Anyone ever seen this blog?

[BriarRose1122]

IVe been lurking a long time, never joined because while I enjoyed reading the site I didn't feel I really had anything new to add, but when I found this blog I thought of you all and wondered what you thought of it.

Blog of three sisters, now in their twenties, living at home, unmarried, no "real" jobs (they go around playing their violins at nursing homes and festivals), and they say they were homeschooled all their lives. Mostly wear dresses, though some of their skirts would be considered defraudingly short by fundies, so I'm thinking they might not really be fundies but I'm not sure.. and they do sometimes wear pants too..they also dance!!! oh the horrors lol. Anyway, I get the idea they are the family that homeschooled due to wanting to be free/unstructured/natural etc rather than homeschooling due to religion.

Ok but here's the interesting thing.

Their blog is about their fantasy world they've created with their dolls, and they act out and play with them. They've got a whole world...multiple families, businesses, etc and big story lines for all the characters...and this is like what they mainly spend their time doing (besides their music).

It's pretty intricate and it's obvious they spend a lot of time working on it, but what made me sad is I wonder if the reason they have invested so much energy into the complicated world of these dolls because they aren't allowed to get out and live a real life of their own in terms of business, friends with people outside the family, branching out and having a career etc. :think:

Our dolls.weebly.com

What do you think?

By the way, not that their looks should matter, but when I looked at their blog I was struck by how the sisters are really just SO beautiful!!

[polecat]

There is a whole world of doll people/doll aficionados out there, and while the blog may seem over-the-top, it's definitely not the only one like it.

[blisterine]

I once spent 14 hours straight playing the Sims, so I can't snark on them.

When you play the Sims, you ARE God!

[Frumpster]

I once spent 14 hours straight playing the Sims, so I can't snark on them.

When you play the Sims, you ARE God!

Word!

[Mary C Doates]

Do they like penguins, too? They could be just the women those Arndts have been waiting for!

[nausicaa]

I really try to be fairly libertarian with others interests, in the sense that if you're not hurting anyone, let your freak flag fly. But I can't help but be a little creeped out by three grown women elaborately posing dolls and posting photos on instagram on a daily basis along with intricate life stories. (They do seem very nice in their videos though).

Also, three virginal blondes named Greta, Solana, and Willow is totally the set up for a fairy tale or a fantasy book.

[nelliebelle1197]

I really try to be fairly libertarian with others interests, in the sense that if you're not hurting anyone, let your freak flag fly. But I can't help but be a little creeped out by three grown women elaborately posing dolls and posting photos on instagram on a daily basis along with intricate life stories. (They do seem very nice in their videos though).

Also, three virginal blondes named Greta, Solana, and Willow is totally the set up for a fairy tale or a fantasy book.

Is their last name really Gothard? Or I am seeing things?

[BriarRose1122]

Do they like penguins, too? They could be just the women those Arndts have been waiting for!

Oh my goodness that just made me crack up!! :lol:

[BriarRose1122]

Is their last name really Gothard? Or I am seeing things?

Yep, their last name is Gothard! I was surprised at that myself! I looked around the blog to see if there was anything mentioned about Bill Gothard like if they are related, but, didn't see anything to indicate that.

[BriarRose1122]

But I can't help but be a little creeped out by three grown women elaborately posing dolls and posting photos on instagram on a daily basis along with intricate life stories. (They do seem very nice in their videos though).

Well, that is what made me think they have this elaborate fantasy life because they're not exposed to being able to do those things in real life. Their dolls have business, friends, etc because the girls don't have businesses or friends. Maybe?

[Antimony]

The weirdest bit, I guess, is that the cat characters seem to co-exist as sentiment anthro characters along with the human ones. A child would do this, I'm sure, but as an adult it now just reminds me of furries.

Also a bunch of those are American Girl Dolls -- NOT fundie approved toys for sure.

[Coco]

This kind of gives me chills. That level of fantasy is innocent, yes, but they'll wake up one day and it just will seem like wasted time...

Found one of those doll blogs the other day

pleasantpiper.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-moved.html

It's from the perspective of the doll, didn't see much about the owner. The doll actually has American Girl minis and plays with them.

I guess what freaks me out the most is that these are very expensive hobbies, and must be supported by someone. In those Gothard sisters' case, are they self-supporting, do they have jobs as well as their fantasy life? When they reach their 40's and 50's and their support stream is gone, what then? I fear that facing reality will be harsh and might lead to some substance abuse.

[Coco]

I guess they are pretty normal, in a Celtic Woman kind of way :lol:

gothardsisters.weebly.com/

[ViolaSebastian]

This may be my issues with the uncanny valley talking, but I find this pretty unsettling.

It makes me wonder about other indicators that their development has been arrested--I mean, besides being stay-at-home-daughters with no outside employment.

[nausicaa]

Well, that is what made me think they have this elaborate fantasy life because they're not exposed to being able to do those things in real life. Their dolls have business, friends, etc because the girls don't have businesses or friends. Maybe?

That's how it struck me. It's like they're living out everything they wish they could experience out in the world, except they're three intelligent, able-bodied, good looking adult women who could totally do any of these things if they chose. And the oldest sister is 27 .

