Hussy Control

Okay, I know the Bratz/Barbie debate has already received a lot of attention in the blogosphere. Mir from Woulda Coulda Shoulda wrote a fabulous post here at BlogHer on the subject of Bratz last October. You’d think things would’ve improved since then, but Katie, bar the door. It’s just getting worse.

Before I had a daughter, I thought Barbie was too skinny and probably a slut to boot, but whatever. I totally played with Barbies as only a child born in the seventies could really do. I remember Malibu Barbie’s tan lines. I can totally appreciate people who think we are making a mountain out of a plastic chest. The regular Bratz and Barbies are silly, superficial, slutty shopaholics – good for nothing but changing clothes and sliding their either freakishly small or large feet into various plastic sports cars or salon chairs. Then I saw the Bratz Babyz, and I think that’s what made me think alert the media – is this not child pornography disguised as Strawberry Shortcake’s hooker cousin? I don’t know if I would’ve reacted that way I did (near vomiting) if I weren’t the parent of a three-year-old girl, but those little underwear seemed a little close too close to home for me.

But the media had already been alerted. They didn’t seem to get the problem. The blogosphere, on the other hand, did and does and will. Izzy from IzzyMom writes eloquently on this subject again and again.

I wish it were as easy as blaming the dolls, Barbies and Bratz alike, as the author of Neat does as she describes the satisfaction of seeing tufts of blonde Barbie hair on her parents’ shag carpeting. Unfortunately, blaming the dolls isn’t enough. We DO need to tell manufacturers we don’t approve of their dolls’ fashion sense. We DO need to tell stores who carry these dolls that we won’t buy them as long as they are dressed like underage streetwalkers. We DO need to speak out against them and tell our relatives not to buy them for our daughters. (If you need a templated letter for Grandma, go read Tracy’s at Whim).

But, as Omaha Momma
points out, we also need to look at how we act and talk and eat in front of our daughters. No, parents and particularly mommies aren’t capable of protecting their daughters from every hurt, bump, wrinkle, bad sex encounter or eating disorder. If that were true, I wouldn’t have been an anorexic who lost my virginity far too young. My mom rocked. You can’t protect your daughter from everything.

But just as we now know that we should strap our children into car seats and suggest they wear a helmet if they are going to try out the neighbor’s new ten-foot skateboard ramp, we should as parents be mindful of the emotional direction young children need, too. Part of our job as parents is to teach our daughters how the world works. If you jump on the bed, you could end up with stitches. If you take that high-interest credit card in exchange for a big bag of M&Ms in college, you could end up $14,000 lighter when you’re broke and 25. If you dress like a whore, people might call you one, or worse, they might be so distracted by your clothing that they won’t see the real girl hiding inside the lycra.

In addition to not financially supporting the madness, we must remind our daughters and sons alike that Barbie couldn’t exist in real life and that Bratz have low self-esteem. Adult women do not dress like that unless they have a reason to do so. Teenaged girls and adolescents will want to dress like that; they’ll have the gorgeous, young, uncellulite-laden thighs to dress like that; men and boys will want them to dress like that; the only reason you do it is to draw attention to your physical form. I have nothing against being proud of your physical form, but there’s more than one way to show it off. You don’t walk around with your IQ taped to your forehead so everyone can see it, but people can tell if you’re intelligent from talking to you. You don’t have to walk around with your measurements on display, either. You can be an athlete or wear clothes that fit. People can appreciate intellectual and physical beauty from a much more subtle display.

And the dolls, well, they’re dolls, so they don’t know that. In fact, here’s some commentary from City Style Barbie over at Grabapple to prove it.

And now, for something completely different: It’s almost Mother’s Day. Get on over to Cool Mom Picks and decide what you want.