The War Of The Dolls
February 11, 2011 No Comments
Barbie is our favourite doll to hate, but there are actually worse dolls on the market. Liz Nord takes on the toys that want to turn our kids into Bratz.
- The Bratz dolls are wearing ten pounds of make up and such skimpy clothing that they look like prostitutes. I am confused why these dolls are selling and why parents are allowing their girls to play with them. At least Barbie has an education, career, and has broken glass ceilings. She has been a veterinarian, lawyer, doctor, mom, astronaut, sister, teacher, etc. There is no telling Barbie, “girls can’t do that”, and there are some non-sexual clothing options available for her.
- Bratz are catty and gossipy, and their message is quite negative. Some moms say that they use the Bratz dolls as learning opportunities to discuss what is inappropriate. Okay—Do you have to buy one to do that?
The problem isn’t that dolls are bad, but that the options available just don’t send our girls the right message. Dolls are a normal part of childhood. They allow kids to try out being adults years before the pressures of maturity hit. The American Girl dolls are one option, but as Liz points out, they can run as much as $100, which is too much for a toy that will hopefully join your kid in all of her messy scrapes.
So why are there no better options available? It could be that kids will reject the normal dolls in favour of the more glamorous ones. Or it could just be that they are particularly susceptible to advertising. The only way to find out is for a reasonably priced, reasonably dressed doll to hit the market — then we’ll see who the kids identify with best of all.
Contact the author here: mick@morningquickie.com
