BlogHer - Sorry, sweetie... Mommy thinks that doll's too skanky - Comments

I know, I'm bad

Emiliea — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:14:53 -0600

But I have bought about 10 bratz for my daughter. I'll not disclose ages here but I have bought her Bratz. She plays with them and loves to dress them up but I see no trace of her wanting to be like a doll.

Remember it is the parents that raise the child, not the dolls. It's up to you to say no to them dressing like the dolls if you want. But another thing. Barbie's new look is not Bratz-esque. It is merely a doll with a non-swiveling waistline. And the old Barbie clothes (Which my daughter has) have never been large enoughs to fit the newer Barbie dolls. Always slightly smaller.

I don't get what all this fuss is about, and I don't know why you can't ease up. If you knew what the very first Bratz dolls looked like as I do, you would see nothing wrong ith the newer ones. The old ones actually had see-through belly-shirts and quarter inch long miniskirts with 3 inch heel on the shoes, and there was never a decently clothed Bratz around. Pick your kid's Bratz carefully. Go for Sleepover or Sportz ones. Sleepover have long pants and a normal pajama shirt, Sportz mostly have full outfits like soccer outfit and Lilee's snowboarding outfit that are like real outfits...not all Bratz are bad, just the older, more obnoxious ones.

That's all I gotta say here

~Emi

Meanest Mom in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD - LOL

ExpectingExecutive — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:28:58 -0500

My mom would not even consider for one second letting my sister or I own or play with Barbies. And, she WAS, the meanest mommy in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD.

Now...we are in our 30s and my sister and I agree that we appreciated the fact that my mom was not only adamant about her feelings that Barbie set impossible self image standards but she remained firmly planted in her actions to support her standards. A great role model. My sister and I are grateful to the amazing...albeit meanest...mother we have been blessed with. Then again, my mom's favorite motto was "I don't negotiate with terrorists and all of my kids under 25 are terrorists!" LOL. I love you Mom!

Erin
ExpectingExecutive
In order to change your life, you must first change your life.

Here's my experience

toolmommy462 — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 11:19:00 -0500

YOU CAN’T HAVE A BRATZ DOLL TILL YOUR 22.
Current mood: optimistic
Category: Life

My Beautiful daughter's 5th birthday is in 2 days. What she wants more than anything is the whole Bratz line of dolls and accessories.

OK, Where do I begin about these dolls. First of all if you have never heard of a Bratz doll, here is the link to their website.http://www.bratz.com/.

I also want to say I am not one of those soccer moms that force feed my ideas on my children. I TRY to teach them to think for them selves.

My Daughter got home this morning with her Birthday present from Grandma. It was a large BRATZ, with full makeup. Real makeup, and ohhhh BODY GLITTER. My husband told me, only strippers wear body glitter!

OK, if my daughter chooses to be a stripper, that is fine. But I would like the chance to teach her how to write her name first. Like I said I am not here to mold a clone of myself. I guess I don't know why I am on a rant. Well, it could be the many tears shed when I told her she has to pick a different toy, I told her it was because these dolls are meant for older girls that are like 10 or 11.

I was going to go on a crusade to eradicate every Brat doll in the world, but I hate people like that. Instead I am going to do what so many parents neglect to do and tell my child no, I am going to turn the station, turn the channel and remove her from the situation. Trying to bend the constitution for one little girl is a little over the top. The more I write, I feel like I am defending these stupid DOLLZ, I am not doing that for sure! I just think it's about time we take the responsibility to parent our children and stop blaming t.v., radio and the Internet, for the decline of the western civilization. I can't control anything in this world, but I can do my best to let my kids take the bumps and bruises of reality to make them better adults.

And damn it I am holding on for dear life with this little girl. I want her wear dresses and play dress up as long as she can. For to soon, she will be thrown into this society of physical beauty, it's not who you are it's what designer label your wearing. I guess I will have to reinforce in her that it's OK not to have almond,tear drop shaped eyes, and legs that go for ever, cuz she probably won't. And you don't have to throw up your juice box and animal crackers to look like your Bratz doll. Because she's not real, and you are.

AHHHH!

I feel better!

Thanks!

ConcernedMom62 — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:04:05 -0500

great article! Thank you, I think we all feel like that!

good call

ConcernedMom62 — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:28:21 -0500

here is another thought..

a better role model for girls today..

http://www.hulalagirls.com

Getting girls gaming for a green planet..

moove over bratz.. peace out Barbie..

