So if Barbie is a more viable source of inspiration for growing young ladies what is the shallow figurine that teaches our generation's children to be nothing but pretty bimbos.
If that were my baby, she'd so be grounded.
I have never liked the Bratz dolls. They were always ugly to me with their clearly dysmorphic bodies. Plus you have to remove their feet to change their shoes, which I find highly unsettling. However, the more I saw Bratz the more unsettled I became. The girls are dressed in the skimpiest of all club attire. Clearly from their ads all they want to do is party and look for boys. Now, I'm all for the sexual empowerment of women. Let me now stress the woman part. Dolls are intended to be played with from girls the age of 4-12. If our country was over-sexualized enough, the marketing of dolls such as the Bratz to young girls is just asking for Lolita complexes to pop up everywhere. Looking back after puberty, childhood is really the only time that your decisions aren't in some way affected by sex or your sexual identity. There are no funky hormones, and you rarely worry about self image yet. Once again for example Noelle who has an allergy to brushing her hair. She gets very whiny about it. Now, as a woman whose reached that peak of puberty, I wouldn't be caught dead with nappy hair. Who might be looking? I might not be appealing. Blah blah blah, insecurity etc. Girls need to fully take in this time before they become the women of tomorrow who are worrying about their self image, and their sexual appeal. No matter how self assured of a woman you are, those little feelings will forever nag at you every now and then. Isn't there a better way to transition them into dealing with that, and being someone productive and less outward oriented? The Bratz dolls clearly are not it. Why not help them transition with a hero to look up to?
Young girls play with dolls. Originally, this was to promote motherly instincts, as young girls watched their mothers, and wanted to mimic them. If you think that's sexist then go ahead. I believe now a days however, dolls are just for the purpose of imagination, and in a way choosing to "be who you want to be" as some Barbie commercials proclaim. With Barbie you can be anything! There are Barbies for every race, and every occupation. Although Bratz dolls have the multi-ethnic thing down, they certainly have no other agenda other than partying. Case in point, my little sister's Bratz bus. Now, Noelle is most definitely a tom boy. There is no denying that. She is not usually drawn to the girly. One day however, I saw her toting around her beanie babies and Bionicles in a giant mauve bus. Peeking into the interior I found to my distaste, a dance floor, a hot tub, and (at this point I was beyound peeved) a mini bar. What standards is that instilling to young girls? I mean, Noelle shrugged an in a matter of fact way said it was a mini bar and laughed about it. She can handle it. She knows who she is and she's perfectly chill, a very well parented young one. However, for the girls who literally rely on looking up to something, and emulating it, Bratz are the worst example.
Even the name "Bratz" is implies some sort of attitude that I can't connect with.
brat
/bræt/ Show Spelled[brat] Show IPA
–noun
a child, esp. an annoying, spoiled, or impolite child (usually used in contempt or irritation).
These do not sound like endorseable behaviors to me. We need to be teaching children to be loving, and polite. Not spoiled, super self envolved, and beyound empathy for anything other than hot tubs, thongs, and the labels of their clothing.
So for you future moms, or you current moms think about this. Do you want your daughter to be a Barbie or a Bratz? Choose wisely, because I've dealt with enough brats to know the world doesn't need any more.
Who are you rooting for?
If you're interested in some Barbie fun facts: click here
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment