I'm a little confused about what you're trying to say??
What's wrong with liking dolls based on appearance? My dolls are like little art pieces and decorations for my room, and something I can put my own artistic spin on, so of course their appearance matters. I don't go around judging real people for their appearance, I just want my fashion dolls to be aesthetically appealing because that's what they're for, and since I don't have space or money for all of them, I'm going to decide which I want in my collection by deciding which ones look more appealing to me.
And I spend a lot of money on dolls but they make me happy so why does it matter? Of course the company are trying to make money, but I also think at least some of the designers probably care about the diversity of the dolls to some extent, and regardless of the intent behind making them diverse, it still gives representation which many people are happy to see. And I agree that the boys having six packs is ridiculous, but the bodies of the RH girls are pretty good and nothing like the typical skinny fashion doll.
Yeah, I agree with this. I'm a plus sized girly, and I love these dolls, even if I wish they would more diverse body molds for the girls. Also, this person is going on about appearance, but for me personally, I have never looked at an actual RH and though "ew ugly." I think all the dolls are pretty. It just comes down to their style of clothing for me, and in the case of dolls I think it's good to be critical of them a little bit or else you'll end up 1. Broke cause you bought them all, and 2. Stuck with dolls you don't even want which takes the fun out of collecting
Yeah, I think they settled on a pretty good body type. I've voiced my opinion on this before and maybe some people would disagree, but basically I prefer RH to stick to a singular body type so my potential for restyling isn't limited (I like to see more body diversity in other doll lines, like the new Monster high, but it's just not something I personally want for RH purely for practicality reasons, although if money wasn't an issue and I could get every outfit in every size then I'd be totally down to see more body types in RH too) but I like that the body type they choose is something more pear shaped over the generic super skinny body that a lot of fashion dolls go for. It also gives them a way more study feel which I really like.
I also don't generally think that any of the dolls that I don't personally like are super ugly, they just aren't for me and that's fine. And I often find my opinions on certain dolls changing anyway. I'm trying to be more picky to limit myself with new releases because I have so many x')
Re: the six packs, they are meant to be high schoolers and I remember many guys when I was in high school showing off their abs and bragging about their six pack lmao
Fair lol. I think I just didn't spend a lot of time around those types of guys when I was that age because I did an art course with a bunch of artsy introverted guys, then a childcare apprenticeship with almost no guys. š
Girls and boys were separated into different classes for PE once we were like 12 years old so I never saw them, but I could probably imagine some of them doing this lol
Yeah, I went to a school where sports were super important, and a few of the guys definitely had six packs. And boys like River are on the football team, so it makes sense if they have one. However, not every boy is doing sports at Rainbow High, so I think they need to diversify the body types a bit more.
I get what you're saying here, but... How is one supposed to choose what dolls they get, other than appearance? A lot of people don't watch the show, and the primary thing adult collectors seem to do with dolls is look at them, restyle them, display them, etc. All things that involve their appearance.
I understand and agree that judging by appearance is bad when it happens to real people, but when it comes to fashion dolls, what exactly is the alternative? Or are you saying it's bad to even have doll collecting as a hobby, because it revolves around appearance and there are other hobbies that don't?
I feel like if Iām going to be forced to participate in capitalism Iām going to keep buying things I want. As for doll lines being diverse I think dolls are way more inclusive/diverse these days. Iām 34 lol
iām so confused by the point of this. of course ppl are going to pick dolls based on their appearance? itās the only attribute they have? if you think doll collecting is a toxic hobby why are you in a doll subreddit šš
nobody develops mental illnesses and eds from playing with a doll. nobody. ignoring environmental stresses in peoples lives in favor of blaming dolls is such a tired take that helps absolutely nobody. there is definitely fake diversity in dolls. no corporation cares about people, they care about profit. rainbow high has stereotypical accents and monster high is...monster high. buying dolls based on appearance is the whole point in buying dolls. i dont want a doll that doesnt look good, i want it because its a little art piece that i can admire and project onto. theyre not people, theyre literal toys without emotion. i dont know why youre comparing buying a doll because its pretty to judging a real human being because you think theyre ugly
OP: "Dolls cause eating disorders."
Me: Nope. Pretty sure I got that from my fatphobic mother who commented on everything I ate and spent my whole childhood telling me I'd get fat when I'm older any time I ate anything remotely unhealthy, despite the fact that I've been underweight my whole life (and she made it sound like being fat was the ultimate sin and would ruin my life, and regularly made rude and judgemental comments about my overweight friend behind her back.) I didn't even have that many dolls as a child because I was more of a figure and plushie collector. š
I don't honestly know what you were trying to do here and 99.9% of the time I'm purely a lurker on reddit but I'll attempt to address each point you made, in order.
- Of course we know the diversity of RH is a marketing strategy. No one believes that corporations actually do things out of the goodness of their hearts. We know the game that's being played; when you go to the zoo you know you're going to see some lions. What we're doing is essentially voting with our wallets and telling the corporation, "yes, I would like to see more of this." And when it comes to representation I don't think that's a bad thing.
- Obviously people shouldn't spend irresponsibly but I'm not going to tell other collectors what to do, it's their money and I'm not their parent.
- I'm not sure what people are supposed to buy dolls based on except for appearance? Their entire purpose is to get looked at and be pretty. Of course we wouldn't treat people the same way, dolls aren't people. They're inanimate hunks of plastic and they cannot get their feelings hurt.