Good call, Mir.

Bill Cammack — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:13:40 -0500

Good call, Mir.

If these dolls undermine the way you're bringing up your children, they should be avoided at all costs.

I don't think enough attention is paid to messages that are being sent to kids, actively OR passively... And then people want to turn around and blame those same kids for what they're doing as teenagers.

--
Bill Cammack
Video Editor
BillCammack.com

Another Suzanne, Another Confession

Suzanne Reisman — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:57:30 -0500

I loved Barbies when I was a kid. I played with them until I was 10 or 11, when other girls in my school had given up on dolls already and gone on to dating. I was in no way, shape, or form ready to handle real relations with boys, so I retreated into my little Barbie world. They put on pretty clothes and dated and had sex with Ken. It was sort of pre-Bachelor, since there was only one guy and lots of ladies clamoring for him. I personally continued being a nerd. Life was good.

Ironically, although I loved gussying Barbie up and pimping her out, when it came to my life, I realized quickly that I hated heels, tight clothes, and makeup. I also was one of those no-sex-until-marriage types (shocking, I know) until I was 16 or 17. I left high school still a virgin.

I happen to really hate the Bratz dolls because I do think they are sexual in ways that Barbie isn't, even after admitting that my Barbies got a lot of action. I don't think that they will cause girls to be skanks any more than Barbie led me to be a princess, but they still totally creep me out.

Suzanne, BlogHer Contributing Editor - Feminsim & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS)& Other Rants

"My name is Suzanne, and I buy Bratz dolls for my daughter"

onegirlcreative — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:00:29 -0500

Imagine me saying that at a local Bratz meeting (to replace AA).

In fact, my daughter is sitting next to me right now and playing with them. She plays soccer and tennis and she desperately wanted the tennis Bratz dollâ€”I looked everywhere but couldn't find one, so I purchased the soccer doll instead. I know, I'm horrible.

But honestly? I, too, played with Barbie dolls throughout my entire childhood and never grew up with insecure body issues. If anything, the media did a great job of doing that, not my Barbie collection.

My daughter is 7 years old and my brother bought her her first Bratz doll when she turned 3. Yes, she was way too young, simply because she wasn't into those type of dolls yet. So it stayed locked up in a drawer until when she was about 5, she started playing with it. Now she loves them! She has Groovy Girls, 3 American Girl dolls and several Barbie dollsâ€”she loves them all and goes back and forth with them quite frequently.

My husband jokes and says they look like "hookers," but in retrospect, he doesn't disagree with my buying them. Unfortunately, TV nowadays is the cause of desensitization of violence and promiscuity. However, we do not let our daughter watch anything but the Disney channel. But, even Disney can be guilty of a little bit of the "hipster" look, as well. Now that she is 7 years old (she turns 8 in November), she loves That's So Raven and Hannah Montana. Even though these shows are innocent enough, they don't however, shield them from what's in style and the latest fashion trend. Now don't get me wrong, she doesn't sit around and watch TV all day long because she doesn't have time. With homework, soccer, tennis and now she's in her school playâ€”Alice in Wonderlandâ€”she has other activities to keep her busy.

The sole reason we only allow her to watch nothing but the Disney channel (other than movies like Cars or Nemo) is because their lack of advertisement. Yes, they do show quite a bit of Disney advertising, of course, but I like that you don't see commercials for the latest toy craze currently on the market.

It's tough, because as I see the mothers on this blog who are against buying their daughters Barbies or Bratz dolls, I notice that their daughters are 3 and under. Which is fine, but when they grow older, you will be approached to purchase one of these dolls, or something similar at that time, for them. I assure you. There will always be something that they will want that we'll disagree with. I am still fighting her on those tiny, obnoxious Polly Pocket toys.

Good for you for staying strong to your beliefs, but it'll only get tougher as they get older and their neighbor or friend has one and they HAVE to have one, as well. Luckily, I haven't had to deal with that issue yet, but I'm certain as she gets older, it will inevitably be a butt-heading issue.

I'm hoping that we as parents will be there for her as she gets older and becomes a typical teenager and wants to wear that midriff shirt or have her jeans pulled down a little too low, to guide them not to dress like college girls, but young teenagers, instead.

