How open are you with your BJD as a hobby?

I’m wide open. Honestly think my dolls are artistic and beautiful in general. One of my dolls made to a local tv when I introduced as one of my models/subjects for my work during my interview.

 

I tend to be a more private person in general, so I don't talk about the hobby much outside of forums/instagram, but my husband knows and has been super supportive (he's even getting me a doll for my birthday this year) and my closest friends are aware, but don't really get it. A few of them find dolls scary so it's not something I bring up much. I think being an artist/designer though with a long background in theatre, that they sort of anticipate me having weird/niche 'quirks' and interests, lol, so no one's been that surprised when I've chosen to share. I do wish I could get friends into the hobby though, it would be nice to have IRL people to share it with.

 

Nobody irl knows about it except for my parents, who accidentally discovered my sewing things and quickly figured out that I did not own enough fabric to make human-sized clothing...

 

I'm not really secretive about it, but I don't tend to talk to people I don't know a whole lot. My dad doesn't now, and I'm not going to inform him as he already thinks I'm weird and I just don't want to share this with him. Besides, I've been an "adult" a long time and don't need to explain myself.

 

Not really open at all. I don’t really talk about my hobbies beyond shows/movies I watch due to simply not having the social energy to defend anything eccentric/weird I like (lolita fashion, anime, Gunpla, BJDs). I don’t post about my BJDs except here.

When I got my first doll, I was in college living in a sorority house, and she came to live with me. No one really said anything either way, surprisingly.

 

I wasn't really open about my hobby because I thought that I was the only one among my group of friends who collected things. But then I found out that one person has a collection of teddy bears. A bunch of us were together in a restaurant, and this person's husband revealed that she collects teddy bears, and has hundreds of them. Suddenly the group lit up and everyone shared that they collect something too. I confessed about my collection, and after that it no longer felt like a big deal.

 

I don't really volunteer that information with new people, but I'm not closed off when it comes to talking about it. Unless someone asks about them specifically or about stuff I collect, I don't really feel the need to mention it since it isn't my main hobby and hence am not as active with it. When I invite people over for the first time and they see the dolls, some ask about them and some don't. If they do ask then I'm happy to talk about it, and if not then that's also fine

 

I mostly only talk to other doll collectors about them. I have one friend who is not a collector who likes to hear about them because she likes the artistry in them. Then there are the occasional in laws that ask about the doll room because they are nosy and it is the only room I don’t voluntarily show when they visit. I should put a cipher lock on it and make them even more curious, lol! I did show the bjd to my mother in law because she likes to sew and I thought she would appreciate the details and work on the tiny outfits.

 

I won't bring up my doll hobby with randoms, but there are two types of people I will: People with other "unacceptable" hobbies (Warhammer, D&D, Anime, Cosplay, etc) and Japanese people. Most Japanese people will like that this random westerner appreciates something from Japan, even if they had never heard of BJDs before.

 

Everyone I know , knows about my dolls so I'm opened about it

 

I will be honest. I have one friend at work that I feel really comfortable with, but I'm nervous to tell them about my hobby here. I don't make friends very easily and I don't want to... scare them off I guess you could say. I'm sure at some point I will bring the conversation up and see how it goes, but for the time being it's kind of my own thing.

 

I just had my first outing with one of my dolls. It felt really nice to let her sit and read in fresh air (I made her hold a book). I had some people ask me about my doll. When I’m not with my dolls, I neither brag out nor “hide” about them. But. I have only a few people I would talk deeper about dolls, like how they are feeling that day.

 

Honest I don't care who knows I have my dolls. I'm not ashamed

 

I love talking about it with folks once I've broached the subject, but it can take me a while sometimes with new people. I try to introduce it by referring to them as "art dolls" and/or talking about the backstories of the characters, or the tiny clothing design, etc, based on who I'm talking to and what aspect they might find neat, but it's definitely hard to bring it up sometimes after having people react poorly in the past. I shared with a few folks a couple years ago who were in a show with me, and they all commented a lot about them being creepy or whatever (referring, of course, to my cutest ones and not my intentionally creepy ones >.<), and it kinda hurt, so that made me more careful.

