but also definitely a boy.

I don't know, it just seems the preponderance of the boy dolls are all so effeminate & foppish. Maybe, as mentioned above, it's the faceups. But really, there should be a happy medium available as well, without having to add beards or moustaches, it seems to me.

 

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but, The standards of beauty for both men and women in most of the south east asian countries is quite similar. So that's why they have the girly-boys.

 

This is also the body type I'm after, a man who's been working all day, every day in the sun doing hard, hard work that's built him a chest and some arms and some legs. Maybe a stomach. I like androgenous boys as much as the next person, but what I've been looking for is really under represented.

 

I personally like the girly boys... but I wont lie, Shea (my DOT Sha) is VERY girly! Though I hope to make him more masculine once I fix up his hair and stuff

 

Expectations for how men look is different in Asian nations as well... men like to be well-groomed, and even well-dressed there because they know that's very attractive. In fact, I think it's encouraged; however, girls need to be pretty, too! Really, it's a hygiene thing, too. Hygiene is very important. For instance, in Japan, they sell little rods called mimikaki for the cleansing of your ears! You stick 'em in your ear, and dig up the wax. (I actually clean my ears... makes a difference for my hearing, too. I'm not as "deaf" anymore.) They also are very picky about cleanliness, I recall seeing only ONE trashcan in Tokyo, and yet the streets are impeccably clean...

Also, a lot of Asian nations are really crowded; would you want to be on a crowded train with a person that hasn't bathed in the last two days?!

 

hm...I'm siding with Asian culture. I mean.. look at anime guys. Most the guys have a soft, womanly/girly look. Some even look more beautiful then the girls they are in love with ( Like Hotori, Touga from Utena, and Most the guys in Fushigi Yuugi ). But who really knows...I love my Woori looking so girly, he is a crossdresser. But I am looking for a more guyish boyfriend for him..and that is like finding water in the desert. Hard finding a manly MSD...hehe

 

"Girly" is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to think my Yukinojo looks quite butch, in his boots + camo + leather jacket + stringy hair. He's also got the classic Mr. Universe muscle-body going on, y'know, shoulders out to There.

And yet: More often than you'd think, some passersby will stop to admire him by saying "wow, she's so pretty!"

Nutshell!

You can't provide for everybody. Let them worry about their incorrect misperceptions; it ain't your problem. Your job is to make your dollies be whatever way you like em.

 

Like others have mentioned, I think it's the anime & cultural influence that causes the boys to be rather androgenous. Lately though more masculine sculpts in both bodies & faces are emerging. As companies find the demand for them they change to suit the market.

Personally I like both types & try to maintain a diversity of looks in my collection. I have noticed that people will often refer to some of the guys as "she" but considering that most of my guys wear long wigs & ruffled 18th century style shirts, that's not too surprising. I've yet to have anyone mistake Jace as a girl though no matter how he's dressed.

 

This is mosty a quote from here http://bestuff.com/stuff/bishounens

"Bishōnen (美少年, Bishōnen also transliterated bishounen) is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth." It describes an aesthetic widely shared in Asia—a young man whose beauty (and sexual appeal) transcends the boundary of sex. Recently, it has shown strongest manifestation in Japanese pop culture, but it has roots in ancient Japanese literature, the homosocial and homoerotic ideals of the medieval Chinese imperial court and intellectuals, and Indian aesthetic concepts carried over from Hinduism, imported with Buddhism to China.

Some have theorized that bishōnen provides a non-traditional outlet for gender relations. Moreover, it breaks down stereotypes surrounding effeminate male characters. These are often depicted with very strong martial arts abilities, sports talent, high intelligence, or comedic flair, traits that are usually assigned to the hero/protagonist. Typically, bishōnen are depicted with either outright homosexual content or some level of sexual ambiguity in their relationships and sexual identity, though in increasing instances in anime and manga, such as Fruits Basket, o Trinity Blood, Weiss Kreuz, Slam Dunk, Fuushigi Yuugi, Angel Sacntuary, Hana Kimi, Gensomaden Saiyuki, Hana Yori Dango, Tennis no Ohjisama, etc. bishōnen are completely heterosexual ."