I enjoyed reading everybody's feelings on the Bratz dolls, and I definitely can respect that. But believe me, the mothers out there who are buying them (or fathers, too) for their daughters are not necessarily "trailer trash", but parents who want what their daughters enjoy playing with. I am continually in awe of my daughter's imaginative playing skillsâ€”she's just like how I was. If dolls can spark her imagination and creativity, then good for her. There are worse scenarios out there than playing with a Bratz doll. Like the constant violence being shown on regular television. That is what disgusts me.

Thanks ladies for sharing! I enjoyed it.
Suzanne

BTWâ€”both my husband and myself are college graduates.

I am a 21 year old with a 6

rachellei — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 10:21:27 -0600

I am a 21 year old with a 6 year old little sister. She started asking me to get her a doll, Bratz, but I had no clue what she was talking about. Finally, one day after much insistance from her, I decided to go to the store to get her the doll. When I saw those dolls, I was completely horrified. I didn't know how to tell my little sister that I didn't want to get that doll for her simply because she looked like a hooker; I know I'm young and that I'm not a mom yet, but it really concerns me that moms buy these dolls to their little ones. Like you, I was not a big fan of Barbie, but as soon as I saw those things, I went to the Barbie isle and found her a beautiful and more decent one that she ended up loving.
This shows that not only parents are concerned about this, but also younger people.

Okay, I'm outing myself...

Liz Thompson — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 11:44:28 -0500

...at the risk of labeling myself "the bad parent," I admit it - I bought not one...but, two Bratz dolls and various other Bratz-type paraphernalia, over the years.

Although, not a very good excuse, I caved a couple of Christmas' ago after my oldest daughter received one from a classmate for her 8th birthday.

Yes, these big-headed and large-lipped dolls were all the rage and, quite honestly, not being able to swing a lot of the "must haves" on their wish lists, the Bratz made it under the tree.

And, eventually, in the garbage.

They had interchangeable body parts - EW! - which were quickly snapped off and lost among the couch cusions by New Years.

My oldest is 13 (and passed the doll stage, thank goodness!) but, she shares a bedroom with my 10 and 5 year-old...which is now Bratz-free.

Along with Betty Spaghetti, these dolls were not the smartest choices I've made for my children...I admit...but, I've since learned to be a little less concerned about being "the good mom" and hope to be a little more like you, Mir, by sticking to my guns about what my kids are, or are NOT, getting this year!

Phew, there...I said it...thanks, Mir for this thought-provoking post - I'm learning as I go!

--------------------------------------------
For more from Liz Thompson, read:
C.E. Fashion & Shopping
This Full House
The Imperfect Parent

Point taken...

beachmommy — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 10:41:02 -0500

Yvette, you make a good point about the diversity that the Bratz dolls represent (far more than the lame, kinda half-assed approach that Mattel has used for Barbie). And, I agree that Barbie, despite her billions of fashion options, still puts forth a limited view of what women should look like. That said, I am still a bit troubled by how adolescent and adult women are portrayed by the Bratz line, regardless of race or ethnicity.

I just checked out the Groovy Girls, and they seem like a much safer, more intriguing option. I'm definitely going to check them out.

beachmommies.com

More ways to sexualize your child too young

SkylarKD — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 10:39:34 -0500

It might interest you to know that Target stores in Australia are selling 'bralettes' (essentially padded bras for little girls) with the Bratz logo on them (scroll down to the end of the post). Arrgghh!!

With regard to Mom Mom Mom, I was really happy to hear that the organizations 'Dads and Daughters' and 'See Jane' initiated a successful letter-writing campaign to prevent Hasbro from making and marketing Pussycat Dolls dolls to girls as young as six!

SkylarKD

And by the way, both my

Yvette Perry — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 10:04:44 -0500

And by the way, both my husband and I are very well educated. I can't speak for the other Bratz consumers so many commenters here seem so incredulous about, but clearly in our case the "difference" is not an educational one.

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

My daughters have "Bratz"

Yvette Perry — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 10:02:39 -0500

Although I have never personally bought them, my daughters do own Bratz dolls (as well as a couple knock-offs) that were given to them as gifts. Whatever their faults, the Bratz line has Barbie beat in terms of a variety of dolls with multiple skin tones. Rather than Barbie and colored-in-supposed-to-be-Black-Barbie. As I am a Black mother raising Black daughters, I am much more comfortable seeing my girls play with these dolls than with Barbies.

As for the clothes, I really have a hard time getting more upset about these dolls' outfits more than Barbie's equally inappropriately-scaled, adult, and "princess" choices.

