Manly Men or Gentle Boys doll preference?

I have to say, I like both but it depends on the character I have in mind. Right now I don't have any testosterone hemorrhaging men in my dolly plans just yet, but I have a whole file of photos saved on my computer to drool over.

 

I like realistic men - the young/anime boys are not my style (kid and teen dolls in general don't have any appeal to me...)
Still - I would appreciate if we had more manly sculpts to choose from - most of those available still look a bit too much like models to me. I would like some more big nosed, wide jawed, non-conventionally pretty faces.

 

Am I allowed to say "both"? Because that's the truth of it...

Most of my guys are on the softer side just because I prefer stylized sculpts to very realistic ones, but it's not a universal thing among my crew. For me, I think it's much more a matter of liking a guy's particular sculpt, no matter which style it is. I love my Granado V-07 and my Volks Kondo, for instance, but I still love my Old School CP and Lati bishonen dearly, too.

 

I prefer manly men, but my issue is finding one that isnt scowling. There are very few chisled manly men that look like genuinly nice guys. They are either soft and feminine or angry demons...is it to much to ask for a hunky nice guy...?

 

Manly man. I'll eventually get a guy for one of my girls. Unfortunately Fairyland's males are too soft looking so I'll have to look elsewhere

 

I guess I veer closer to the "gentle boys" side of the spectrum, since I think "manly men" are icky gross gag me with a spoon ugly. Muscles are the bane of my existence now that I've started getting into SDs.

But I don't really like feminine "bishonen" types either, I prefer the "lanky emasculated nerd" look. Unfortunately this industry tends to lean to either extreme.

 

I like something in between, boyish looking fully grown men with a bit of muscle but not muscle bound.

 

The gentle boys. I can appreciate the manly guys, but so far, I have had no desire to own one. But I also tend to like more masculine girls, so maybe it is a balancing act.

 

Manly men w gentle boy boyfriends of course lol...... I do really love both aesthetics though, granado sculpts are a huge favorite of mine but I also really like a lot of softer dollzone sculpts!

 

I laughed really hard at this wording but totally understood it. I prefer adorkable over pretty or handsome any day.

That said, I really appreciate both ends of the spectrum and hope the variety continues to grow, realistic and stylized and everything in between. I'd love to see more diverse body types and facial features available.

 

I like both! I think I like my feminine makes very soft and feminine and my masculine very masculine if that makes sense? I dislike when the body and face clash. Otherwise I can like both!

I suppose some male dolls get into the range of being intimidating and then I like them less haha. Give me mature yet approachable I guess.

 

I prefer thin and soft boys. I find the muscle sculpts unappealing.

I like the visible ribs thing.

 

I really love both, but don't own any super masculine types as they tend to have bigger bodies/muscles, and that makes them just a tad too heavy for me. My Dollshe Saint is probably the most masculine guy I have, face-wise, while my Dia is on a manly Ringdoll RGM-4 body. I love the look of the Granado boys, but just thinking about them makes my arms ache.

 

Pretty Men, I like them to have defined features that are interesting and sharp enough to be manly, but not harsh enough to be chiseled. I like the bodies to be lean, muscular, and well defined, but not bulky, overly sculpted, or bulging. I like their lips to be soft, and hold a hint of expression, be it a smile or smirk, but I like their eyes to be narrow and sharp as if they are scrutinising their every thought and thinking deeply.

 

Soft boys all the way!

 

Why not both?

Most of my characters are the slimmer, more feminine men. Sometimes even down to wearing more feminine clothing. But because my girlfriend has a thing for men who could bench press you or toss you over a brick wall, I've come to appreciate the more masculine figures and am even looking at a 'buff' doll, which wouldn't have previously been my type at all.

Really overall it depends on the character themselves and that their overall body type brings to the table when it comes to portraying their character. Also I suppose you could say it depends on what kinds of guys your pretty girl likes. What kind of character is she? What are her tastes? Judging what she's into will be the perfect tie breaker of what kind of man you want to build her and then therefore what kind of body you'll be shelling him into.

