Hobbies are an important part of a happy life, but some hobbies seem to become more of a lifestyle than just an extracurricular activity. People who engage in those hobbies tend to make it their entire personality.
Their favorite activity goes beyond the time they enjoy it and seeps into their everyday life. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but some become so immersed that a hobby becomes a lifestyle and what that person is known for. Sometimes, to outsiders, these hobbies can seem excessive, but to the people who love them, they’re literally just a part of who they are.
People who have these 6 hobbies usually end up making it their entire personality
1. Horses
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A horse hobby isn’t just owning and riding these majestic animals. It’s an entire identity. In fact, women who engage in a horse hobby have been dubbed “horse girls” by outsiders looking in, and the nickname isn’t always meant as a compliment.
According to the New York Times, “the phrase can be one of admiration or derision, depending on who deploys it […]. From the outside, horse girls may be perceived as privileged (Princess Charlotte, a horse girl in the making), prissy (think early Taylor Swift), or weird.” But if owning horses and horseback riding are a passion, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, how could it be anything but part of your personality? From feeding and grooming to exercising and practicing, having horses is an expensive and time-consuming hobby.
2. Sourdough bread bakers
The “rise” of sourdough bread baking seemed to start during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. Since then, sourdough baking has started again, with people seeing it more often on their timelines on popular social media sites like TikTok.
For some, baking sourdough is akin to a meditation. They enjoy the process of baking the bread and even open their own bakeries. Now that’s commitment!
3. CrossFit
CrossFit is an intense workout with roots in Olympic training, powerlifting, gymnastics, and rowing. It often becomes an obsession for those who do it and see powerful results in their physique.
People get so into CrossFit that it’s all they talk about, and others preface talking about their workouts by saying, “I’m not that obsessive CrossFit person, but…” Some question if CrossFit is a cult. “CrossFit created an entire world unto itself, people related to it beyond it just being a sport. It was a ‘lifestyle’ with a moral universe; people called it a ‘culture.” CrossFit dives a little deeper than being an exercise routine. It becomes your life.
4. Birding
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According to a national survey, 96.3 million people (age 16 or older) considered birdwatching a hobby in 2022, a number that’s more than doubled since 2016.
Meghadeepa Maity of Feminist Bird Club told Country Living that much like baking sourdough, you can blame the pandemic for the popularity of birdwatching as people searched for things to do that wouldn’t take them far from the boundaries of their own doorsteps.
Post pandemic, birders who kept up with the hobby often find themselves traveling to other regions and countries just to catch a glimpse of their long-awaited prize. They invest in binoculars, field guides, spotting scopes, and a good camera, among other items, to support their fascination with birds.
5. Essential oil collectors
Many may not know or consider essential oil enthusiasts as hobbyists. It certainly becomes a major part of their life, from collecting to selling essential oils.
If you’ve ever spoken to an essential oils enthusiast, you may find that anything you bring up turns into a conversation about oils. Many may associate essential oils with MLMs that sell them. People deeply involved in essential oils tend to sell them as well as collect them. Many believe in the power of essential oils to cure minor and major ailments, but there are equally as many who simply enjoy the scents and the blending of those scents like perfume. But what’s undeniable about the hobby is that they definitely like spreading the word.
6. Reborn doll collecting
Reborn dolls aren’t just any doll. They are expensive, life-like baby dolls, and they aren’t necessarily for children. Reborn dolls are purchased by older women who dress them up and dote on them as if they were their true offspring.
Many revere them for their therapeutic value. They are forever babies that, for the purchaser/mother, heal an emptiness perhaps driven by infertility or infant loss. The hobby can often be seen as a weird obsession, though, mostly by people who don’t understand.
Women invest in everything they would for a real baby and walk them around in strollers, feed them, burp them, buy diapers and…well…you get the idea. You can find videos on TikTok of women painstakingly making these dolls, adding human hair with a needle, and others live-streaming themselves holding the dolls and caring for them like real babies. One collector explained in a video, “Trying to explain to a non-doll collector this emotional attachment to an inanimate object, people don’t get it.” But that’s the beauty of any hobby. You don’t have to explain why it brings you joy.
If you have found community in a hobby you love, embrace it. If talking about your hobby makes you happy, talk about it. If that hobby has become part of your personality, by all means, let that personality shine. Not everyone has to understand your hobby, and that’s okay. The fact that you enjoy it and it makes you and your life better is all that really matters.
Laura Lomas is a writer with a Master’s degree in English and Creative Writing who focuses on news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
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