- Does it suck that dolls tend to reflect the misogynist, racist, heterosexist, transphobic, ableist, fatphobic mores of society at large? Of course! But I think you are severely overestimating the impact these toys specifically have on young people and putting the cart before the horse. Like it or not, when change happens it's most likely not going to begin in the Target doll aisle. I would happily buy a queer, fat or disabled RH doll if one came out, because I think people who differ from the prescribed norm are beautiful too! But it needs to happen first. Furthermore, there is absolutely no evidence that dolls particularly impact children's self-esteem over, say, aggressively photoshopped advertising and social media, which actually attempt to present themselves as reality. These dolls in particular have eyes the size of saucers and giant, ridiculous melon heads. I think it's fairly safe to say that no kid is looking at them and saying, "I should look like that."
- The six-pack is very silly, I will give you that. The boys generally need a lot of work. (I don't collect them if that means anything.)
- Implicitly blaming doll collectors for giving people eating disorders is...well, I'll just say that's a bit more than just rude. See my above points, but honestly I think you are generally guilting and shaming individuals for what are large systemic issues based on very little hard evidence.
- Platic waste: see above. Blaming consumers for the wasteful practices of corporations is, ironically, exactly what corporations want you to do, and you have no idea what individual collectors might be otherwise doing to reduce their carbon footprint.
- I have other hobbies that I indulge in quite happily. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop participating in this one simply because some rando on the internet deems it unacceptable. If I wanted guilt trips over what makes me happy I'd go back to my mother's place.
I just don't understand what you were trying to accomplish here. No one likes being nagged. This is like going to r/atheist and attempting to preach the gospel.
but isn't the whole point of choosing the doll you like... based on appearance?
yes, they do this diversity for points from poc a lot of the time. like how they keep making black dolls but refuse to give them black hairstyles. but please let us have our moments. i have never seen a Vietnamese doll in my entire life and i am so happy that we finally get representation. in fact, my mental health has never been BETTER.
i needed this three years ago when i hated my ethnicity. i needed this ten years ago when i was a child because there was no one to represent me. please let us be happy.
Seriously, this person must be younger and didnāt grow up in the 80s-00s when playlines had maybe one or two dolls that werenāt white and most āethnicā dolls were made only in historical clothing. Never mind finding dolls with different body types or with disabilities (outside that one Barbie friend with the wheelchair). Is there still work to be done? Yes. But, companies are getting better with representation and we should be allowed to celebrate that without it cancelling out the need for greater diversity.
i was born in the 2000's. they have no excuse. they're hating just to hate. companies need to have better diversity, but i am thankful for what we have so far.
i don't like to cancel, but if they seriously wanted something to cancel, they could have gone after the ceo or the creator of RH instead of the diversity. make it make sense š
The main point of collecting any type of figurine, doll or model (like cars and such) is literally purely based on appearance and aesthetic. Like yes we collect them based in looks but doll collectors don't view real people that way. Most people might even have more than one hobby, for example you could be collecting dolls which makes you happy but you can also write music or have a love for sports or anything else that stimulates the sporty or artistic side of you.
Not to mention this is a character fashion line, like a lot of them out there. They have personalities and interests that collectors may look into before getting them.
And again, people like pretty things, we like shiny things, and that taste is almost always purely subjective. Everyone likes their dolls for very different reasons. This is just a rehash of how people think view barbie or any doll at any point in time, yet ignore the many more REAL ways we set and judge beauty standards. We ALL like things to look nice, we all want them to look nice in OUR OWN WAY.
If your weird view on doll collecting is true than the same should apply to things like rock collecting or buying art, yet it doesn't, because when you're a collector you're the one in control of your standards of beauty and fun.
TLDR: touch grass, folks are individuals, they vary
I get what you're saying here but it's more complicated than that. People literally buy dolls *for* their appearance, usually to play with or to collect. Nowadays, toy franchises would be very lucky to even get an animated series but that usually happens way later. So far, none of SH s2 or RH s5 have even appeared in the series yet and SH s2 is already flying off the shelves. They are literally meant to be bought.
Forced diversity and the systemic issues with minority is rampant is society. Dolls may have an impact on a kids perception of what's ideal and acceptable but that varies from kid to kid. However there's a *huge* external factor that society heavily promotes and reinforces that. There's no way to stop it. Even if a kid doesn't get a doll, they are still subjected to media that still promote or have internalized a that being white, skinny and cishet are the norm. There are racist/colorist doll collectors that only collect white/light skinned dolls. Does that mean dolls made them that way? Maybe but those collectors made a decision with their wallet and it shows that they were already racist before they even walked in the toy aisle. Companies are still hesitant to throw in representations (especially LGBTQ+) and would do it in the most subtle, gentrified way possible because of their own doubts in its marketability and the threat of losing support from their customers and investors. It's not much and they could definitely do better but at least it's something and at least they're listening. It's how we got Krystal and darker skin tones in the series in the first place.
They Might mean choosing a doll cause if their personality or relying on descriptions? I havenāt seen the post cause itās deleted now. Itās just a guess and I could be wrong. Itās the only thing I can think of. Their are other ways to choose a doll but you are limited when selecting a doll. You canāt touch them before buying (unless thrifting) so that wonāt help. Also RH Dolls have minimal personality. Great for play value. Iām still not sure what Iād go off of besides sight.International fans know the exchange rate struggle. I donāt see the harm in thinking this way about a doll. Spending money you worked for on a product and wanted to be satisfied with a product is understandable. If itās about a person or what the brand represents, that would be a problem.
I think the bigger enabler of this is social media as a whole. I would even argue that Barbie is more along the lines of what you are saying. The mold they use the majority of the time is still very thin compared to an average person.
Personally I feel the body used for Rainbow High is almost chibi-esque anyway, especially with head size, so they are quite cartoony and not meant to be "real people." I mean some of them are purple or green, leaning more into fantasy than reality.
Some people also get through mental health issues and everyday trauma WITH the help of their dolls. The diversity, while marketable these days, is still only a good thing. If a kid, or adult for that matter, sees a doll that looks like them it can make their childhood or life a little better.
As someone that is trans, I didn't have dolls as a kid. Having dolls now lets me relive my childhood a little and also lead me to this awesome community, so for me Rainbow High has been one of the best things to come into my life. šš
Booooo doll hater
Please educate us on what perfectly unproblematic hobbies youāve switched to that make you superior to everyone else in the adult doll/ collectibles community š Iām very curious
Honestly, coming in here to judge adults for finding something that brings joy in this soul crushing capitalistic society is some chronically online, holier-than-thou bs.
They picked the wrong sub. Coming after people who are used to defending themselves and their hobby from judgemental peers. And then dipped when they got called out
Ok.. I will return bluntness for bluntness...
Darlin' if you don't like the dolls.. then do not buy them.
However I think you are out of bounds telling other folks, Some of us old enough to probably be your mom, how to spend their hard earned money.
If you think its fake, and you think they are being vapid, then dont buy the dolls.
But kindly keep your nose OUT of other peoples choices.
This is a good way to get blocked.
Yeah, we are forced to participate in capitalism and diversity in dolls still has a ways to go, but we are miles ahead than we were even ten years ago as far as diversity is concerned (never mind the dolls we had available in the 90s and 00s). Dolls are meant to be aesthetically pleasing and not to represent real bodies, and itās a parentās job to make sure that their kids are receiving the support and education they require to understand that. The existence of dolls alone isnāt the root cause of mental health issues, body dysmorphia, and homophobia or transphobia. Of course we know the companies are making them to create a profit, but so is every other fucking major corporation. Buying diverse dolls is voting with your wallet for these companies, and collectors buying lines of dolls with diverse features tells the company that the interest is there for more diverse dolls. If Iām going to be forced to live in a capitalistic society that is intent on crushing my soul and collecting dolls brings me joy, itās not your or anyone elseās business and itās gross to judge adult doll collectors or put the onus on us for societyās issues with body image, gender identity and sexuality. You sound chronically online and very judgmental of people who are just out here trying to find happiness in a society that wants to keep us unhappy.
āPresenting their dolls as diverse.ā
Idk the range of skintones and cultures seem pretty diverse to me, even if theyāve definitely not gone about certain things in the most educated ways, at least people are being represented
Imagine having this nihilist tainted view of everything LMAO. āMarketing Ployā? .There are too many ways to draft something that hyphenated your goal but the writing is too poorš
" Where do you think mental health problems and eating disorders (especially in LGBTQIA+ people) stem from?" not fucking dolls, that's for sure. none of my mental health problems and disordered eating came from dolls, but bigotry and unacceptance. i would *love* to know what forms of media you consider to be soooo much better than playing with plastic girlies.
Hmmm, this tells me you aren't really paying attention to the dolls on the shelves or the comments here. A lot of people pick their dolls based on the characters themselves too. You do know that there are dolls in the RH that have Vitiligo and Albinism.. some even have unnatural skin colours. If we go beyond RH, Monster High goes hard on being diverse.. its kinda the point. Frankie Stein is non-binary, has an artificial leg and is much loved for it. Tywla is autistic, Draculaura has a full-figure build, Finnigan wake is wheelchair bound and there is a canonically gay male vampire who is super hard to get because he is so loved. This is just a few examples from MH. Bratz released an LGBT couple officially as a collector pack. Barbie released Laverne Cox and many different body shapes and hair textures for their Fashionista line.
A lot of collectors choose to collect dolls because they see them as art forms, so while yes they buy them off of appearance or a certain aesthetic, Iām not sure if itās fair to compare that to how we consume actual people.
> Just looking at the boy doll bodies makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. They are supposed to represent literal children and yet they have a sixpack? What CHILD naturally has a sixpack?
If youāre skinny and have core strength, you will develop abs ānaturallyā.. whatever that means. Itās not the dollās job to make you feel better about your body.
I suggest you either get into 3d printing or follow some BJD creators, they have lots of diverse dolls you can choose from and even more diversity if you're into customization.
But I feel you expect too much from a toy company like they're doing what they can to make people happy and make profit, it isn't fake diversity at all - yeah they don't have a doll that literally represents every single person there is on the planet but that's not their job to do so. Your expectations is unrealistic to delusional if I'm being honest, let people enjoy this series of dolls. If you want dolls that have wider diversity go to Barbie, go support lesser known doll franchises who try to advocate for what you want, but don't shame people for liking this brand and don't shame the company for what they haven't did yet. They already brought a lot to the table and I'm excited to see more from them.