That's just my process though. I know a lot of people here like to buy dolls and then build the characters afterwards. I'm much more of a 'shell the characters I've had for a really long time' kind of person.

 

I like my doll guys as I like them in real life, buffed and very very manly. Great lips, awesome nose and jawline like a roman sculpture, and muscles muscles muscles! XD

But of course it is just a matter of opinion and it has lots to do with the character itself as many others have pointed out. I would ask the girl which kind of boys she like first or you might end up with a surprise if you choose for her and they don't fit in at all.

 

Both. It's really dictated by the character I'm basing them around.

Tahmos, my main OC for example, is a unique blend of semi androgynous---but I also wanted to put some emphasis on him being masculine as well. In other words: I wanted him to be obviously male, not female. Most of my guys fall somewhere on this spectrum.

In the case of Valon...his OC is purposely feminine appearing on the outside to offset the surly, confrontational interior he actually has. He's supposed to take after his mother a lot, who is a very beautiful, feminine figure. As a result, Valon gets teased by his father and siblings for this attribute (not the most stable family life, poor guy). I wanted to reflect that in his bjd counterpart. He tends to wear androgynous garb, keeps his silver locks long and flowing, and does accentuate his facial features with a bit of...enhancing (okay---makeup)...with a twist of using that to make himself look menacing. He looks soft, but he's tougher than he appears in other words.

When it comes to Tahno (in my avatar), him being a well-kempt, well dressed guy is already ingrained in the existing character, and I had to be certain it translated into his bjd persona. Like Tahmos and most of my other boys, he also exists in that blended spectrum of both masculine/feminine traits.

In general, I've always preferred guys that have a strong leaning towards appearing definitely masculine (sorry, bishy types don't really do it for me), but don't like them having that tough, square-jawed army Sargent look either. I like them being tough, confident, but also approachable.

But, of course: it's dictated by the character, so there might come a point where a more definitely masculine bjd joins my eclectic crew

 

Both, in the sense that ‘realistic’ doesn’t mean macho. In RL I like people with softer or kinder faces, but not necessarily girly. If you look at the ones I commissioned, they’re clearly men but they don’t look particularly aggressive. Gentle & manly are not opposites, in an ideal world they’d be one & the same!

I like realistic sculpts & for them to be obviously Male, so I’m not a fan of anime, stylised or very feminine dolls. But I still think most of them would be friendly enough, tbh! I’m not a fan of very hard faced sculpts, but that doesn’t mean ‘girly’ or young, either.

Hope that kinda made sense... XD

 

The late great David Bowie was always my ideal of masculine beauty. So don't ask me why I only buy Iplehouse men. OKAY, OKAY...I don't like their bodies because they do not pose well at all....but THOSE FACES, WOW!!!!

 

Given that the majority of my dolls are children and young teens, I really have no use for the testosterone-overload type sculpts.

Teddy

 

^^ This! Manly =/= macho. It doesn't need to be muscles over muscles - it's more about facial features, angles and expression.
I like my guys adult but skinny or bulkier but without "gym is my life" body. There isn't many trully realistic bodies to choose from - either they are muscle museum or if they are skinny, they are very stylized. (Still looking for normal, non-muscly (but not skinny) male body. Or viking build - bulky, but without rippling muscle definition (a.k.a. muscle under a layer of fat). Or chubby but not kid body...)

^^ Also this. If women are beautiful because of symmetry, then men are beautiful because of some unusual feature that offsets the "boring" perfection. There is many interesting faces when we move away from doe eyes, ski slope nose, childish pouts and pointy chins. (That isn't to say that these features can never be on a man's face. They can - just not all at once.)

 

For me, it depends on the character. However, I do have a lot more slender, androgynous bishonen type characters than big buff manly men, so I definitely lean towards the pretty/delicate end of the spectrum. And I've noticed the more masculine characters I tend to create (and want to shell into dolls) generally have sharp, sleek, and angular features, not so much ruggedly handsome like Iplehouse or Dollshe guys.

 

It really depends on the character I'm working on at the moment, but most of my boys are kinda in between these two body types. Usually I prefer slim male bodies, but with broad shoulders and slightly defined muscles, however I have some very muscled ones as well.

