I guess in the end, I realized I am NOT different than every other child or teen - I am concerned about looks, appearance, and popularity, more than any other thing in my life that actually makes me happy.
I thought maybe I'd hold on to dolls much longer than this, until I was 60, until I was in my grave, even.
Yup, its me, Grace. Not Sonali, this time..
I need you guys.
I don't like saying this, or typing this, or even THINKING this, but maybe its time to wrap up the dolls for a while?
.. There, I said -- I mean, I typed it. There. THERE!
I admitted it.
I'm really, not sure about my dolls.
I guess I'm not losing interest in them.
I think I'm just scared.
Really.
Really.
REALLY.
Scared.
I don't want to be the odd one out, I don't want to be bullied. I don't want to be so depressed of bullying that I commit suicide.
I want to be normal.
Is this normality? Liking dolls and taking photos of them? I don't like the thought of packing up my dolls in a box, and I definitely don't want to forget them. Stuff like that scares me. These dolls have helped me grow up, I don't know what my life would have gone like without them. They were a part of my childhood, kinda like how Hannah Montana was. But she's going, too, isn't she? She's ending her show in like, 2 more episodes. I guess you think that doesn't matter, but it doesn't. It means that something good can end. ..Can't it? I mean..
Oh, guys. Help me out.
-Grace
................
ReplyDeleteNo. Peer pressure= BAD.
ReplyDeleteYou need to stay with us in the doll world, Gracie.
You don't realize how much you love something until it's gone.
~m.
things you love shouldn't affect who you are.
ReplyDeleteit's not like you have to tell your whole school that you love dolls or something.
your friends should know, but even if they do, they shouldn't care. because friends love eachother.
I think I like dolls because my childhood was a bit messed up in that aspect.
don't give up what you love.
never, ever, ever.
ever, ever, ever, ever, ever. EVER.
and i would miss you.
We would miss you too .. sometimes it helps to pack things up for a little while and see how much you would miss them .. I do not think you can be away from them long .. but sometimes it is good to find out for sure ..
ReplyDeleteHope you will be around more again ..
It sucks bad being in middle school, especially in this day. People can't accept others, apperances, boys, etc. But Grace, the dolls, the photography, the videos, they are all apart of who Grace is. If you put away the dolls, the doll photography, the doll videos, you're putting away a piece of who you are. And I think that that piece of Grace is one of the best parts of her. And besides, who said the members of your class had to know about your dolls? Hey, I've been in middle school for two years now and not a single person who I didn't want to find out learned about my dolls.
ReplyDeleteI hope you change your mind, but if you decide to go your route, I am in no way going to stop you. It's your life, and it's your descisions.
~E~
Gracie. I shall say this with a certain amount of force.
ReplyDeleteDo what you want to do.
Okay, that was the cheesiest piece of advice on Earth. So what? It's true, it's logical, and I really couldn't care less what would happen if some person from my 'real life' stumbled upon this comment.
I'd probably want to punch her, yes. But I wouldn't because I have some amount of self-control over my impulses. If she were popular, she'd gossip about it with her equally self-absorbed sort-of friends. What is anyone to fear there? The bonds of those in power are tenuous and easily broken because they only exist so the powerful can try to become more so. If someone suddenly drops in status, all of her sort-of friends start ignoring her when they realize and the poor/sometimes not-so-poor girl is left with no friends at all.
'Normal' is a relative term. To the girls 'in charge', that means dressing a certain way (Hollister), acting a certain way (snotty), and having certain friends (equally Hollister-obsessive and snotty girls). But since when has anyone 'normal' ever done anything extraordinary? Very rarely will someone who has done something truly remarkable tell you that he or she was extremely popular at this age.
Ultimately, you just have to weigh what matters most to you. You can pack up your dolls all you want, but if they really have taken root in your heart, they'll find a way of coming back.
~Emmalee
Do what you think is right.