There are American counterparts...if you think about it, the movie "Interview with the Vampire" had the three male leads Tom Cruise (ew), Brad Pitt and Antonio Bandarass looking very bishie. Also, Johnny Depp has had some bishie looks in movies. For some reason, some girls and women are just drawn to these beautiful boys. Its something we can't help.

 

Cultures are embracing a younger aesthetic, tending towards smooth faces and slightly androgynous features. I (a fairly curvy female) have myself been thought to be a boy. It's not something that can be explained exclusively by culture, youth is a symbol of vitality. The human race is also showing age slower than it used to. Think about, well, Johnny Depp. He's 44 years old. I don't imagine a man of 44 would have retained such boyish features even 25 years ago.

In the past, one would "age gracefully," I often think people are MUCH younger than their actual age.

 

I usually don't have a problem with recognizing if a doll is male or female.The only boy I have ever mistaken for a girl was Bliss.

Many people find Dambi extremely girlish, but I guess it has much to do with the outfit/wig he is wearing. My sister has Dambi and he looks extremely elfish, but absolutely not like a girl.

 

I think its because they want the molds to be, well, pretty? It appeals to people more. I try to dress my Matt as boyish as possible but he still gets mistaken for a girl! @_@

 

I would so love a manly man sculpt.

 

Victoria Victrix, I am so with you there! I think Iplehouse is taking a step in the right direction at least with their new more muscular body and the new Limwha 67cm man isn't too bad but he's a bit thin, and his face is still a bit pretty, I think.

As for Asian men grooming, I had both Chinese and Japanese male male and female flat mates while I was at Uni in England and it never ceased to amaze me how much effort the Japanese guys (I am still referring to my flat mates) in particular spent on their appearance. I think they spent more time in one day than I spent in one week fussing with their hair! :lol Mind you, I have long hair so I just braid (plait) it to get it out of the way but still, they were dyed, permed, moussed, gelled, blow-dryed, hairsprayed, sculptures!

 

I like them look effeminate I suppose, being an anime fan and all. (Hey, I don't consider them "girlish", I consider them "dollish"!)

 

QFT.

I'm also very sure that Asian men (in Asia, mostly) spend much more time on their skin. Where I am, in Yankyland, some of the guys don't really care, but when I was in Japan.... "WOW. OHMIGOD. TIME FOR GUY-WATCHING!!!"

Men also are very stylish there. It was astounding. I mean, I want a well-groomed boyfriend. His ability to properly care for himself might rub off on me! And that's a good thing, I have nice skin, but I should take better care of it... gah...

But whenever I showed my parents pictures of my future boy, they were all, "That's a BOY?!" Eeeeee... Well, I plan to give him short hair and dress him like one. He's a boy all right, and he wouldn't stand to be mistaken for (or even dressed like) a girl...

 

migidoll ryu always captured me as being boyish, even in long hair. he has this youthful boy look to him..i dont know how they did it but i dont think he could really be a girl, like the sd16 always look like men. and he is *the* only boy doll i would consider buying (but yeh...might be a bit odd having one boy with so many girls i want) afraid im just not interested in girly looking boys. my girls do that enough for the earth XD

as for wanting pretty moulds, i can understand that. however to me 'pretty' men arent really attractive. i do find the moulds of men unrealistic, though. like a male doll in a dress looks quite nice on a doll, but ive hung around with men in dresses at cons and they just look nothing alike. i dont think it can really be applied to real life

 

To be honest, I originally wanted a more "manly" man, with rippling muscles and a strong jaw. XP

But I've simply settled for "boyish" with Ryu. Though I suppose you could say a Cristal boy is girly, but I saw one owner's that was very boyish and incredibly lovely. Ha, you know he's not manly when you can call him lovely.

I do like Unidoll's men; Feanor and Jace are just so...well, as far from feminine as possible. I suppose I see it this way: if they can look good in drag, they're not manly. Haha!

I don't know. It just seems as if many people's tastes border along that feminine line. More younger Asian men do take more care with their appearance, but you can hardly say they're feminine to the extent that some of these dolls are.