I guess what attracts me the most is diversity. I'm always looking for different body types 'cause that's how it is in real life and my characters are inspired and live in the real world.

Having said that, I'd love to see more shops producing chubby bodies for male and female BJD.

 

I like realistic male sculpts, especially mature ones. I don't owm any "boys" and don't think I'll ever do, it is just not my taste in dolls.

 

I prefer male sculpts with angles, but not perse classically masculine, either. Personally I don't like the younger/softer featured boys or strong manly men, either. I guess I'm drawn to a certain amount of anydrogyny. I can see why others would love soft and "manly" sculpts, though. They just don't do anything for me personally.

 

I like both, but I don't necessarily own obvious styles of both in BJD form. I do own a lot of OT anime figures, and they range from very masculine-manly-men to very young-cute-boyish ones, and OT action figures that are clearly more manly and realistic, although I don't associate realism with manliness (there are a lot of 1:6 action figures that are very stylized but still very manly). I own two Dollzone BJD dolls that fit well in the gentle boyish side, but both are currently in (modification) limbo, so I guess I only have two BJD head sculpt that fit into the gently boy side category, and one full doll that might work (although the body is probably not boyish, and more on the manly side). All others sculpts I own are on the very manly side (I think). (:

 

I have boys that I consider to be younger brothers of my girls. So in that case, I like them to look like they’re still kids.

I do like the idea of combining features to get more friendly looking manly dolls. My Soom Jinn kind of makes me think of that. He’s pretty much my only adult male... and he’s a tiny fairy.

 

I like half and half it will completely depend on the character of course, but I think slightly slender men with muscles is my thing

 

I generally like manly, realistically sculpted boy dolls, as you can see from the pic of Amos in my profile, who has such a muscular body, I'm having trouble finding clothes that fits him
Although I admit, I have also fallen in love with Switch's style, which is definitely famous for its gentle boy dolls. But hey, it's difficult NOT to like Switch, isn't it?

 

Somewhere in the middle. I don't care much for the super beefy guys, but I also don't like childish or pretty boys. I prefer mine to look like average teens/young adults.

 

Personally I prefer them to look like guys so I like both kinds of sculpts though I'm pickier about the softer boys. No girly boys for me. The softer boys can oooze manliness too. It just takes a little more styling (ok a lot in some cases but it can be done). Real men come in both types and I've seen dudes who looked like big strong manly men and are still men but not MANLY men, while I've seen softer looking dudes who make your testosterone meter blow a gasket. That's the long form of the answer.

 

I really prefer something in the middle. I don't want a little boy look yet I like good looking faces. The ultra manly ones don't come in a size I collect. I have a thing for the older Souldoll guys.

 

I'm very much a gentle boy person because my characters so far have fit into that mold, but I do like lean and well-defined bodies (as opposed to perhaps the extremes of something leaning on the androgynous side, and the more muscular). While I love looking at buff dolls, I haven't had the chance (yet?) to own one of them; if a character like that comes along, I don't see why not.

 

My characters are all teens so I prefer the softer, younger looking boys for my own collection. I can totally appreciate everyone else's manly dolls though!

 

This! I use dolls to shell my OCs and all my OCs are racially diverse, gender diverse, age diverse and ability diverse (etc etc) So I go with whatever works best for the character. I've got a pair of characters who embody the "gentle boy" look and a pair who are "MACHO DUDE" teenagers and one miserably thin, spidery SD fellow who's very much a man but has the posture and expression of a starving alley cat and some day in the distant future I'll be adding "big beefy Greco-Roman Wrestler" to the list. If they made chubby male dadbods I'd also add some of those men too. My preference is not for kyriarchical beauty, it's for beautiful diversity.

This hobby sometimes seems to be so polarizing about gender and body shape, it doesn't help when there's a lack of diversity. I don't think people want to choose between two extremes (and they aren't actually extremes IRL) but with limited choices it feels like there are only two types of male beauty: the soft boys and the hard men.

 

I am one for the most feminine and boyish of all of them.

 

I like soft bois.

