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Bratz Belt Too Suggestive?
Filed under: Opinions
If you saw a girl wearing a belt with a buckle that says "Enter," what would you think? You know, right above that bit of anatomy that teenage boys are always trying to figure out to get into? Yeah, that's what I'd be thinking too. And if that belt were an accessory to an already trashy outfit? Now suppose that girl were a doll -- a Bratz doll, to be specific.
That's what Victoria Staley, a mother from Orlando, FL, is dealing with now. She bought her 7-year-old daughter a Bratz doll but didn't notice the sexually suggestive belt buckle until after her daughter fell in love with it. (Now it's her favorite doll.) Then her daughter asked about it. "She's like, 'Why does it say Enter?' What am I supposed to do?"
Staley called the manufacturer but was told that the belt was designed that way on purpose. "The way he was explaining, it's supposed to be like a seat belt," Staley said. "Like how a seat belt in a car has enter, you enter the seat belt. I'm like, 'Well, you're still entering.'"
Personally, I wouldn't buy my kids Bratz dolls even if the buckle said "Study hard." But, I guess for some people, trashy is okay, but only to a point. Where would you put down your foot?
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That's what Victoria Staley, a mother from Orlando, FL, is dealing with now. She bought her 7-year-old daughter a Bratz doll but didn't notice the sexually suggestive belt buckle until after her daughter fell in love with it. (Now it's her favorite doll.) Then her daughter asked about it. "She's like, 'Why does it say Enter?' What am I supposed to do?"
Staley called the manufacturer but was told that the belt was designed that way on purpose. "The way he was explaining, it's supposed to be like a seat belt," Staley said. "Like how a seat belt in a car has enter, you enter the seat belt. I'm like, 'Well, you're still entering.'"
Personally, I wouldn't buy my kids Bratz dolls even if the buckle said "Study hard." But, I guess for some people, trashy is okay, but only to a point. Where would you put down your foot?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 5)
1-15-2009 @ 7:21AM
Sandyone said..."Study Hard"
Heh, heh, heh.
Though, the more I think about it, that's just as inappropriate as "Enter".
Reply
1-15-2009 @ 7:29AM
Wendy said...It seems this subject has infinite depth and complexity...
1-16-2009 @ 2:50AM
Charmed said...Hahahaha! Genius.
1-15-2009 @ 7:17AM
My two cents. said...She shouldn't have bought the doll in the first place, especially if she has a problem with suggestive or provocative dressing. Soon they will probably be distributing BRATZ condoms with their dolls. Ooh, wait, maybe not. That would be promoting responsibility. :) I don't understand the want for these dolls. My daughter isn't even allowed to go into BRATZ section of stores. If she's at a friends house and they have one, she will not play with it (and luckily out of all of her friends, only one has a BRATZ doll). Please someone explain why they would allow their child to have one.
Reply
1-15-2009 @ 9:57PM
megan said...because its a toy.
1-15-2009 @ 10:00PM
Brigid said...ok i see how many mothers are offened by bratz dolls but you can go around and call other mothers trashy because they bought their daughter one. When bratz came out they were just fine, my mother bought them for me and besides a couple of belly shirts nothing was wrong with them. So please all the mothers that hate the dolls, hate the dolls but not the mothers who bought them for their daughters.
1-17-2009 @ 4:38PM
Princess said...Because it's a toy and because I have no problem at all sitting down with my daughters (I have three) and explaining to them why it's not appropriate that they look that way. Just like I have no problem sitting down with my daughters and explaining to them why they don't have to look like a Barbie Doll. Because I don't leave the raising of my children up to dolls (or TV or music, or movies etc.). Because I don't expect a doll to be my child's role model.
Now the big question (at least to me) is why don't more parents? Why don't more parents put in the effort and talk to their children instead of trying to block them from the outside world?
It's probably easier to just shelter them from life but since when has parenting been about taking the easy way out?
1-15-2009 @ 8:59AM
whocares said...This is what happens when everyone thinks urban clothing is ok. Pants hanging down with your underwear hanging out, low cut shirts, tight outfits even if youre fat, it's disgusting and they think they look good? Everthing for little girls is hoochie, and the boys dress like they are wearing hand me downs 3 sizes too big.
