Stephanie Zvan is one of the hosts for the Minnesota Atheists' radio show and podcast, Atheists Talk. She serves on the board of Secular Woman. She speaks on science and skepticism in a number of venues, including science fiction and fantasy conventions.
Stephanie has been called a science blogger and a sex blogger, but if it means she has to choose just one thing to be or blog about, she's decided she's never going to grow up. In addition to science and sex and the science of sex, you'll find quite a bit of politics here, some economics, a regular short fiction feature, and the occasional bit of concentrated weird.
Oh, and arguments. She sometimes indulges in those as well. But I'm sure everything will be just fine. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.
These are not new, at least in some parts of the world. I used to frequent a forum where one of the members was biiig into those things. They are also expensive, at least the quality ones are. I don’t know if there are cheap knock-offs, but it’s not hard to imagine. Part of the hobby seems to be making outfits and doing ‘phooshoots’. My exposure is limited to one person and occasional stumblings across, so my observations may not be the norm.
Also, the androgyny factor seems to trend high.
Maybe it’s just because I was exposed to these before I was to ‘furries’, but I find these dolls to be less…disturbing? unsettling? I don’t have a good word for it, but it’s somewhere in that range of ‘not comfortable’. Not that I’m in any position to complain, I have interests that are equally (or more) unsettling to other people. >.>
I was introduced to BJDs through a photographer I hit it off with at a party. She owned mostly highly anthropomorphic dolls at the time, and she had a really cool photo set of (if I remember correctly) a party scene. She was excited about getting some of the fantasy dolls soon.
BJDs squick me out far less than, say, baby dolls. Personally, I think they’re a kind of cool tool for storytelling among people who don’t write or draw or whatever. Everyone I show them to, however, reacts very much the way you see here (probably a combination of uncanny valley and goth esthetic).
As I like to remind people that not everyone is like them, I keep showing BJDs to people. Eventually, they’ll get used to this, just like they mostly have to furries. Then it will be something else to put that uncomfortable sensation front and center.
Those dolls are seriously frick’in creepy.
*shudders*
Great, now I’m gonna have nightmares.
You’re welcome. 🙂
These are not new, at least in some parts of the world. I used to frequent a forum where one of the members was biiig into those things. They are also expensive, at least the quality ones are. I don’t know if there are cheap knock-offs, but it’s not hard to imagine. Part of the hobby seems to be making outfits and doing ‘phooshoots’. My exposure is limited to one person and occasional stumblings across, so my observations may not be the norm.
Also, the androgyny factor seems to trend high.
Maybe it’s just because I was exposed to these before I was to ‘furries’, but I find these dolls to be less…disturbing? unsettling? I don’t have a good word for it, but it’s somewhere in that range of ‘not comfortable’. Not that I’m in any position to complain, I have interests that are equally (or more) unsettling to other people. >.>
I was introduced to BJDs through a photographer I hit it off with at a party. She owned mostly highly anthropomorphic dolls at the time, and she had a really cool photo set of (if I remember correctly) a party scene. She was excited about getting some of the fantasy dolls soon.
BJDs squick me out far less than, say, baby dolls. Personally, I think they’re a kind of cool tool for storytelling among people who don’t write or draw or whatever. Everyone I show them to, however, reacts very much the way you see here (probably a combination of uncanny valley and goth esthetic).
As I like to remind people that not everyone is like them, I keep showing BJDs to people. Eventually, they’ll get used to this, just like they mostly have to furries. Then it will be something else to put that uncomfortable sensation front and center.
When that time comes, I could feed you quotes from my uncle. A small sample for your approval: “Lust is a must, but incest is best.”