The state or period of being a doll, or the condition of being treated like a doll or plaything.
From 'doll' plus the suffix '-hood' (meaning state or condition), following the pattern of words like 'childhood' and 'manhood.' This word emerged in the 19th century in discussions about childhood play and feminine roles.
The concept of 'dollhood' helped Victorian writers critique how society kept women in a perpetual state of ornamental passivity—being pretty and compliant like dolls rather than active agents in their own lives.
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