From Little Girl to Sex Goddess: the Negative Influence of Bratz Dolls
Young people of today look to society for influences in how they should look and act. Children are influenced daily by television, Internet and video games, friends, and even the toys they play with. Boys grow up wanting to be like the superheroes and G.I. Joe figures they play with; girls look to their Barbies and dolls to see how society mandates teens and young adults to be. Bratz dolls are also among those Barbie-type toys that girls are looking up to these days. Bratz dolls are similar to Barbie in form; however, Bratz are more fashionable and “hip” than the traditional blonde-haired, blue-eyed Barbie. In fact, the more fashionable and “hip” the dolls become, the more negative the image becomes that they exude. The outrageous clothing and makeup advertised on these dolls sends the wrong message to the children playing with them: the same children who are now wanting to grow up and be and look like these dolls. Because the Bratz dolls portray an image that is not age appropriate for the young girls who are playing with them, the dolls should be recalled.
To begin with, the basic look of the Bratz dolls portrays an image of seductiveness and sensuality; the dolls should be recalled because this is not a positive image for the children who are playing with them. At first glance, the doll looks like an alluring model for a high fashion clothing line. The eyes are slanted upward and are semi-closed, giving them a sultry look. The lips are pouty and full and glossed with lipstick. One critic agrees, describing the dolls saying, “their almond-shaped eyes are tilted upward at the edges and adorned with thick crescents of eyeshadow, and their lips are lush and pillowy, glossed to a candy-apple sheen and rimmed with dark lip liner. They look like pole dancers on their way to work at a gentlemen?s club” (Talbot). The overall look of the face of the doll portrays an image that no little girl should strive to achieve. The legs and waist of the doll is also very seductive.
To begin with, the basic look of the Bratz dolls portrays an image of seductiveness and sensuality; the dolls should be recalled because this is not a positive image for the children who are playing with them. At first glance, the doll looks like an alluring model for a high fashion clothing line. The eyes are slanted upward and are semi-closed, giving them a sultry look. The lips are pouty and full and glossed with lipstick. One critic agrees, describing the dolls saying, “their almond-shaped eyes are tilted upward at the edges and adorned with thick crescents of eyeshadow, and their lips are lush and pillowy, glossed to a candy-apple sheen and rimmed with dark lip liner. They look like pole dancers on their way to work at a gentlemen?s club” (Talbot). The overall look of the face of the doll portrays an image that no little girl should strive to achieve. The legs and waist of the doll is also very seductive.
Cited: (this would actually be another page) Bratz. MGA Entertainment, Enc. 9 March 2008 . “Over-sexed and over here: the „tarty? Bratz doll.” Daily Mail. 20 October 2006. 9 March 2008 . Talbot, Margaret. “Little Hotties: Barbie?s New Rival.” New America Foundation. The New Yorker 5 December 2006. 9 March 2008 .