And I'm with the poster who wonders about their finances. It seems that their group has had some moderate success, but I doubt that pays for much, especially with the promotions, travel, and costumes.

[ViolaSebastian]

That's how it struck me. It's like they're living out everything they wish they could experience out in the world, except they're three intelligent, able-bodied, good looking adult women who could totally do any of these things if they chose. And the oldest sister is 27 .

And I'm with the poster who wonders about their finances. It seems that their group has had some moderate success, but I doubt that pays for much, especially with the promotions, travel, and costumes.

I watched one of the videos of the cat-dolls having a dinner party, and that's what struck me, too. Most women that are in their mid to late twenties have the ability to throw their own real-life non-cat-doll dinner party in their very own living space.

The function of play is to prepare and teach children for real, adult life--I hope these women get the chance to live it someday.

[ladyaudley]

they have a youtube channel, they regularly play Irish festivals, they just went on a tour of half the country... they seem pretty normal, doll obsession aside. People have weird hobbies.

[Mama Mia]

Seems like a much more creative hobby than my " hobbies" of sims, candy crush, FJ, aNd watching Game of Thrones and reality shows. At least they have something to show for it.

[ladyaudley]

I actually quite enjoyed the Nafy's Blog videos :D they're funny and witty and well-made.

[mockingbird]

I'm in the AG collecting community and I kind-of know these sisters. (As in, we ran in the same online community for awhile, and I follow them on FB now, but we were never friends enough that I could ask them stuff about their lives.) I never figured out what, if any, religion they follow, but I don't think they were SOTDRT'd - the sister I know(ish) always seems really intelligent and well-educated. If I had to guess I would say their parents were more hippie/crunchy than fundy. I think their performing career is pretty successful, but I also don't know why they don't really venture out beyond that. They do have friends outside the family, and I guess if your family band is successful there's no reason to go to college or pursue another career...? I honestly had no idea they still kept up with the Our Dolls website until sometime last year, because I thought they'd kind-of moved on to focus on their music/dancing careers (it's possible they went on a hiatus and just brought it back recently). I don't think they are related to Bill Gothard at all.

"Piper" - that is an older blog and the lady who runs it stopped because her life changed and got too busy, I'm not even sure if she has that doll anymore, she really seems to have moved away from the hobby though she does still pop up every so often on one of the boards I'm a member of. She's religious but not fundy - she's pretty normal - and I'm pretty sure both she and her husband work.

I feel defensive every time a doll blog gets posted here even though there are some truly... odd... people in that community. (Unfortunately, I think most of the worst offenders' crazy went down on the boards and FB pages, or was deleted because, true to form, they are also epic flouncers, so I'm not sure I could find it for you guys! :lol: ) And it does tend to attract fundies - and tons of Mormons???? Maybe because all the women stay at home with their kids? But some of us are normal :twisted: I take pictures that go with stories about my dolls and they all have personalities/dialogue (I don't do videos, too much effort lol), but I also have a real life so yeah, I tend to do a big update like, once a year instead of once a week like they do. Sometimes I also have stuffed animals make cameo appearances, I guess like Disney, where a lot of the time the humans and animals interact. I grew up liking dolls (and still like miniature stuff and history etc), and I like hobbies (every so often, Netflix is #1 right now) that are productive, and I also like writing, and I think it's interesting (if leaning on the creepy side) that you can try to pose dolls for photos so they look "real" so it's kind-of a combo of all the things I like.

ETA: There are also people who do this with BJDs (ball jointed dolls, like Pullip) and those stories sometimes tend to be more on the adult side :lol:

[Coco]

I'm in the AG collecting community and I kind-of know these sisters. (As in, we ran in the same online community for awhile, and I follow them on FB now, but we were never friends enough that I could ask them stuff about their lives.) I never figured out what, if any, religion they follow, but I don't think they were SOTDRT'd - the sister I know(ish) always seems really intelligent and well-educated. If I had to guess I would say their parents were more hippie/crunchy than fundy. I think their performing career is pretty successful, but I also don't know why they don't really venture out beyond that. They do have friends outside the family, and I guess if your family band is successful there's no reason to go to college or pursue another career...? I honestly had no idea they still kept up with the Our Dolls website until sometime last year, because I thought they'd kind-of moved on to focus on their music/dancing careers (it's possible they went on a hiatus and just brought it back recently). I don't think they are related to Bill Gothard at all.

"Piper" - that is an older blog and the lady who runs it stopped because her life changed and got too busy, I'm not even sure if she has that doll anymore, she really seems to have moved away from the hobby though she does still pop up every so often on one of the boards I'm a member of. She's religious but not fundy - she's pretty normal - and I'm pretty sure both she and her husband work.

