A woman who makes reborn dolls of newborns and preemies says trolls call her work “weird” and “demonic”, but she loves what she does.
Margriet Shein first started making the items after losing two pregnancies.
Channelling her pain to help others, she crafts intricate dolls that can take up to a month to make, with every minor detail recorded – from the tiniest freckle to veins, and every strand of hair added individually.
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But the 28-year-old often has to deal with insensitive trolls online, who disagree with her work.
“My biggest dream in life was always to become a mother,” Margriet told What’s The Jam.
“But sadly I lost two pregnancies and I got very sick.
“I looked online for a doll that might’ve looked like a baby my husband I would have had, but biracial dolls are very hard to find.
“So I tried making my own.
“I loved giving an ‘image’ to my grief and being able to hold something in my arms.
“But I get trolled a lot online.
“In the beginning I was very taken aback by the hate comments – I even considered removing my account.
“Trolls tell me I am working with demons, that the realism is creepy or that I am weird.
“People feel uncomfortable seeing an adult with dolls – but the fact that you don’t understand something, does not make it wrong.”
Despite some people not agreeing with her work, plenty of other people love it.
Margriet, from Gouda, Netherlands, gets requests from others to make reborn dolls for them.
And she claims they are so popular that once she shares a new design online (@margrietsreborns ), it sells within a matter of days.
Her dolls cost between £340-£500 (€400-€700).
Margriet spends an average of four weeks creating each doll, making them as realistic as possible.
She said: I don’t just paint what I think is beautiful but I really study skin.
“I mostly make dolls of premature and newborn babies – their skin type and tone is different to that of older babies.
“It is very important to me that the dolls represent reality.
“To make realistic dolls, I spend many hours painting.
“From the tiny milk spots on the nose to little veins on the wrist, I paint them all.
“And I ‘root’ their hair with a little needle one by one.
“So you can understand that it takes a lot of time and patience.”
She says people’s reactions to her dolls makes the time spent worth it.
Margriet said: “The fact that reborn dolls help people with different kinds of problems – like anxiety or even those suffering with dementia – makes it very meaningful to me.
“Holding the dolls makes the brain release the ‘cuddle hormone’ oxytocin – so it literally calms you down.
“In the reborn doll world, 90% of the dolls are white.
“So I love to make them in all shades and dolls with disabilities, as well.”
The artist explains that, while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, she has no intentions to stop her work.
Margriet said: “Making a doll makes me very happy.
“And the fact that they help people, makes me feel very fulfilled.
“The fact that there is so much hate is because people don’t understand this hobby and art form.
“So the only way to change that is to keep posting and stay positive.”
Speaking of her own baby loss and whether she will ever try again, she added: “I hope that in the future I will have less seizures, because my wish is still to become a mom.”
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