The StarBlog Diaires is back! Tune in to get to know fellow Stardoll member xVonDutch!

Everyone has a story, and this international community is fortunate to have so many vibrant personalities. This series features dolls who want to share their story and culture.

If you want to be featured in the next Starblog diaries post,
go ahead and apply in the designated hot topic post in: AllDolledUpClub

Dear StarBlog readers,

My name is Romy, I'm twenty-two years old, and born and raised in The Netherlands. I'm currently majoring in Social Work at University, and hope to do a master's in Sociology in the future. Dutch is my mother tongue, but ever since I've started writing online in my teen years, English has become a close second for me. I have two cats, currently: an old, chubby orange one named Kruimel, and a one-year-old girl named Pippa. Aside from taking interest in my studies, I also love reading, writing, and being involved in the community!

Tell us about your Stardoll Journey!

I've been on Stardoll since 2006/2007, after my older cousin introduced me to it, though I eventually had to make this new account of mine because I forgot the username of my first one. The new account name was chosen because The Simple Life was showing on MTV and Paris Hilton wore a Von Dutch hat (or t-shirt, the memory is a bit fuzzy)! While I love the fashion aspect of Stardoll, it was originally a way for me to keep in contact with friends and make new ones, though over the years a lot of that has remained, I have slowly grown to love the fashion aspect of it a lot too. I've met some of my best friends on here, and I feel eternally grateful for that. 

There are some things I would change, but I don't personally have any revolutionary ideas, I think most other members probably have similar viewpoints that have already been expressed, such as the prices of items and how being Superstar has become more and more important over the years. The one thing I'd ever come up with is to tackle bullying on this website some more. I've been seeing a surprising lot of hatred, and also, unfortunately, hate speech, and it makes me so sad to see! There is a simple rule that I follow in real life that I believe is very helpful: I will respect your opinion, as long as it doesn't disrespect anyone's existence. 

I keep coming back largely because of my friends, I love seeing their creativity in action, and I love seeing the things they come up with! I also just love talking with them, when you live on all sides of the world, Stardoll is an easy medium to keep in contact. Aside from that, as I said, I've also grown to love the fashion aspect of it all. As a plus-size woman with limited funds in real life, I used to feel very reserved in my fashion choices, and Stardoll is both a place to let out that creativity and gain inspiration for my real life. It truly did allow me to explore the kind of fashion and styles I enjoy, and I have become much bolder and more confident outside of this website too!  

Tell us more about your background and cultural interests!

I'm from The Netherlands and after meeting some exchange students two years ago, they told me something that made me laugh. The thing that surprised them most when first coming here was the insane amount of bicycles we have everywhere! And when I looked it up, they were right: we literally have more bikes than people in this country. I think it has to do with the sober attitude most Dutch people have. Taking your bike to work or school is cheaper, easier, and if you live in the city, usually faster! I cycled 40 minutes to school every day as a teenager, and I didn't realize how unusual that was until I heard about it from foreigners, because it's so normal here.

We are also known for our vibrant LGBTQ+ community and as a proud member of that myself, I feel so grateful to be able to celebrate that with such freedom, especially when I know other people around the world don't always have the same privilege! Pride is a beautiful thing to have, but the event is also very fun to attend. Even people unassociated with the community join in on the festivities, just because it's so filled with love and joy. 

As I mentioned earlier, my cousin introduced me to Stardoll, and for my first few years here, she was my closest friend. She is in her thirties now, though, with two children, and unfortunately doesn't have the time for this website anymore. Still, she asks me about it every now and then or checks it out through my account, and I suspect if she ever has more time, that she'll return to the website. One of my younger cousins, currently 10, has also made an account, though her interest isn't quite there yet, I hope she'll have a fun time too!

Any advice you’d like to share with our readers?

I have struggled with psychological issues in the past due to a lot of bad circumstances in my life, for which Stardoll had always been a great help to draw me away from that. The one quote that has helped me through that a lot is by Anne Frank, "I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains." As for advice, I have one that is quite cliché, though with an addition. Be yourself, but also don't be afraid to learn from others. No one person knows everything, and you are allowed to grow and become a better person, but most importantly, a happy person.