I do not, however, care for the new "Baby Bratz." I rationalize the Bratz (and, to a lesser extent, Barbie) by telling myself that they are meant to represent adult or adolescent women. (At least, that is how my girls see them.) I can't do that in good conscience with the toddler-sized dolls.

I also agree with the commenter about the Groovy Girls. My daughters prefer them to their Bratz and brown Barbies because they are cuddly.

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

I have a daughter sandwiched

Deaf Mom — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:30:21 -0500

I have a daughter sandwiched between two boys and she's had her fill of Barbies, Polly Pockets, Bratz and American Girl. She was always adventurous with her dolls-- cutting their hair and altering their clothes. She truly didn't care about the dolls' figures, she was too busy turning the bathtub into a vacation spa where the "gals" met each other for the first time from exotic locations around the world.
Sure enough, she's eleven now and has moved on to other things. If anything, those fake pieces of plastic spurred her imagination to new heights.

Karen
"Life is too short to pout all the time."
A Deaf Mom Shares Her World

Sorry, sweetie... Mommy thinks that doll's too skanky

Mir Kamin — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 17:44:24 -0500

I decided before my first child was born---heck, before I was ever pregnant or married---that no child of mine would ever own a Barbie doll. I've taken considerable flak over the years for my decision, and I'm okay with that. What I never could've predicted, though, was that these days Barbies are downright wholesome compared to some of the other options.

Bratz. Baby Bratz (because baby dolls without sparkly chains to hold their pacifiers and coordinating leather bra tops are so yesterday). Diva Starz. This monstrosity, which I'd like to rename the Barbie My Skank High-End Call Girl Styling Head. (Oddly, Mattel is not knocking my door down to obtain my assistance with marketing.)

Most of my relatively conservative mom friends are allowing their daughters to play with the original Barbie dolls, reasoning that they're the least offensive fashion dolls out there. I stand firm on my Barbie ban, and have explained the rationale behind it to my daughter (I do not wish for her to play with dolls that represent an impossible standard of fake beauty, or that wear clothing I consider inappropriate) and, instead, provided my daughter with a variety of age-appropriate substitutes.

So I wasn't entirely surprised when this study was released:

With fashion dolls decked out in knee-high boots, mini-skirts and midriff baring shirts a common sight these days, a new survey finds a majority of mothers believe many toy dolls available for young girls today are too provocative.

The survey, released on Monday, said these mothers would like to see more wholesome, age-appropriate characters and role models for their daughters.

The survey was commissioned by AG Properties, which owns the more conservative Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears and Holly Hobbie properties.

I'm taking it with a grain of salt (wow, the people marketing Holly Hobbie discover that moms want more wholesome dolls? What's next, that the dairy industry announces that kids like milk?), but I agree that the latest wave of too-sexy dolls have caused even most of the "oh, what's the harm?" parents to pause in the doll aisle.

What I have to confess I didn't immediately think about---and I am admitting this with an appropriately red face---was the emphasis in this story on moms' preferences. In fact, it was only mothers who were surveyed.

Greg at Daddy Types takes the researchers to task over this exclusion of dads:

The study went on to conclude, "mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom mom.

[...]

But enough with the mom monopoly on moral outrage. So I contacted the publicists, and asked for a bit of constructive explanation as to why they surveyed only moms, and not dads--or maybe, you know, parents. Here's Tamra Seldin-Knepfer, SVP of Consumer Products for AG Properties' response:

Statistically speaking, mothers make the majority of shopping and toy purchasing decisions for children, which is why we selected them as the sample group for this survey. However, we think that all parents most likely feel the same way about wanting more wholesome, age-appropriate characters and role models for their daughters.

By "all parents," I'm pretty sure she means "all parents who love their children during the Holiday shopping season, which, incidentally, began Sept. 19th, when Mattel's Fisher-Price division unveiled it the amazing 10th anniversary edition of Tickle--" OK, you.

"We think that all parents most likely feel the same way?" Here's an idea: Next time, why don't you actually survey "all parents" and then you won't have to assume. Also, you won't look quite as sexist, which (by the way) might be a useful position to take when investigating a topic that centers around parenting and the oversexualization of our children. Just a suggestion.

Mir

[image courtesy of Celia Galliard's "Barbie vs. Bratz" project]

BlogHer Contributing Editor Mir also blogs at Woulda Coulda Shoulda and Want Not.