 

I wouldn't worry bout it.. really if I was u I wouldn't care what other people think besides who knows what they do besides closed doors.. it's all about u and what u like not what other people think and it's a great hobby I take my dolls with me sometimes when I go launch my model rockets at the feild I set them up like they are watching the rockets fly it's very enjoyable.

 

I don't care if people know I collect dolls. Both of my grandmother's did and my mom had at least one which my brother now has (he doesn't collect, just that one).

 

I'm really not open about this hobby at all. A lot of my family & friends are aware that I collect BJDs, but a very significant portion of them are afraid of dolls & I can never remember who is and who isn't, so I just don't bring them up. I virtually never mention it to new people, either- my gaming hobby is more relatable to most people I meet, so I focus on that rather than risk a weird reaction over the dolls. My mom loves them & my boyfriend doesn't get it, but is generally supportive, so having those two to talk with (or talk at) is usually enough for me. And whenever my best friend visits, he sneaks into my office/hobby room to pose a doll in a silly way for me to find later, which is very sweet and entertaining.

 

If I had friends I probably wouldn't tell anyone because anything I liked has been ridiculed or I've been told I am extremely selfish for wanting things in life by my family. I would keep anything I like to myself. I've learned I will get abandoned or ridiculed if i speak in general about anything, so I keep anything relating to hobbies, interests, emotions, etc to myself. I don't want to get rejected or abandoned again, so i believe it is best to keep things to myself. The only one who knows about my hobby is my sister. She is inconsistent. Sometimes she is accepting sometimes she is cruel about stuff like dolls or in general anything about me. I just keep everything inside and don't talk much irl that's probably why I talk a lot on DOA.

I can't figure out how to change the font size. I looked up on faq, but can't find it.

 

Not Very... My spouse knows and supports it, she even wants one herself. But a family member noticed the particular doll I wanted on my screen and asked if it was mine. When I explained I was waiting on her, he asked how much she goes for When I answered he just gave a blank stare and there was a long silence, then he looked away and shook his head. Don't really want to share my hobby if it is seen as irresponsible, sadly...

 

I'm decently open about it, my parents know, and my coworkers and friends are actually interested in the hobby. I bring it up in conversation sometimes if those people ask whats new and I recently got a doll or if they ask about my hobbies. But I get very shy about it when someone I don't know asks why I'm buying magnets or miniatures or fabric to small to make anything for a human. I know it's maybe a bit of a more obscure hobby and it's expensive and most people wouldn't be able to justify spending so much money on a doll so I worry what they may think. One of the cashiers asked about my purchase at a craft store the other day and I paused for a good few seconds before saying I needed it for some expensive dolls, they didn't seem to care so ik I worry for nothing but its hard to not sometimes. I'm working on being one confident in myself and my hobbies

 

I'm kind of open, but default to not, at least in person. My immediate family knows, and my grandmother knows because she happened to be around while I was showing my mom a couple dolls. (My brother's even printing me a doll!) My college friends know, but I'm not around them in-person much these days, and I don't bring them up much to them. At work, the most I've mentioned is that I have a dollhouse I'm repainting, since I feel that's more acceptable than collecting actual dolls. And recently my knitting group found out about them because I knit for my dolls so often - I even brought one to one of our in-person meetups. They seem to have taken it well!

Online, I'm pretty open about it. The joys of semi-anonymity. I do get a little shy posting about my dolls in Discord servers and such; I worry that it's going to get annoying, or folks will be creeped out. I try to spoiler tag any blank/eyeless dolls so you have to click the picture to see it. In one friend server I'm in, we even have a "containment zone" channel where I ramble about my dolls! It's not the only such channel, and it does actually help me to keep my stuff in one place.