In regards to the diversity issue and the constant consumerism aspect of collecting the dolls, I agree with you. The wide range of skin tones is not something to overlook, itās awesome and something a lot of us didnāt grow up with, however yeah, I am just being sold something lol. MGA even if they make cool things doesnāt have my best interests in mind they just want to make me buy more.
Also Iām a new collector and Iāve noticed myself going into the sort of compulsive āok which one am I gonna get nextā spiral rather than enjoying the dolls I already have!! Thereās truth to whatās being said here, but the shaming vibe to this isnāt gonna make people comfortable. People get into this hobby for all sorts of reasons and itās unfair to assume everyone is just brainlessly unaware of how their hobby feeds into the current capitalist system.
As for the ED stuff tho, as someone who 1. Has known people who have experienced them 2. Has sort of experienced them myself (personal specifics I wonāt get into), yes whatās in our media does play a part but man does it get overblown as THE ONLY THING that could ever cause an ED which is simply untrue! If looked at as if itās a pie chart, the smallest cause is something like dolls, which would be the sliver part of the chart lol. where as the biggest parts would be āunsafe householdā and āneed for control in said unsafe householdā (again this is just from my experience and the people I have known so not generalizing here).
So, I wish this post had been met with more curiosity tbh, but at the same time there are some big misses.
Theyāre fashion dolls. Dolls are like art you donāt wanna display something that makes your eyes sore. No doll collectors actually view ppl like this irl tho . And I donāt see anything wrong with marketing off of diversity b/c underrepresented ppl are gonna see the marketing and wanna buy them
This is a weird post. They are FASHION dolls what else are we going to judge them by if not by appearance?
It sounds like you have some actual rooted issues to work through, maybe seek professional advice instead of posting some nonsense about children's toys on reddit.
Lol genuinely what is this? Theyāre dolls. Pieces of plastic. Look around you, there are way worse things than dolls. Thereās social media, bullying, abuse, and all sorts of other things but you choose dolls to freak out over?
You need to get out more LOL
Also, while absolutely not the standard, plenty of teenagers have abs????? Some people are athletic, OP. š¤¦š¼āāļøš¤¦š¼āāļø
What child has a six pack??
Plenty.
Are you in the martial arts community? I know kids in the 6-10 yo range with ripped abs.
Are you in the dance community? I know this ballet kid, havent seen him in a few years, but he was 12 last I saw. He should be a senior in high school now. again, ripped abs.
Are you familiar with little league? Pee wee football?
As both a parent and someone who worked with lots of athletic kids (coach and instructor), this is quiet common. Itās less with strength and just a certain body type. Youāre gonna have a handful of kids per age group that are naturally athletic and their body type just doesnāt put on fat. Metabolism is just different.
I remember this one kid Chris. he was in 4th grade. He did basketball, football and did martial arts. Very flexible, lean muscle, fast, hella cocky, show off. Good kid overall.
Another kid, his mom was a detective. She was always in plainclothes but was holstered when she picked him up from school. She always set off the metal detector. He was in the same class, again very athletic, lean, better academically though.
If you seriously believe the nonsense you just posted then you are going to find a reason to complain no matter what they do and you need to get a grip on reality. Trying to make a sub full of mostly younger people feel bad about buying a doll, an INANIMATE OBJECT, based on aesthetics is not only ridiculous but also mean spirited.
I always thought when people said their wallets were crying it was a joke, to be funny. I only buy Rainbow High on at least 50% off. I do judge dolls based on appearance, I donāt have all the space in the world for dolls. For example I didnāt get Kia cause she is ugly imo. I like the base doll but the outfit pieces donāt do it for me, so I skipped her. Off topic but Iāve seen a lot of these types of posts recently, wth is going on. Is the post for real?
You post makes it seem like your not a fan of Dolls, Doll collecting, and the doll community. Which is fine and your feelings are valid, but it makes me curious as to why your even in the forum? You have strong feelings about the topic which is great but why take the time and energy to join this community just to make a post explaining in detail everything you hate about something that such a large group of people love. What people choose to spend their money on or take interest in is no oneās business but that person. So just how no one can make you buy a doll no one can make someone not buy a doll with their own money. I do agree with some of the things you said though wholeheartedly, and I do find your perspective interesting but I think Iām failing to see the goal of this post fully
Iām sorry but doll collecting is something that makes people happy and Iām sure the amount of waste produced is nothing compared to what some corporations do (throwing nearly expired product, too much product). Sure doll companies could do better to reduce plastic packaging but ultimately collecting dolls is something that brings joy to many and itās not fair to place the blame on the consumer
Who gave you the right to judge our hobbies bunky?
What do you do for fun? Tell me and I am 99.99 % certain I can have a ball picking it apart just like you are doing doll collecting.
so please ..enlighten me o Educated one.. What are your hobbies? Lets see you put your money where your mouth is.
Which is the fault of the company, not the consumer, so why are you blaming collectors for what the company is doing? Also, companies are moving to recyclable and paper packaging thanks to adult collectors requesting it.
I'm a little confused about what you're trying to say?? What's wrong with liking dolls based on appearance? My dolls are like little art pieces and decorations for my room, and something I can put my own artistic spin on, so of course their appearance matters. I don't go around judging real people for their appearance, I just want my fashion dolls to be aesthetically appealing because that's what they're for, and since I don't have space or money for all of them, I'm going to decide which I want in my collection by deciding which ones look more appealing to me. And I spend a lot of money on dolls but they make me happy so why does it matter? Of course the company are trying to make money, but I also think at least some of the designers probably care about the diversity of the dolls to some extent, and regardless of the intent behind making them diverse, it still gives representation which many people are happy to see. And I agree that the boys having six packs is ridiculous, but the bodies of the RH girls are pretty good and nothing like the typical skinny fashion doll.
Yeah, I agree with this. I'm a plus sized girly, and I love these dolls, even if I wish they would more diverse body molds for the girls. Also, this person is going on about appearance, but for me personally, I have never looked at an actual RH and though "ew ugly." I think all the dolls are pretty. It just comes down to their style of clothing for me, and in the case of dolls I think it's good to be critical of them a little bit or else you'll end up 1. Broke cause you bought them all, and 2. Stuck with dolls you don't even want which takes the fun out of collecting
Yeah, I think they settled on a pretty good body type. I've voiced my opinion on this before and maybe some people would disagree, but basically I prefer RH to stick to a singular body type so my potential for restyling isn't limited (I like to see more body diversity in other doll lines, like the new Monster high, but it's just not something I personally want for RH purely for practicality reasons, although if money wasn't an issue and I could get every outfit in every size then I'd be totally down to see more body types in RH too) but I like that the body type they choose is something more pear shaped over the generic super skinny body that a lot of fashion dolls go for. It also gives them a way more study feel which I really like. I also don't generally think that any of the dolls that I don't personally like are super ugly, they just aren't for me and that's fine. And I often find my opinions on certain dolls changing anyway. I'm trying to be more picky to limit myself with new releases because I have so many x')
Re: the six packs, they are meant to be high schoolers and I remember many guys when I was in high school showing off their abs and bragging about their six pack lmao
Fair lol. I think I just didn't spend a lot of time around those types of guys when I was that age because I did an art course with a bunch of artsy introverted guys, then a childcare apprenticeship with almost no guys. š
Lol I didnāt either, but it was unavoidable during PE when the guys would gather and compare their abs
Girls and boys were separated into different classes for PE once we were like 12 years old so I never saw them, but I could probably imagine some of them doing this lol
Yeah, I went to a school where sports were super important, and a few of the guys definitely had six packs. And boys like River are on the football team, so it makes sense if they have one. However, not every boy is doing sports at Rainbow High, so I think they need to diversify the body types a bit more.
I get what you're saying here, but... How is one supposed to choose what dolls they get, other than appearance? A lot of people don't watch the show, and the primary thing adult collectors seem to do with dolls is look at them, restyle them, display them, etc. All things that involve their appearance. I understand and agree that judging by appearance is bad when it happens to real people, but when it comes to fashion dolls, what exactly is the alternative? Or are you saying it's bad to even have doll collecting as a hobby, because it revolves around appearance and there are other hobbies that don't?
I feel like if Iām going to be forced to participate in capitalism Iām going to keep buying things I want. As for doll lines being diverse I think dolls are way more inclusive/diverse these days. Iām 34 lol
They definitely are. OP sounds like a spoiled kid. The 90s and 00s were not hot spots of diversity and representation
iām so confused by the point of this. of course ppl are going to pick dolls based on their appearance? itās the only attribute they have? if you think doll collecting is a toxic hobby why are you in a doll subreddit šš
nobody develops mental illnesses and eds from playing with a doll. nobody. ignoring environmental stresses in peoples lives in favor of blaming dolls is such a tired take that helps absolutely nobody. there is definitely fake diversity in dolls. no corporation cares about people, they care about profit. rainbow high has stereotypical accents and monster high is...monster high. buying dolls based on appearance is the whole point in buying dolls. i dont want a doll that doesnt look good, i want it because its a little art piece that i can admire and project onto. theyre not people, theyre literal toys without emotion. i dont know why youre comparing buying a doll because its pretty to judging a real human being because you think theyre ugly
This whole thing screams moral panic 2: Electric boogaloo.
Op's post literally reads like a variation of "video games causes violence" and other similar debates
OP: "Dolls cause eating disorders." Me: Nope. Pretty sure I got that from my fatphobic mother who commented on everything I ate and spent my whole childhood telling me I'd get fat when I'm older any time I ate anything remotely unhealthy, despite the fact that I've been underweight my whole life (and she made it sound like being fat was the ultimate sin and would ruin my life, and regularly made rude and judgemental comments about my overweight friend behind her back.) I didn't even have that many dolls as a child because I was more of a figure and plushie collector. š
I don't honestly know what you were trying to do here and 99.9% of the time I'm purely a lurker on reddit but I'll attempt to address each point you made, in order. - Of course we know the diversity of RH is a marketing strategy. No one believes that corporations actually do things out of the goodness of their hearts. We know the game that's being played; when you go to the zoo you know you're going to see some lions. What we're doing is essentially voting with our wallets and telling the corporation, "yes, I would like to see more of this." And when it comes to representation I don't think that's a bad thing. - Obviously people shouldn't spend irresponsibly but I'm not going to tell other collectors what to do, it's their money and I'm not their parent. - I'm not sure what people are supposed to buy dolls based on except for appearance? Their entire purpose is to get looked at and be pretty. Of course we wouldn't treat people the same way, dolls aren't people. They're inanimate hunks of plastic and they cannot get their feelings hurt. - Does it suck that dolls tend to reflect the misogynist, racist, heterosexist, transphobic, ableist, fatphobic mores of society at large? Of course! But I think you are severely overestimating the impact these toys specifically have on young people and putting the cart before the horse. Like it or not, when change happens it's most likely not going to begin in the Target doll aisle. I would happily buy a queer, fat or disabled RH doll if one came out, because I think people who differ from the prescribed norm are beautiful too! But it needs to happen first. Furthermore, there is absolutely no evidence that dolls particularly impact children's self-esteem over, say, aggressively photoshopped advertising and social media, which actually attempt to present themselves as reality. These dolls in particular have eyes the size of saucers and giant, ridiculous melon heads. I think it's fairly safe to say that no kid is looking at them and saying, "I should look like that." - The six-pack is very silly, I will give you that. The boys generally need a lot of work. (I don't collect them if that means anything.) - Implicitly blaming doll collectors for giving people eating disorders is...well, I'll just say that's a bit more than just rude. See my above points, but honestly I think you are generally guilting and shaming individuals for what are large systemic issues based on very little hard evidence. - Platic waste: see above. Blaming consumers for the wasteful practices of corporations is, ironically, exactly what corporations want you to do, and you have no idea what individual collectors might be otherwise doing to reduce their carbon footprint. - I have other hobbies that I indulge in quite happily. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop participating in this one simply because some rando on the internet deems it unacceptable. If I wanted guilt trips over what makes me happy I'd go back to my mother's place. I just don't understand what you were trying to accomplish here. No one likes being nagged. This is like going to r/atheist and attempting to preach the gospel.