Reply
1-15-2009 @ 10:26PM
Paula Christ said...I am the mom of a spectacular 21 year old son. His dad and I were always open, honest and pretty liberal with him as he grew up. He is now a typical,social college man, but he knows his limits and when to act responsible.He is also far from perfect, but his morals are set for good in a good way because we knew when to say no this is worng! Like the video games we would not allow (Ex:Grand Theft Auto) which we never thought would teach him to beat women or steal cars or kill policeman ... we were against it because we knew someone was making a lot of money and influencing a lot of children in a negative way! ... we never would have allowed something as base as a Bratz doll for a daughter for the same reasons. Would it teach her to beome wild? Not if we were doing our job, but again someone is making alot of money off this stuff! Personnally, I would like to see parents strong enough to boycot this company.Take a stand and say to manufacturers we want quality and morality for our young children. They have a lifetime to learn the trash. Someone is getting very wealthy off the trash they are pushing on your children. Parents have a huge responsibility to teach their children morals and right from wrong in a very short time.Take a stand .... speak up and be heard and know when to say no to your child ... so your chld will no when to say no to others in comprimising situations. Someone PLEASE start a boycott ... send them a message!
1-15-2009 @ 9:00AM
whocares said...You are absolutely right. It starts at home. She bought the doll, then complained after she had already given her money to support the dollmakers. She helped the price and demand go up simply by buying it. I personally think these dolls are skanky, but let my daughter have one, but it was before they started getting really racy, she got the cowgirl (which I did my job as a parent and really looked at it to make sure it was neither suggestive nor offensive).
Reply
1-15-2009 @ 11:48AM
Karen said...I thought they just lost a lawsuit and were getting ready to be pulled from shelves permanently?
Reply
1-15-2009 @ 12:43PM
Melissa said...I hate the Bratz dolls....someone got my daughter one, and she wanted to open it, play with it, whatever....well after a few days she got bored with it.... hate to say it, but I threw it in the trash, along with the little accessories (that I am STILL finding around my house). She's more into baby dolls and My Little Ponies then Barbie dolls and Bratz dolls anyway, thankfully. And Karen, I heard the same thing, I thought that the dolls were being pulled or no new ones were being made or something....whatever.
Reply
1-15-2009 @ 10:08PM
KSW said...Bratz got a court injunction and are allowed to sell through 2009. It's just a doll. Barbie also has some suggestive dolls. Parents should just be careful which ones they purchase for children.
1-16-2009 @ 9:46AM
Savannah C. said...Bratz aren't allowed in my house. My daughter is four and she knows that Bratz aren't allowed. I think it's obvious why I don't want her to have them, but every gift giving holiday I seem to have to explain it to one grandparent or aunt at least 12 times. Luckily my daughter is way into animals, no baby dolls for her. She treats the animals like her babies. I have littlest pet shop up to my ears haha.
Reply
1-15-2009 @ 4:14PM
Serena said...Hmmm....my seat belt has a red button and says Push....not enter.
Reply
1-20-2009 @ 6:11AM
amanda said...That is exactly what I was going to say! What seatbelts say "enter"? I have never seen that. Only "push" (which would be equally inappropriate for a belt buckle) I have never been a fan of the Bratz dolls. Their clothing is just too edgy/ trashy for young girls. Barbie at least keeps it pretty tastefull. I can't remember ever seeing a Barbie and thinking "wow she looks like a whore"
1-15-2009 @ 7:28PM
Brooke said...The dolls are being taken off the shelves, it just hasn't happened yet. Things take time.
Reply
1-15-2009 @ 11:55PM
LIsa said...That is true they are going to quit selling them. Unfortunately someone else who wants the money made from the bratz market is going to make something similar and they won't be under Mattel's thumb. Maybe they'll call them Bimboz.
1-15-2009 @ 8:27PM
karen said...And Barbies have perfect plastic BOOBS, maybe we should make her Boobless. How do you explain those to your child? As a parent its your responsibilty to purchase AGE appropriate toys, if you can`t explain it, don`t buy it.
Reply
1-15-2009 @ 10:21PM
Ima Dumass said...Well Karen, I think Boobs on a female doll is pretty easy to explain.
As for Bratz dolls, I think they are a very distasteful bunch of garbage. If anyone has a little girl and thinks it is OK to support the Bratz products....Have fun being a grandparent at 35 years old.
I AGREE PULL THAT CRAP OFF THE SHELVES, AND PARENTS, Be Responsible PLEASE