 

People in my residence know and some very close people, but other than that, I don't mention anything about it. It's the same for all of my hobbies though and not just BJDs.

 

I don't really tell anyone except my family and other doll friends, but I have at one point forgotten someone was very much not a doll friend and just dropped a comment on dolls in conversation because I was feeling chatty. They didn't respond to it, so I can only assume they were like "wtf is he talking about" and left it at that, lol.

 

Only my mom. My sister kinda somewhat knows and my brother and dad are the same I don’t involve them in my hobbies as they arnt supportive and like to make fun of me

 

All my figures and dolls are out and displayed in the house. If it gets in to the conversation, I would gladly join and carry on the topic. One good thing about being an adult; no one questions where you spend your money on

 

i'm pretty open about it lol, most people find them creepy anyways. My sister and mom supported me because i explained the creative aspect of it an they thought it'd be good for me (spoiler it was!). My current partner collects figures and transformers and such so they aren't weirded out by it they just wish they didn't cost so much (so i wouldn't spend so much lol)

 

I'm not very open with my BJD hobby to others, but I think that's because I'm a very private person in general. I'll discuss it with my family, close friends and my boyfriend since they understand and appreciate it as my creative outlet, but that's about it unless I'm specifically asked about it. I also don't like taking dolls outside of my yard for photos unless I'm going somewhere really remote. It's always uncomfortable feeling strangers' eyes on me when I'm posing a doll for a picture.

 

For a long time I was incredibly shy about being in the hobby as my family and my surroundings did not fully approve of my interest and viewed it as childish. After meeting my partner who had a really chill and supportive reaction when he found out about it, I started to open up a little. Now I am more comfortable with discussing the hobby with others. I started to keep my BJDs on display in my room. Even if I still get some weird reactions from guests from time to time, it’s all fine. Wanna know the best part of it? Turns out that some of my friends and acquaintances are interested in the hobby as well. They just never knew they could discuss it with me

 

I kept it under wraps for years, but I'm far more open about it now. Honestly, I use it as a shield to field people if they are worth the time to get to know them, if that makes any sense. If they immediately discount me and think I have mental issues because I have dolls and do photography, then I don't need to waste my time trying to be friends with him/her. I get rather bullied by my folks, because they've looked up how much they cost and throw that in my face a lot. Fortunately, I live in my own home with my husband, and their opinions are just that. I'm starting to get braver and take my girls outside on little trips for fun photo opportunities.

 

I'm fairly open. If it comes up, I say I have dollies. I can see the looks slide to the ahhh haaa... look. Then I say bjd and it goes away. No they don't know. Clarification happens and it defaults to blank. After that, I bring them up randomly. They love to see picts. It doesn't hurt I know people who cosplay either. It explains me picking off glue from my hands, random painted hands, and long strands of weird colored hair that isn't mine.

 

I keep it rather lowkey. Although I enjoy this hobby, it's a little too niche and I don't think the people in my circles would accept it to be honest. Most would associate it with either the baby dolls generally given to young girls or they go down the route of haunted dolls.
So, I'd either be childish or crazy.
It makes me a little sad, but there is not much I can do about it.

 

I bring it up if a relevant conversation comes up, but it's not the first thing I introduce myself with. I usually call them "customizable art dolls" and I've yet to experience a negative reaction to that phrase. Most people don't care to know more, but I think they just see it as an art collector thing and assume it's a byproduct of my job (being an illustrator --> artist ---> collects other art things) since they would usually know that by the time they start asking about obscure hobbies.

Honestly, I'm usually more embarrassed to tell people I watch American Football.

 

Not very open. My mother and grandmother know. My husband knows hehe, but I usually don’t really tell IRL people my hobby unless I know them for a bit. It’s tough, I always assume people will think they have uncanny valley vibes.