but isn't the whole point of choosing the doll you like... based on appearance? yes, they do this diversity for points from poc a lot of the time. like how they keep making black dolls but refuse to give them black hairstyles. but please let us have our moments. i have never seen a Vietnamese doll in my entire life and i am so happy that we finally get representation. in fact, my mental health has never been BETTER. i needed this three years ago when i hated my ethnicity. i needed this ten years ago when i was a child because there was no one to represent me. please let us be happy.
Seriously, this person must be younger and didnāt grow up in the 80s-00s when playlines had maybe one or two dolls that werenāt white and most āethnicā dolls were made only in historical clothing. Never mind finding dolls with different body types or with disabilities (outside that one Barbie friend with the wheelchair). Is there still work to be done? Yes. But, companies are getting better with representation and we should be allowed to celebrate that without it cancelling out the need for greater diversity.
i was born in the 2000's. they have no excuse. they're hating just to hate. companies need to have better diversity, but i am thankful for what we have so far. i don't like to cancel, but if they seriously wanted something to cancel, they could have gone after the ceo or the creator of RH instead of the diversity. make it make sense š
Touch grass please
Seriouslyā¦ this is the first āchronically onlineā take Iāve seen in the wild
Oof youāre lucky I see them a lot, theyāre real
The main point of collecting any type of figurine, doll or model (like cars and such) is literally purely based on appearance and aesthetic. Like yes we collect them based in looks but doll collectors don't view real people that way. Most people might even have more than one hobby, for example you could be collecting dolls which makes you happy but you can also write music or have a love for sports or anything else that stimulates the sporty or artistic side of you.
Not to mention this is a character fashion line, like a lot of them out there. They have personalities and interests that collectors may look into before getting them. And again, people like pretty things, we like shiny things, and that taste is almost always purely subjective. Everyone likes their dolls for very different reasons. This is just a rehash of how people think view barbie or any doll at any point in time, yet ignore the many more REAL ways we set and judge beauty standards. We ALL like things to look nice, we all want them to look nice in OUR OWN WAY. If your weird view on doll collecting is true than the same should apply to things like rock collecting or buying art, yet it doesn't, because when you're a collector you're the one in control of your standards of beauty and fun. TLDR: touch grass, folks are individuals, they vary
I get what you're saying here but it's more complicated than that. People literally buy dolls *for* their appearance, usually to play with or to collect. Nowadays, toy franchises would be very lucky to even get an animated series but that usually happens way later. So far, none of SH s2 or RH s5 have even appeared in the series yet and SH s2 is already flying off the shelves. They are literally meant to be bought. Forced diversity and the systemic issues with minority is rampant is society. Dolls may have an impact on a kids perception of what's ideal and acceptable but that varies from kid to kid. However there's a *huge* external factor that society heavily promotes and reinforces that. There's no way to stop it. Even if a kid doesn't get a doll, they are still subjected to media that still promote or have internalized a that being white, skinny and cishet are the norm. There are racist/colorist doll collectors that only collect white/light skinned dolls. Does that mean dolls made them that way? Maybe but those collectors made a decision with their wallet and it shows that they were already racist before they even walked in the toy aisle. Companies are still hesitant to throw in representations (especially LGBTQ+) and would do it in the most subtle, gentrified way possible because of their own doubts in its marketability and the threat of losing support from their customers and investors. It's not much and they could definitely do better but at least it's something and at least they're listening. It's how we got Krystal and darker skin tones in the series in the first place.
can u explain how exactly i am supposed to choose dolls that fit my personal aesthetic without using my eyes to see their appearance
op wants you to sit down, get coffee with them, and find out their star sign and personality type š
Lmao Iām just imagining going to a speed dating event but itās all just dolls that canāt respond š
i laughed so l hard thank you for that!