I feel defensive every time a doll blog gets posted here even though there are some truly... odd... people in that community. (Unfortunately, I think most of the worst offenders' crazy went down on the boards and FB pages, or was deleted because, true to form, they are also epic flouncers, so I'm not sure I could find it for you guys! :lol: ) And it does tend to attract fundies - and tons of Mormons???? Maybe because all the women stay at home with their kids? But some of us are normal :twisted: I take pictures that go with stories about my dolls and they all have personalities/dialogue (I don't do videos, too much effort lol), but I also have a real life so yeah, I tend to do a big update like, once a year instead of once a week like they do. Sometimes I also have stuffed animals make cameo appearances, I guess like Disney, where a lot of the time the humans and animals interact. I grew up liking dolls (and still like miniature stuff and history etc), and I like hobbies (every so often, Netflix is #1 right now) that are productive, and I also like writing, and I think it's interesting (if leaning on the creepy side) that you can try to pose dolls for photos so they look "real" so it's kind-of a combo of all the things I like.

ETA: There are also people who do this with BJDs (ball jointed dolls, like Pullip) and those stories sometimes tend to be more on the adult side :lol:

Thanks for the info... It's reassuring to know most people with this hobby have outside experiences and a full life.

I'm not snarking on the idea of playing with dolls, i love dollhouses actually, the idea of everything being lifelike but in miniature just seems so cool to me.

The thing that bothers me most is that its a completely controlled thing and not at all like actual life. so while it's a fun hobby it doesn't help with becoming a parent the same way babysitting would.

Toys R Us should sell a doll kit for little girls called the Real Life Mommy with undereye circle makeup, backache simulator, cd with 5 kinds of crying to decipher, sweet baby smell lotion, a doll that weighs 10 lbs and needs to be carried for a couple of hours, and an alarm clock that goes off at all hours of the night. :lol:

[nausicaa]

I'm actually more interested in the financial aspect of it.

There are many expensive dolls in the photos, with lots of expensive accessories (in one shot there are multiple Samantha desks pushed together). Also, in wider shots, you can see that the set up is really large and takes up most of an expansive room. I'm assuming this is in their parents' house.

Their act seems moderately successful, but with the costs of travel, publicity, and costumes, I doubt they are actually taking much home. In fact, I suspect they require additional funds to keep everything going.

It's odd to me that their parents are cool with having three adult daughters (the eldest is 27) who have never taken a class outside of Driver's Ed, have never worked jobs that pay bills, and are taking up rooms in their home with their doll set up. I'm fascinated by the family dynamic that facilitates all of this.

And yet, despite all of this, I kinda like them.

(Also, from their facebook it seems they are nominally Catholic, and Greta is a Ron Paul fan. Couldn't find anything else religious/political, so this isn't a SAHD thing).

[mockingbird]

Thanks for the info... It's reassuring to know most people with this hobby have outside experiences and a full life.

I'm not snarking on the idea of playing with dolls, i love dollhouses actually, the idea of everything being lifelike but in miniature just seems so cool to me.

The thing that bothers me most is that its a completely controlled thing and not at all like actual life. so while it's a fun hobby it doesn't help with becoming a parent the same way babysitting would.

Toys R Us should sell a doll kit for little girls called the Real Life Mommy with undereye circle makeup, backache simulator, cd with 5 kinds of crying to decipher, sweet baby smell lotion, a doll that weighs 10 lbs and needs to be carried for a couple of hours, and an alarm clock that goes off at all hours of the night. :lol:

Hahahahaha. (And now I can't decide if fundies would buy that in spades, or if they would boycott it because you're supposed to be happy and perfect as a sister mom, damnit! :lol: )

Yeah! I love finding miniature stuff for them and setting up scenes, I don't know why but something about it is fascinating. I would be into dollhouses if I had room. (I always wanted the Playmobil Victorian mansion...)

My dolls were/are mostly gifts. I have a lot, but I've also been playing with/collecting AG since I was a kid, going on almost 20 years (so weird to think about...). I remember the Gothard sisters talking about how they got their first dolls as gifts, but IDK about the later ones.

Nausicaa25 - Catholic sounds familiar. I do think they've been getting more gigs over the years but I agree - I'm not sure how self-supporting their act really is. Also, I always found it kind-of odd that the two older sisters would want to spend most of their time with their much younger sister. My sister and I have about the same age difference as Greta and Solana, and my sister is in high school now. Up until maybe a year ago, it was hard to relate to her as more than just a little kid because there was such a big gap. Now that she is older we can watch the same movies/shows, converse on more of the same level, etc. and are becoming friends instead of just older/younger sister. I mean there is nothing wrong with being close to your family, but especially with that big of an age difference, I wanted to hang out with my same-age friends too. (I do know they have friends outside the family though.) Also yeah, I don't really know anything about the parents at all and I'm not sure why they haven't encouraged or why the girls don't want to move out on their own. The two older sisters could easily share an apartment and still be involved with their other sister in the family business. They could even get a two-bedroom and share a room, and use the other one as a studio/work room to make their costumes and practice...? Greta has gotten defensive about homeschooling/not going to college/not moving out before.

Edited because I was trying to summarize FB info and I don't know how much is public. I think she'd friend people on her Greta Gothard account. That one is mostly like, the "public figure" Greta Gothard, and she has another one under a different name that's personal. I'm not sure if the other sisters have separate accounts or not.