 

I don't really care so I'm open but it doesn't come up often bc I mostly keep my dolls in boxes if I have people over lol

 

I still kind of restrain myself around my in laws, who still kind of see it more as a weird creepy 'vintage' kind of thing-- but online, I'm pretty open about wanting to collect dolls and make things for them.

 

I'm pretty open about it, in the sense I post my dolls on IG and Facebook.
When I make new friends, I'll mention it to them after awhile too.

When I first started collecting I kinda hid it though, worried about people's judgement. Now I don't care

 

Only my partner knows about my BJDs. Some of my social circles would very likely be supportive/wouldn't think twice about it since they like stuff like DnD, Lego, video games etc. But for now I'm just not the kind of person to talk about a hobby if I don't have to, or if I don't know the other person will be interested to hear about it. In terms of social media I do not maintain an active presence by choice due to the nature of my job, so I've made separate accounts so I can follow fun BJD content!

 

I'm not super open. I think I've casually mentioned it to most of my acquaintances and friends, but other than that I don't talk about it a lot. My family and my partner think it's weird and creepy (bless my bf's soul, he still lets them stay in our room ) but my best friend is generally supportive. I don't have any friends that love dolls the way I do, but I have a few friends that like my dolls and admire them. I collect all kinds of dolls as well so I think it's fairly easy to talk lightly about my hobby without revealing too much, and without making it look like I spend as much money as I do XD lol

 

I'm not open about it. Some people know, because they've seen my dolls, but I'm not actively talking about them. Those who know (my partner, family, friends) don't mind them, though. Still, I don't talk about them to avoid discussions and I definitely would not tell a new acquaintance about it.

 

Like others are saying, I wouldn't lead a conversation with my interest in BJDs, but I don't hide the fact that I'm in the hobby. I'll post them on my social media pages and I'll talk to my friends about them (even though they don't care about them, haha). I don't hide them away when people come over and I'm proud of the work I've done on them. Now, would I tell a work colleague about them? No, not unless I also knew they were into dolls. I think that's more so just because of the stigma of dolls being for children, and in work you don't want to be seen as immature/inexperienced.

 

I'm pretty open about it. If someone asks what my hobbies are BJDs are always in the list. I've met several other bjd people irl just by mentioning it and surprisingly, I've very rarely gotten rude comments about it. Someone is always going to be weird about something you've got going on, so why not just be open about it?

 

I'm pretty open about my doll as a hobby. I'm pretty proud of it.
Also, they're out in the open to anyone who walks into my room, and over my social medias.
I don't really hide it.

 

Revising my previous statement! I'm open about the hobby now and my other ones too. Why not? Life's too short.

 

How am I supposed to convince someone to buy a BJD if they don't know what a BJD is? I haven't been able to create real life doll friends in many years though

 

I work in the tech field and I love video games so we have a lot of game chat and tech related chatting, I feel like I would stick out as a weirdo if they knew I collected dolls as an adult especially, so I keep mine a secret

 

I'm fairly new to the hobby. My friends and family know about my doll but I don't talk about it a lot. Not because I'm ashamed or anything but it just tends to not be the topic of conversation. I bet if I had a friend in the hobby, I'd be talking their ear off! Lol

 

This sort of thing is subjective as far as when I would feel comfortable bringing it up. If I’m in a professional setting, talking about my interests outside of work I probably wouldn’t mention it. If I’m at a convention or taking with a person I know a little better, I might mention it if the conversation warrants it.

Doll collecting, as a general thing, seems to be seen as “weird” by a good portion of the population, so while I’m not ashamed of who I am or the things I enjoy, I am generally conservative about who I tell what about my interests.

 

I've talked about it with some friends, and managed to find a doll friend through it (I didn't know they'd been into the hobby for years and I might've never found out if I hadn't brought it up!), and have also mentioned it to my mom. I might with the people I RP with online, since I think it'd be fun to have a doll cosplay as one of the characters I play in those circles. But I don't think I'd bring it up in casual conversation with coworkers or something. I'm not self-conscious about it but I don't think any casual conversation would steer in that direction, and I usually only mention my hobbies if the topic is in some way related.