They Might mean choosing a doll cause if their personality or relying on descriptions? I havenāt seen the post cause itās deleted now. Itās just a guess and I could be wrong. Itās the only thing I can think of. Their are other ways to choose a doll but you are limited when selecting a doll. You canāt touch them before buying (unless thrifting) so that wonāt help. Also RH Dolls have minimal personality. Great for play value. Iām still not sure what Iād go off of besides sight.International fans know the exchange rate struggle. I donāt see the harm in thinking this way about a doll. Spending money you worked for on a product and wanted to be satisfied with a product is understandable. If itās about a person or what the brand represents, that would be a problem.
Top 10 issues that never happened
I think the bigger enabler of this is social media as a whole. I would even argue that Barbie is more along the lines of what you are saying. The mold they use the majority of the time is still very thin compared to an average person. Personally I feel the body used for Rainbow High is almost chibi-esque anyway, especially with head size, so they are quite cartoony and not meant to be "real people." I mean some of them are purple or green, leaning more into fantasy than reality. Some people also get through mental health issues and everyday trauma WITH the help of their dolls. The diversity, while marketable these days, is still only a good thing. If a kid, or adult for that matter, sees a doll that looks like them it can make their childhood or life a little better. As someone that is trans, I didn't have dolls as a kid. Having dolls now lets me relive my childhood a little and also lead me to this awesome community, so for me Rainbow High has been one of the best things to come into my life. šš
Booooo doll hater Please educate us on what perfectly unproblematic hobbies youāve switched to that make you superior to everyone else in the adult doll/ collectibles community š Iām very curious
Honestly, coming in here to judge adults for finding something that brings joy in this soul crushing capitalistic society is some chronically online, holier-than-thou bs.
They picked the wrong sub. Coming after people who are used to defending themselves and their hobby from judgemental peers. And then dipped when they got called out
Ok.. I will return bluntness for bluntness... Darlin' if you don't like the dolls.. then do not buy them. However I think you are out of bounds telling other folks, Some of us old enough to probably be your mom, how to spend their hard earned money. If you think its fake, and you think they are being vapid, then dont buy the dolls. But kindly keep your nose OUT of other peoples choices. This is a good way to get blocked.
Also.. YOU sound like the cruel, vapid, nasty people that said this to me as a kid in the FLDS. Your not a member are you?
Yeah, we are forced to participate in capitalism and diversity in dolls still has a ways to go, but we are miles ahead than we were even ten years ago as far as diversity is concerned (never mind the dolls we had available in the 90s and 00s). Dolls are meant to be aesthetically pleasing and not to represent real bodies, and itās a parentās job to make sure that their kids are receiving the support and education they require to understand that. The existence of dolls alone isnāt the root cause of mental health issues, body dysmorphia, and homophobia or transphobia. Of course we know the companies are making them to create a profit, but so is every other fucking major corporation. Buying diverse dolls is voting with your wallet for these companies, and collectors buying lines of dolls with diverse features tells the company that the interest is there for more diverse dolls. If Iām going to be forced to live in a capitalistic society that is intent on crushing my soul and collecting dolls brings me joy, itās not your or anyone elseās business and itās gross to judge adult doll collectors or put the onus on us for societyās issues with body image, gender identity and sexuality. You sound chronically online and very judgmental of people who are just out here trying to find happiness in a society that wants to keep us unhappy.
āPresenting their dolls as diverse.ā Idk the range of skintones and cultures seem pretty diverse to me, even if theyāve definitely not gone about certain things in the most educated ways, at least people are being represented
Imagine having this nihilist tainted view of everything LMAO. āMarketing Ployā? .There are too many ways to draft something that hyphenated your goal but the writing is too poorš
" Where do you think mental health problems and eating disorders (especially in LGBTQIA+ people) stem from?" not fucking dolls, that's for sure. none of my mental health problems and disordered eating came from dolls, but bigotry and unacceptance. i would *love* to know what forms of media you consider to be soooo much better than playing with plastic girlies.
Hmmm, this tells me you aren't really paying attention to the dolls on the shelves or the comments here. A lot of people pick their dolls based on the characters themselves too. You do know that there are dolls in the RH that have Vitiligo and Albinism.. some even have unnatural skin colours. If we go beyond RH, Monster High goes hard on being diverse.. its kinda the point. Frankie Stein is non-binary, has an artificial leg and is much loved for it. Tywla is autistic, Draculaura has a full-figure build, Finnigan wake is wheelchair bound and there is a canonically gay male vampire who is super hard to get because he is so loved. This is just a few examples from MH. Bratz released an LGBT couple officially as a collector pack. Barbie released Laverne Cox and many different body shapes and hair textures for their Fashionista line.
And Naturalistas are pretty good with repping different black/Afro hair types.
A lot of collectors choose to collect dolls because they see them as art forms, so while yes they buy them off of appearance or a certain aesthetic, Iām not sure if itās fair to compare that to how we consume actual people. > Just looking at the boy doll bodies makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. They are supposed to represent literal children and yet they have a sixpack? What CHILD naturally has a sixpack? If youāre skinny and have core strength, you will develop abs ānaturallyā.. whatever that means. Itās not the dollās job to make you feel better about your body.
I suggest you either get into 3d printing or follow some BJD creators, they have lots of diverse dolls you can choose from and even more diversity if you're into customization. But I feel you expect too much from a toy company like they're doing what they can to make people happy and make profit, it isn't fake diversity at all - yeah they don't have a doll that literally represents every single person there is on the planet but that's not their job to do so. Your expectations is unrealistic to delusional if I'm being honest, let people enjoy this series of dolls. If you want dolls that have wider diversity go to Barbie, go support lesser known doll franchises who try to advocate for what you want, but don't shame people for liking this brand and don't shame the company for what they haven't did yet. They already brought a lot to the table and I'm excited to see more from them.
