Am I the Only One Who Feels This Way as a Doll Collector?
So, first of all, I want to make a disclaimer: with this post I only want to talk about my feelings and what *I* experience, to see if other people go through the same things I do. I respect everyone’s collections and dolls! ❤️
That said, I’ll share a few experiences of mine. I often chat with other collectors and I genuinely enjoy talking to them, but despite that, sometimes I really have to bite my tongue. I don’t want to come across as annoying or toxic, so a lot of the time I change the subject and pretend nothing bothers me.
However, there’s one attitude from other collectors that I really can’t stand: when they see how I styled a doll, made an outfit for her, or did her hair, and they ask me how I did it. They make me spend time explaining every single detail of how I achieved that result, so they take up my time, only to then style the doll using completely different techniques, send me a photo saying they didn’t follow my advice and that they’re unhappy with the result, and then ask for my opinion. At that point I usually say, “Okay, but do *you* like your doll? If you like her, then that’s what matters.” But often they ask me again how to fix her, and I remind them that I already answered in detail before, and then the conversation goes cold.
Same thing with clothes: sometimes I gift people sewing patterns that I designed myself, only for them to leave me on read and not even download them. And then people wonder why so many collectors gatekeep. often it’s because they’ve dealt with genuinely frustrating behavior from others.
Another thing: I know they’re not my collections and it’s not my place to interfere, but it genuinely bothers me when people buy used dolls and don’t wash them. I have several acquaintances (I’d call them acquaintances more than friends) who send me photos of a used doll they just took out of the box, sometimes not even looking very clean, and then place it right next to the other dolls in their collection. I’ll say “the doll is pretty,” but internally I’m dying knowing it hasn’t been cleaned. I can’t help it. The same thing happens when someone buys an old doll covered in glue seepage (I’m looking at you, Monster High G1) and doesn’t clean it at all, leaving the hair greasy and sticky.. I just can’t handle it.
I keep telling myself: “They’re not your things, it’s not your business, don’t think about it.”
On top of that, sometimes I see other collectors’ rooms that are absolutely packed with stuff, dolls piled on top of each other, and displays that feel overcrowded. Of course it’s none of my business, that’s true, but I can’t help feeling almost suffocated just from looking at the photos. I also own a lot of dolls, and I understand wanting to display them all, but if you don’t have much space, I personally think it’s better to make choices and rotate them over time so you can still enjoy all of them. Obviously this is just my personal opinion and how manage my own collection, but that’s not really the point the point is that I genuinely feel anxious and overwhelmed in spaces that are too cluttered, especially when accessories are scattered everywhere. That probably has a lot to do with my own sense of order.
Anyway, I wanted to know if anything similar happens to any of you too