Bratz dolls wear lingerie
Categories: Toddlers, Preschoolers, Media, That's entertainment
I've seen past Internet uproar on the controversial Bratz dolls, but I don't have a little girl, so honestly (and selfishly) I didn't pay much attention. Perhaps I should have, because it's my belief that the marketers of these dolls deserve every parent's attention and not in a complimentary way.According to this Australian article, the controversial dolls are being marketed to girls as young as three. Phoebe "Sugar" is dressed in a fluffy pink jacket with pink and black underwear, while Roxxi "Spice" has an open pleather jacket and skimpy red and black lingerie. Both dolls have milk bottles hanging off chains trapped to their legs. This last detail made me lose my coffee on my computer keyboard.
Responding to parental concern, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it was powerless to strip the dolls from the shelves, saying there is no arbiter for bad taste.
In a world of predators and pedophiles and men who believe they are in love with little girls, this is not OK. I believe in free speech and I am pretty open minded but in my view there is no reason, ever, that children should be depicted with bottles and lingerie - as dolls or in life. The sickos do not need our help.
What do you think, am I overreacting?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Marcia 9-12-2006 @ 11:21AM
Over reacting or not, I will never allow my daughter to have Bratz dolls. I just don't see why I should spend my money on a half-dressed doll when Barbies come fully clothed with billions of accessories if she wants to play with dolls.
I find the Bratz and Bratz Babies to be disgusting and disturbing. Every parent is entitled to their own opinion though, so if they think these are good for their kids then good for them, but this won't be in my house.
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Amy 9-12-2006 @ 12:32PM
My daughter and stepdaughter LOVED Bratz dolls. I think they think Barbies are old fashioned. Also, Bratz clothes are more like the real clothes that they would want to wear. Now they're 11 and 16 and they're still good kids in spite of the Bratz. I think people put too much emphasis on certain toys. As long as they've got good attentive parents, most of them come out fine, no matter what they play with.
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Luna 9-12-2006 @ 12:32PM
I have 2 boys so I won't have to worry about those horrid things entering my house. I think they just look bizarre with little tiny bodies and huge feet and heads. They seem wildly popular during Christmas time (I have done many a Layaway with every concievable Bratz accessory the store had), it doesn't seem they are going to be going out anytime soon. I heard over the past few years they have been out-selling Barbie. Like I said I'm glad I have boys!
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Neener 9-12-2006 @ 12:39PM
I won't buy them for my nieces, or anyone else, really. I saw one in the doll aisle last week when I was looking for a girl present. It was a Baby Bratz doll who looked to be about 2-3 years old. She came with her own teeny tanning bed. A tanning bed for a toddler???
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thordora 9-12-2006 @ 12:44PM
No I don't. I'm with Marcia-these things are never entering our house. I have enough trouble with Barbie, but at least she's fully clothed most of the time. I have always found Bratz repulsive and degrading, even before I had children.
I just don't understand who is buying these for their children, where there are other less nausea inducing dolls out there. Vivian already received more than one lecture upon flipping through the Wish Book on why we will NOT be asking Santa for anything like that.
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Sharon 9-12-2006 @ 12:52PM
I would be grateful for any opinion or advice on this!
I have not allowed my daughters to have Bratz dolls. There has been no problem until my oldest daughter turned 7, and at her birthday party, three of her presents were, of course, Bratz dolls. One of the parents lives right down the street and knows how I feel about them, yet she still gave them to my daughter as a present from her 11 year old, who loves the things.
Being that the presents were opened while the children giving them were present, I was put in a difficult position when my daughter said, "Mommy, I'm not supposed to play with these!" I chose to say nothing at the time. Some of these girls come over to play with my daughter and I just felt put very on the spot. I didn't want to seem ungrateful or rude.
I am thinking about throwing the dolls away and telling anyone who asks where they are (such as my persistent neighbor who would not be afraid to be that bold) that they are at Auntie Susan's house where she left them last. But then I feel that since this particular person knew how I felt about the dolls, yet chose to give them as a gift to my daughter anyway, I probably shouldn't worry about being perceived as rude in that case? Just tell her that I told her how I felt about the dolls and they have been given away?
I also don't appreciate the mixed message my daughter is getting. It's not OK to have these, but since (the other givers) didn't know, then we will make this exception. The dolls are repulsive for all of the reasons other bloggers have stated.
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L. 9-12-2006 @ 2:40PM
Sharon, is it possible your neighbor somehow missed knowing your feelings about Bratz? Maybe she wasn`t listening when you were talking about it, or you weren`t as clear about it as you thought you were?
If not -- if she truly understood your feelings, and gave your daughter a Bratz doll anyway, then what she did was very rude. It would be like me giving candy to one of my kids` friends who is not allowed to eat refined sugar. It`s purposely breaking another parent`s rule, and is inconsiderate and insensitive.
My 9-year old daughter loves Bratz, and is allowed to play with them (though I did keep them out of our house when she was younger). She likes them because thinks they "look like her," and there aren`t that many choices for mixed-race dolls out there. But I would never give one as a gift to a parent I knew disapproved of them.
For the record, my daughter thinks "Baby Bratz" are "stupid" because "they`re not even babies."
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CJ 9-12-2006 @ 4:30PM
I'm soooo glad I have boys!!! Had I of had girls there would be no way I'd let those into my house. Ijust wouldnt. But to each his own, just MHO. Sharon, first and formost that neighbor can go suck an egg! Do not be pressured into letting her have those if you dont want her to, and why make up any excuses? Shes your daughter not hers. Its peer pressure at adult level. Seriously you are her mother not her. You spoke your peace she didnt listen end of story
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Wallaby 9-12-2006 @ 4:42PM
No, you are not over-reacting. I think Bratz dolls are a visible sign of something that is really wrong with our society today.
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leslie 9-12-2006 @ 6:55PM
i do not think u are over reacting. i have two 2 year old girls and i would never buy them these dolls. A doll for a little girl shou'dntl be dressed this way. my neice has some of these dolls and she is 6. but she is not allowed to bring them over to my house b/c i do want my children playing with them. It is very wrong for a manufacturer to portray baby dolls in this way
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Rosaland 10-05-2006 @ 7:34PM
My nine year old daughter simply adore these dolls. I could not figure out why feminsts screamed over Barbie. I bet that any girl who grew up playnig with Barbie now have a career in medicine, teaching or whatever. What does Bratz represent as a career?
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LJ 10-30-2006 @ 5:05PM
I think the dolls are great and if you teach your kids right, they won't turn into the nightmare you think they'll turn in, just because of those dolls. I think that throwing away the dolls would piss me off if I gave them to someone's kid and her mother threw them away. I think that's silly.
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Laura-Dorothy 11-08-2006 @ 8:09PM
I'm turning 18 my next birthday and I don't think I'm old enough for these dolls.
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