Barbie vs. Bratz
Two challengers are facing off and it may be a cat fight -- it's the battle of Barbies vs. Bratz. Mattel's Barbie had a long-standing monopoly on the dress-up doll industry until Bratz dolls entered the market. The Bratz dolls are trendy, edgy, and out to make classic Barbie look downright matronly. As the competition grows fiercer, the battle moves from the commercial market to the big screen and the courtroom. Which doll will hold the heart of America's little girls and which company's pockets will grow deeper? Ref. Nightline ABC's John Berman reports.
This is like choosing between the best of two evils, but I would say that Barbie seems to be more classy? Bratz seems to portray the 'hoe' image?
The moral implications of Bratz is found in the Parenting Board:
https://www.bordeglobal.com/foruminv/show.p...T/f/105/t/24066
Lately I am seeing a strong presence of a very sexualized generation and now, a company has chosen to reinforce it, by making these "Bratz dolls." The message that these dolls are sending to kids is, to rebel against the rules and dress however you feel. Not a very positive message.
I do not agree that Barbie is the better choice. I think that Barbie has a negative influence on young impressionable minds. Girls may be led to believe that they should be perfect like Barbie: long flowing blonde hair, ballooning breasts, an hour glass waist and long legs. I think that this sends a superficial message to all girls that physical looks are extremely important.
A sociologist conducted an experiment concerning how girls perceive themselves by using caucasian Barbie dolls and dark skinned Barbie dolls. He placed both types of Barbie on a large table and invited the girls to play with any of the dolls. Interestingly enough, all the girls chose the caucasian Barbie dolls (including little girls of African descent). The sociologist then interviewed each child separately, to receive an independent answer rather than allow the child to be influenced by their peers. All the responses were the same. Each child thought that the fair skinned Barbie doll was superior to the dark skinned Barbie doll. Lamentably, the girls of African descent believe that the fair skin Barbie dolls were prettier and they would prefer to resemble her, rather than the dark skinned Barbie, which they regarded as ugly. So Barbie is reinforcing the stereotypical view of one race being more beautiful than the other.
At one time, Mattel (creators of Barbie) introduced a talking Barbie and part of this new Barbie's vocabulary included: "Maths is tough." Many feminists objected strongly to this, since it forces girls to believe that they are not smart enough to do maths. Almost immediately, Mattel was forced to remove this new Barbie off the shelves and change the vocabulary to: "Maths is easy!" I am very pleased that the feminist group is powerful enough to condemn this new Barbie, since girls may be led to believe that they are not intelligent enough, to do challenging subjects at school. This sends a negative message to girls since Barbie portrays that all girls should focus on being glamorous and not develop their minds in school.
Ironically, adult women are also pressured to resemble Barbie. Plastic surgeons have confirmed that women are requesting bigger breasts and having liposuction done to have the perfect skinny waist.
I think people who are creating any doll or toy, should seek suggestions from parents and not just test the market, by using kids. After all, children are too young to know the difference between right and wrong.
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I pretty much can't stand for either of these dolls, they're both a bit "bimbo-ish" in my opinion |