ReplyDeleteGracie, "normal" isn't normal. Weird isn't normal. Normal isn't anything. Normal is just an ideal thatm people believe you should go by. They think you should wear the same clothes, have the same hair, talk the same way, even play the same way. Nobody can stop you from being normal. And they can't stop you from being different. They can try but they can't. And by they, I mean the so-called popular girls and boys. They can boss you around, tell you what to do and tell you exactly who to hang out with. But they can't tell you not to do what you love. Some people think that it's not right that I have collected snowglobes since I was 3. But I just ignore it and do what I love. Photography is you passion Grace, I have seen your photos, and you have incorparated it into taking pictures of dolls!
ReplyDeleteI know that every single one of us doll photographers, bloggers, YouTubers, you name it, has felt this moment right here. The moment of where they don't want to play with their dolls anymore. They want to pack them up, say good-bye, and stuff them in the attic. I've thought about that before. Whenever my parents ask me if I'm getting tired of dolls, I say no. But am I saying it because I'm really not? Or is it because I just don't want to let them win this lasting argument? Sometimes, it's the latter. But Grace, you can do whatever you want to do. If you feel like it's time to grow up and say bye to the dolls, you go for it. But if you want to hold on, make sure that you are dead set on your decision, I would push this though to the back of your head Grace.
Whatever you do Grace, we will still love you for who you are. <3
-Ashley
Grace, this is Chelsea, and I cannot say I blame you at all for feeling like this.
ReplyDeleteI've been down that road with wanting to put away my dolls, give up on them, spend my money on...things other than dolls. I've been there. I'm there right now.
As you get older you're going to feel like that. You're going to feel like you're the "odd one out" for loving dolls. And it's hard to deal with, I know.
My advice may not be like everyone elses....but maybe, just maybe, if you want to...and I may be shot at for saying this...but maybe you could...take a break. Take a break from your dolls if you think you're losing interest in them. It's completely normal to lose interest in things. One minute you'll like, say, basketball, and the next you'll hate basketball. To me, it's the same for dolls.
But always know that your dolls have been a part of you for so, so, so long. Don't give them up just because you want to "fit in" or be "popular." There's a difference between letting go for gain and letting go for loss. Meaning, there's a difference if you let go of something you love just for personal respect or gain, and letting something go because you lost interest, and you don't love it anymore.
When it comes down to it, it should be about what YOU want to do. If you need to talk about anything else, you know I'm on Flickr.
~Chelsea
Hey, Grace.
ReplyDeleteLook, I'm not going to tell you to keep liking dolls and just not be embarrassed and keep doing all this stuff. I'm not, because sometimes, lots of times, it doesn't end up happening. We begin to see more of life and focus on things that are so much more important to us than these... dolls. I'm not going to tell you to keep liking something that your fading from, it's not up to me.
In my life, lately, all I've focused on is school, friends, clothes, hair, makeup, taking pictures of myself and my friends, and the typical other things... The dolls sit on their bed. I'm exchanging Lanie on Saturday for #35, but then sometimes I think "Do I really need another doll?" but I do, I want to practice photography with her and other stuff... But the point is, my dolls are left in the dust most of the time. I sometimes feel like packing them away. And I actually had a conversation with Katie once about how I was going to move them into my brother's {who moved out} room so they wouldn't take up space in my room. But... I couldn't do that. I couldn't.
I'm only 14. You might be older, or younger. I don't know. But what I do know is that whatever decision you make is because you want to make it; somebody else isn't convincing you to make it...
Hope this helps. And you can always find me on youtube. {Only on youtube a couple days a week. Been very busy, and the dolls don't come first anymore...} :/
:),
Lexii
Hi!!! I'm new to the blogging world but when I read this blog I could relate to it entirely. Sometimes I feel like I'm to old for this doll thing or like I'm a weirdo for liking dolls. The only reason why I feel this way is because I know that the people that are at my school would never ever dream about spending their weekends photographing dolls. I don't know if this would be called advice but here it goes. We all feel the way you do on the inside but yet we continue to blog, photograph, spend time with our dolls, and have fun. If this is something that gives you joy then continue to do it!!! If the joy that you used to have is gone and you find it in other things then maybe it is time to move on. Just remember that it's your decision.
ReplyDelete-Cara