 

Boys, because I like sweet, tiny dolls. Maybe the best for me, could be any cute manga character. The realistic mans are definitely not for me.

 

Gentle boy I just really prefer slender bodies! My favorite girl bodies are even the ones with the slightest curves I can find.

I'm not really into realistic sculpts or macho sculpts. I feel like it limits me since I prefer dolls that can be both girls and boys. They have to be able to play both roles for me. Slender, gentle boys are great for that.

 

Depends on the character. I have a couple of 'gentle' boys, a bit of a misfit jerk of a character, a jock, and a mature father-figure prankster. Not all of them are currently in doll-form, but it's my dream to have them all. Someday.

 

I prefer the gentle boys, I had an Iplehouse guy and had to sell him soon after. Beautiful face but the macho man body wasn't of my taste. I prefer bodies like SD17 Volks body .

 

I love gentle boys, generally. Pretty boys are right up my alley! I'm pretty open to a more masculine, chiseled body, but even then, I still prefer to have a pretty face on it.

 

I like elegant men done in a realistic style.

 

My only boy doll, Ilari, is definitely on the skinny, androgynous side. To the point where the MSD version of 'em is a girl sculpt.

 

I'm definitely a fan of the gentle boys. At a certain point I preferred more realistic dolls but in the last few years I've moved away from that and now I definitely prefer the round faced, big eyed more stylized dolls for my girls and boys. I don't necessarily prefer thin boys to muscular, I actually like the somewhat chubbier more immature bodies the most. I like my girls and boys to be similar, so much so that sometimes I have heads that I can't decide what gender I want the character to be.

 

I've found very few boys who appeal to me so far, but the ones who do tend to have softer features. The chiseled abs on most sculpts don't appeal to me so much. The boys I've most liked that I've seen so far have more goofy features like some of the DC boys!

 

I really enjoy more of the gentle boys look or in between. There are some dolls out there that look too manly and realistic that it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. I really enjoy when boys have an angelic or soft look probably because it reminds me of a female look too!

 

me too. I also get just a bit uncomfortable with the "Manly and realistic ones"

 

It's a rather subjective question since my views of "manly" and "gentle" are most likely different from someone else. I'm Asian and I live in the U.S. where beauty standards tend to be fairly different from mine. I don't like sculpts that resemble little boys, but I also don't like sculpts that appear very rugged. Pretty men would probably be the most appropriate term for my taste. I just like handsome guys with some muscle definition (not body builder level). An example would probably help illustrate it: Iplehouse's male head sculpts are usually too much for me, and I adore Soom's sculpts.

 

I really don't know, because I want an Uranus Evo really badly, but I not dare to buy it because I can't bond with testosterone titans (too big muscles)... I like IOS, Ring Doll and Universe Doll sculpts best, and I think they are between gentle and manly. So slim mature body and face between gentle and manly. I have my boy on Universe doll body, I love it to the moon and back, but it can be less ripped... but I don't want to mod it.

 

I am honestly more drawn to feminine male dolls. When it comes to what I want to own it depends on what character I am shelling. My first male doll is going to be a dream valley seren and I am not really sure what category he falls under.

 

Oh gosh, its really hard for me to pick just one cause I have dolls that are manly and gentle. Maybe a little bit of both?

 

Here for a bit of both!

I have a RS Winter who I've been calling a boy (with that sculpt, who can tell?) and an Iplehouse FID man with a sharp, angular face. I like the little deertaur for his gentle, boyish appearance, and I like the FID guy for his over-the-top rugged body and chiseled appearance.

 

depends on the character but honestly, I dislike most abs on dolls, so I often turn to the softer body types for boys. plus many of my dolls are younger and not very athletic so a softer looking body I would assume is more natural looking for them.

 

I've discovered that I like my boys to look as feminine as possible. I have one that's more 'boyish' and trying to style him has been a constant battle, to the point I've seriously considered selling him. Going to use him as a face-up learning experience and see if I can manage to bond with him yet!

 

I like my guys to look like grown men, but I certainly don't think they have to all be stacked. It just seems like there's little room between ultra feminine dolls and dolls that are absolute units when it comes to males.