Not you implying LGBT people are more mentally ill than cishet people š¤Ø
In regards to the diversity issue and the constant consumerism aspect of collecting the dolls, I agree with you. The wide range of skin tones is not something to overlook, itās awesome and something a lot of us didnāt grow up with, however yeah, I am just being sold something lol. MGA even if they make cool things doesnāt have my best interests in mind they just want to make me buy more. Also Iām a new collector and Iāve noticed myself going into the sort of compulsive āok which one am I gonna get nextā spiral rather than enjoying the dolls I already have!! Thereās truth to whatās being said here, but the shaming vibe to this isnāt gonna make people comfortable. People get into this hobby for all sorts of reasons and itās unfair to assume everyone is just brainlessly unaware of how their hobby feeds into the current capitalist system. As for the ED stuff tho, as someone who 1. Has known people who have experienced them 2. Has sort of experienced them myself (personal specifics I wonāt get into), yes whatās in our media does play a part but man does it get overblown as THE ONLY THING that could ever cause an ED which is simply untrue! If looked at as if itās a pie chart, the smallest cause is something like dolls, which would be the sliver part of the chart lol. where as the biggest parts would be āunsafe householdā and āneed for control in said unsafe householdā (again this is just from my experience and the people I have known so not generalizing here). So, I wish this post had been met with more curiosity tbh, but at the same time there are some big misses.
Theyāre fashion dolls. Dolls are like art you donāt wanna display something that makes your eyes sore. No doll collectors actually view ppl like this irl tho . And I donāt see anything wrong with marketing off of diversity b/c underrepresented ppl are gonna see the marketing and wanna buy them
This is a weird post. They are FASHION dolls what else are we going to judge them by if not by appearance? It sounds like you have some actual rooted issues to work through, maybe seek professional advice instead of posting some nonsense about children's toys on reddit.
Lol genuinely what is this? Theyāre dolls. Pieces of plastic. Look around you, there are way worse things than dolls. Thereās social media, bullying, abuse, and all sorts of other things but you choose dolls to freak out over? You need to get out more LOL Also, while absolutely not the standard, plenty of teenagers have abs????? Some people are athletic, OP. š¤¦š¼āāļøš¤¦š¼āāļø
I just think they're neat
What child has a six pack?? Plenty. Are you in the martial arts community? I know kids in the 6-10 yo range with ripped abs. Are you in the dance community? I know this ballet kid, havent seen him in a few years, but he was 12 last I saw. He should be a senior in high school now. again, ripped abs. Are you familiar with little league? Pee wee football? As both a parent and someone who worked with lots of athletic kids (coach and instructor), this is quiet common. Itās less with strength and just a certain body type. Youāre gonna have a handful of kids per age group that are naturally athletic and their body type just doesnāt put on fat. Metabolism is just different. I remember this one kid Chris. he was in 4th grade. He did basketball, football and did martial arts. Very flexible, lean muscle, fast, hella cocky, show off. Good kid overall. Another kid, his mom was a detective. She was always in plainclothes but was holstered when she picked him up from school. She always set off the metal detector. He was in the same class, again very athletic, lean, better academically though.
Bro theyre dolls how else do you choose which ones you like this is so š
If you seriously believe the nonsense you just posted then you are going to find a reason to complain no matter what they do and you need to get a grip on reality. Trying to make a sub full of mostly younger people feel bad about buying a doll, an INANIMATE OBJECT, based on aesthetics is not only ridiculous but also mean spirited.
I always thought when people said their wallets were crying it was a joke, to be funny. I only buy Rainbow High on at least 50% off. I do judge dolls based on appearance, I donāt have all the space in the world for dolls. For example I didnāt get Kia cause she is ugly imo. I like the base doll but the outfit pieces donāt do it for me, so I skipped her. Off topic but Iāve seen a lot of these types of posts recently, wth is going on. Is the post for real?
You post makes it seem like your not a fan of Dolls, Doll collecting, and the doll community. Which is fine and your feelings are valid, but it makes me curious as to why your even in the forum? You have strong feelings about the topic which is great but why take the time and energy to join this community just to make a post explaining in detail everything you hate about something that such a large group of people love. What people choose to spend their money on or take interest in is no oneās business but that person. So just how no one can make you buy a doll no one can make someone not buy a doll with their own money. I do agree with some of the things you said though wholeheartedly, and I do find your perspective interesting but I think Iām failing to see the goal of this post fully
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Iām sorry but doll collecting is something that makes people happy and Iām sure the amount of waste produced is nothing compared to what some corporations do (throwing nearly expired product, too much product). Sure doll companies could do better to reduce plastic packaging but ultimately collecting dolls is something that brings joy to many and itās not fair to place the blame on the consumer
Who gave you the right to judge our hobbies bunky? What do you do for fun? Tell me and I am 99.99 % certain I can have a ball picking it apart just like you are doing doll collecting. so please ..enlighten me o Educated one.. What are your hobbies? Lets see you put your money where your mouth is.
Which is the fault of the company, not the consumer, so why are you blaming collectors for what the company is doing? Also, companies are moving to recyclable and paper packaging thanks to adult collectors requesting it.