Mary and Allison appear onstage as best friends and self-proclaimed "Mollys" and ask why adult women playing with dolls is considered weird or wrong. An audience member felt ashamed earlier to carry Samantha in a canvas bag on the commuter rail. Allison observes that collectible action figures, sci-fi fandom, and video games have become mainstream adult "nerd culture," which remains predominantly male. There is no comparable, socially accepted culture for adults who enjoy "girl toys." A 37-year-old woman who still played with a doll would be labeled a weirdo rather than a "nerd," prompting her to decide to buy a doll.
Mary and Allison came onstage to our applause - best friends, the perfect counterparts, and both self-proclaimed "Mollys." They admired the Samanthas and Felicitys and "Just Like Yous" in the crowd, and they asked this question: Why, exactly, was it weird or wrong for an adult woman - everyone I saw in the audience presented as female - to play with a doll?
Allison pointed out (at the risk of being binary about it all) that pastimes like collectible action figures, sci-fi fandom, and video games have gone mainstream for adults as a part of "nerd culture" - a culture that, while affirming and accepting to many with those interests, continues to be a predominantly male space. Meanwhile, there is no equivalent, socially acceptable culture for adults with an interest in "girl toys."
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