 

The great thing about being an artist (working on a masters degree in 2D animation) is that everyone around me just accepts any "weird" hobby I have. I've got plushies, action figures, video game merchandise, BJD, and plenty of other things I like. And if someone does get judgemental I just remind them that it's not only socially acceptable, but also expected for me to be weird as an artist. Why should I care if someone gets all butt-hurt about what I do? I'll do what I want! XD

 

I feel you on the expectation when you're an artist, therefore a weirdo. Quite frankly with the customization it very much is an art form even as a consumer

 

Exactly! BJD are both an art form and a hobby. No one has the right to judge what anyone else enjoys as a hobby (aside from morally bad/illegal/sick things, of course). The world would be a better place if everyone was allowed to just enjoy life.

 

I'm in the process of introducing my friends to my dolls. I took a few year hiatus after some drama came my way and last month I pulled my dolls out of their boxes and got them a place in my living room. Now when I start to talk to a friend I pause and ask 'Hey, are you afraid of dolls?' which doesn't shock them since I ask them if they are okay with stuff before I gush about my stuff. If someone doesn't like my dolls... I don't need them in my life. But I'm also happy to cut people out when they are rude and cruel.

I'm really lucky my S.O is very supportive of my dolls (he asks me for my wish list, asks me if I need to take photos of my crew and what not) and he will stand beside me with a grumpy expression if someone says anything mean about them.

 

Pretty much all of my close friends know I am into this hobby. I am not ashamed to share it with others, but there’s no point to share it to those who are not interested in this hobby or don’t want to know about this.

 

I used to be very wary. These days? I don't care who knows. I customize art dolls, I have a big collection of them, I love them. If it comes up I'll mention it.

 

Most people I know and meed know I have and collect dolls. I do not only collect BJDs but I have also had porcelain dolls, I collect regular retail dolls and Vynil dolls as well. I am very open about it and if people don't like it that is really their problem. My dolls are in my room out in the open so there really is no way to hide them.

 

I tend to be open about my hobbies, though sometimes I do downplay them. Like if I'm at a family gathering I don't mention that I just spent a couple hundred on a new doll or accessories. If someone asks about my hobbies though I will wholeheartedly mention every doll I have and show pictures, like if they were my kids lol

 

Honestly I tend to be accidentally secretive about everything by just forgetting to mention it, unless it comes up, so the same goes for BJDs. Given I think they come up a lot less in conversation than most of my other hobbies. If they do come up, or someone goes into my room and asks about the dolls, I'm actually pretty open and like to chat about it if they're interested.

 

I work mainly in the arts these days and most people I meet aren’t surprised by it at all. Strangely I have met a few people in the past year or so who have actually been interested in BJDs or have their own! That’s been a big surprise for me.

 

I'm working on being more open. I wanna stop caring what others think, and having to constantly explain myself.
I'm perfectly fine with talking about making my own bjd, showing the sculpt around and such.
However buying one... I don't know. When it comes to friends I'm okay, but family, ho boi. I'd rather not disclose the price, cause I don't wanna have to justify spending a month's worth salary on a "toy". I feel like it's easier to explain the art in it when I'm the creator, but who knows. I'm probably overthinking.

I had a funny incident with a coworker tho. I was showing him my face sculpt of a future project (3d model) and explain what it's gonna be. So I ended up showing a picture of the bjd I bought as well. My partner ofc just had to share how "anatomically correct" the doll is. Naturally coworker asked if it's something sexual. : ) I guess by being secretive I just wanna avoid silly misunderstandings.

 

I never cared what others think. I speak of all my hobbies openly, and most of them are "strange" to people around. But I like strange, strange is good, strange is interesting!