1 of 12

No

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 3

girls hate Barbie's perfect and wholesome image doesn't make Barbie's image any less positive.

The study to which I refer was conducted on college-aged young women, and it revealed that plenty of young girls hated Barbie and even enjoyed "torturing" the doll. Still, the Barbie doll was not designed in a way to discourage girls from being kind and nice. If Barbie's wholesome and perfect image inspires hatred and meanness in some girls the root of the problem is not in the doll's design.

As with earlier doll play, girls who love Barbie get to grow through imagining the things that Barbie does. (My Barbie dolls were a group of the closest friends, and once they had all lived through enough shopping, beach parties, and proms; the single friends got to share in "Blond Barbie's" wedding, move to a new home, and baby (the outfit, "Barbie Babysits" came with an adorable baby that looked just like "Blond Barbie"). Girls get to imagine Barbie doing anything - and in doing so, they are realizing what the options are for all young girls.

Bratz dolls ("regular" or Kids) evoke a different set of emotions. Their somewhat grotesque style and exaggerated features don't evoke nurturing instincts or dreams about what girls can be.
The name, itself, sends the message that these aren't particularly nice girls - grown up or kids. Bratz dolls are, for the most part, the "anti-Barbie" (and now the "anti-Barbie's Little Sister"). Born, presumably, to be marketed to parents and girls who find the sweeter image of more traditional dolls less than appealing, Bratz dolls' image is "cool", non-traditional, and not the least bit sweet.

Perhaps their manufacturers understand something about today's children and parents, because, after all, the dolls are popular. We live in a time when "nice" and "sweet" are no longer fashionable. Being "cool", appreciating "cool", and aspiring to be "cool" are what many girls and their parents favor today. Who wants the same old kind of dolls when there are these new, different, and more contemporary dolls?

The trouble is that the type of doll girls have can alter the kind of play in which they engage. A doll I was given as a child can be an example. When I was a kid an aunt, known for never taking life too seriously, gave my cousin and me each shirts that came with dolls. The dolls wore striped dresses that matched the striped shirts with which they came. These dolls were made like a large, baby squeak-toy; and they had angry eyebrows and were clearly supposed

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Are Bratz Kidz dolls more appropriate for young girls than Bratz dolls??
We want to hear your view. Write now!