Why is there no term for our subculture?

Otaku and Trekkies were outright or somewhat derogatory names that others started calling certain fans. There were and are folk who want nothing to do with being called otaku or trekkie. Some Trek fans even tried getting people to call them Trekker instead. Now, time has lent distance and people are not as worried about it all.

It IS convenient to have an easily recognized easy to say name or title for bjd-lovers, however. I suppose that if a good one comes up and people start using it, that could make it work. Otherwise, sometimes time just works it out.

(I don't have a good term for it, myself.)

 

That's what I use on this forum when discussing the different views between collectors and non-collectors of these dolls.

I agree with people when they say that using "Dollers" would add another layer of confusion to the mix.

When I was really into anime, I never went and called myself an "otaku". A lot of people view that in a negative light, but it's really up to the individual person and if they're OK with calling themselves that. Some people might like it, while others might not.

 

Same here: "Doll people" for doll collectors I'd like to associate myself with and "crazy doll people" for those I don't like to be associated with.

 

I don't think a term is needed. You have to explain the hobby no matter what ....I have a photo book of pictures of my favorite dolls, and have found that it's easier just to show people what ABJDs look like.

 

Nyahahaha~

I don't know that I'd call BJD collecting a true subculture. It's actually pretty full of mainstream folks as well as total fujoshi like myself and other assorted eccentrics; it's probably just too diverse, even at Dolpas you can't help but notice it is NOT a crowd of otaku but of all kinds of different folks. Otaku, by the way, being a term that was still under debate the last time I looked, and not used universally within that fandom, because of a somewhat outdated notion that otaku is still a somewhat offensive word in Japan -- Japanese geeks have actually been reappropriating it for their own use. Still, it suggests that ANY blanket term for participants in a hobby or fandom's going to run into issues or shift over time.

But the biggest resistance I have is that, at least in the fandoms I've been a part of, the terminology came about fairly organically. People didn't sit down and say, "we shall be called thusly." If people within the hobby want a term, it'll generally be bottom-up rather than top-down -- it'll spread on its own rather than being deliberately set.

 

if I have a name that defines my hobby I am like on the same level as a brony and that makes me want to scream in anger

 

I call myself a BJD "hobbyist." As for others, I would say either a BJD hobbyist or a BJD collector, depending on the person ^^; It's not a "omg you have 10 dolls? UR SUCH A COLLECTOR" thing, but whatever feels more suited, as I don't really like to lump things in one title.

 

I use the term 'BJDer(s)'. Or 'BJD Doll person'. I don't tend to worry to much about labels.

 

Hah, my boyfriend sees no difference between the two *rolls eyes*.



Also, I never got why people willingly call themselves otaku. In the land they worship it's a negative word.

 

I always use 'doll collectors', 'doll people' or 'dolly people' to describe myself and others to people not in the hobby, but for people within the hobby, it's always 'hobbyists' for me...for the whole culture surrounding aesthetics and trends in doll making and doll fashion sometimes I say 'dollery'.

My family and friends know what I mean by 'doll people', and the doll people understand what I mean by 'hobbyist' so that works for me.

What's the collective noun for a group of doll people though? A congregation? A herd? A rabble?

 

I use doll people or doll folks myself.

Actually, in Japan otaku is being reappropriated by that community and used proudly by them, like geek and nerd have been here. Terms don't stay still, which is why trying to create a specific term is problematic.

Jescissa, I'm not sure what the collective noun would be. A violinless violincasery? An overloaded (we do seem to carry a lot of stuff around sometimes)? . A resinerie?

 

Exactly. Otaku (mis)appropriated the name for themselves, and Trekkies repurposed a name that was derogatory. If people want to coin a name to identify themselves, go for it. But I have to ask, why? Why do people want to pigeonhole themselves? Society's endless need to classify everything and everyone has some very real downsides, such as stereotyping.

 

Timid, I really like 'overload' and 'resinerie' is a bit like 'coterie' which really fits -

Coterie - A small group of people with shared interests/tastes...
Resinerie - A small group of people with shared interests/tastes in resin

 

HAHA, same "Doll people" it makes us sound awfully magical.

(Also 'Doll friend' when refering to a collector I'm friendly with.)

 

This type of question always makes me wonder: At what point does a hobby become a subculture? I don't think that owning dolls is a subculture, but since other people clearly do it makes me wonder.

 

I don't really think of dolls as being a subculture. I tend to think of subcultures as having facets that bleed into daily life. For example, a classic lolita might extend the principles of lolita to other major areas of her life - food, clothing, social attitudes, etc. Non-Japanese otaku are usually all-around Japanese-culture enthusiasts, into Japanese music, anime, travel, Japanese language, etc. Many steampunks are into the culture of open-source, DIY, beautiful innovations and reusability that overlaps into their taste in music, clothing, home decor, and social and political views. It's not just wearing goggles and sticking gears onto things! By contrast, BJD are... well, the BJD hobby is primarily collecting dolls. You can't really dress yourself with regard to BJD, you can't have a BJD-related diet, you can't have BJD-related music.

BJD for me is just a hobby, so I wouldn't want to label myself with it. And no offense intended, but I don't feel I have much in common with most BJD enthusiasts beyond an interest in this rather specific type of dolls, so I wouldn't want us to be lumped in together that way.

 

Interesting responses to this thread.

I consider myself an artist who collects ABJDs. They inspire me and are fun to photograph. Period.

 

Just thought of this, but if we were to create a name for our "type" of doll collectors, while it might bring us together, couldn't it just as easily be used against us?

I figure that it might be more beneficial to just be called "BJD collectors" or "doll people" so that whatever word people come up with doesn't come back to haunt us. If people who like anime/manga dislike being called otaku because of the connotation, wouldn't it be just as easy for this word we might create to be associated with negative aspects, and it just sort of backfiring?

 

Most labels like that are ascribed by other people or the mainstream media, and lets face it, we're just too damn secretive to be noticed in the way that goths, punks, and trekkies are (and most labels do start negative until the group decides to "go with it" and adopts the name themselves).

There are some of us who take our dolls out and talk about them but it's a small portion and until we actually show up as a speck on the radar we're just us.