After a rather stressful day, I crashed in the basement, turned on the television, and watched a cartoon. Seems like a simple, innocent plan, right? You’d think so, but you’d be wrong. Because apparently the world is ending, the apocalypse is now, and we have toy manufacturers to thank for that.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it should be no surprise that our society has been hounding children with overtly sexualized media for years now, decades even. It seems that each and every year, this message of sexuality has been targeted at younger and younger ages. When it got so bad that Abercrombie & Fitch was selling thongs to 7 year old girls, I didn’t think we could sink any lower. Apparently we have.
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Meet Roxxi! She’ll be your host for the evening; she’s sexy, she’s a year old, and she refuses to be potty-trained! Watch out boys, this spit-up’s for you. While watching Spongebob Squarepants I saw an ad for this set known as Bratz Babyz Twiinz. I’ve never been a fan of the Bratz line – they’re nothing but emaciated pre-teen hookers. Or rather, excuse me, hookerz. But despite my disgust, I wasn’t too surprised by it. Society’s been promoting the sexualization of preteen girls for decades; it’s apparent in the preference toward anorexic shaped women a la Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Kate Moss, and so on and so forth. Sure, it’s disgusting and sends a horrible message to girls and women. But it’s been around so long that it just wasn’t that shocking anymore. But I really didn’t think we’d sink so low as to start promoting the sexualization of infants. |
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The descriptions of the dolls from the manufacturer aren’t at all reassuring, proving that the way the dolls look is no marketing faux-pas. Each doll comes with some form of lingerie, be it bikini panties, boyshorts, peek-a-boo lace miniskirts, or a full-on teddy (nope, not your typical teddy, a Victoria’s Secret for Kids teddy.) Of course, all of these are cut as low-riders, to help baby show off her killer abs. What’s worse is these get-up’s that would make a transvestite blush are referred to as “outfits.” No indecent lady of the night would be seen on the streets without her accessories. Don’t leave home without your handy S&M bottle caddy, complete with bondage chain strap. And just to make sure not to offend anyone, be sure to include a couple minorities – after all, your friendly neighborhood child prostitution ring is an equal opportunity employer! |
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What’s that? Madame got a call from a high-power client who needs an escort for the evening? Don’t worry, these babies can tart it up with the best of them! Just grab that tiara and that teddy and you’re ready to go! No, no, not *that* teddy again, the pink lace teddy that’s the sauciest thing this side of Frederick’s of Hollywood of course. Just don’t forget to change that nappie and put her down for her nap, or this colicy dream girl won’t let you hear the end of it. Is it just me, or is this supremely wrong? I honestly don’t know which is worse, that someone’s actually getting away with sexualizing infants, or that parents are actually buying Gary Glitter’s Prostitute Babies for their six year old girls. I mean, what the hell? Who would buy this for their little girl? What is it saying to those impressionable minds? “Look, sweetie, if only you’d learned how to properly wear a thong before you could walk, you’d have a man by now!” |
I really, sincerely wish there was something I could do to stop this, because I can’t even begin to imagine the impact these toys are going to have on future generations. If they were just little-known toys, that’d be one thing. But these things have won awards! They’re top-sellers! These horrible little plastic trollops are actually popular, which means girls are buying into this and parents are allowing it. Really, when did the world go so wrong as to allow the sexualization of infants? Preteens were bad enough, we don’t need to keep sinking lower and lower. What’s next, Sexy Semenz Dollz? Saucy Chromosomez?
It has to end somewhere. Remember what I said a while back about changing things, one decision at a time? Somehow we’ve slipped, and it’s about time we change something before we end up with girls so backwards when it comes to sex, relationships and self identity that they start thinking child prostitution is the next big toy trend (batteries not included, of course). Maybe a good place to start would be to write to MGA Entertainment, the idiots who make this crap, and the stores that sell it to these poor kids. It’s a start at least. Now excuse me while I go throw up.
You know what makes this even worse? It becomes a lesson to children on how they’re meant to dress their babies when they eventually have them (at around age 12 or 13, at the rate they’ll be going).
It’s just . . . sad. Sad and wrong on so many levels, it boggles the mind.
Hopefully, enough parents will be smart enough (or outright offended enough) they won’t let their kids buy this pedophilic crap. When they stop buying it, the toymakers will stop producing it.
. . . hopefully.
I’m sending them a nasty email right now, which they will ignore.
Amen!!!
Ugh. I can’t stand those things. I could almost understand the normal Barbie-esque dolls, because they’re all sort of easily lumped into the same category at this point, but this is just stooping too low. Will definitely be writing something to MGA. š
not for nothing, but Betty Boop was pretty out there too. if parents don’t want their kids to look at that stuff they won’t buy it. just having it out there doesn’t bother me any, no more than thinking my kid will ever want to wear square pants.
The big difference between this and Betty Boop is that Betty Boop, as a character, was an adult, not a child. Furthermore, she was intended as a cartoon for adults. Again, these dolls are marketed to 6 year old girls and feature sexualized babies. Huge difference.
Complaining can help; look at the recent success of “girlcott” and their battle against Abercrombie & Fitch:
http://www.wgfswpa.org/girlcott.htm
Sexualing infants is WRONG and the attitude that there are other things out there that are wrong so who cares! is the worst apathy of all. “As long as it doesn’t come near me, who cares?” No man is an island… it will eventually have an effect on you in one way or another.
I don’t understand how this has happened. It scares the living hell out of me for my grandkids to be. I am so grateful my daughters are older now. Not a day goes by that I don’t worry about some drug crazed animal preying on innocent children. I find it hard to believe that there is no correlation between the media and the sexual perverts in our society.
I am writing as well. Maybe each of us, collectively, will be heard.
Just for fun, I went one step farther and wrote to each of the stores that MGA so proudly announces to carry their sick little product. I basically said how sick I think it is and that I would not shop there until the product line was no longer offered.
Greetings. Back in my country children too busy milking goat to make bad with little pornography doll. You have too much free time to think about things like this. In my country you would be skinning deer. Good day.
The truth is, bad things have always been out there. Maybe not this specific thing, but movies, tv shows, music, literature, dolls, you name it, things that some people consider ‘pornographic’ or whatnot. Predators and pedophiles have been around since the beginning of time, the only difference is these days we hear about it more. It’s like these days how there have to be warning labels on everything or you can’t let you kid go to the park alone. When I was a kid, which wasn’t that long ago, I could do all those things and never got into trouble. If I fell of a swing and hurt myself, we didn’t consider suing the city for not maintaining the swings or suing the swing manufacturer. Society isn’t any worse than it was 25 years ago, it’s just more afraid because all we ever see in the media is the bad stuff. So am I apathetic about these dolls? Yes, I am. I don’t care one ounce about them. Don’t like ’em? Don’t buy ’em. Let’s all get hysterical over dolls, that’ll solve everything. And no cartoon character, Betty Boop or otherwise, can ever be marketed only towards adults. Like she wasn’t posted on children’s clothing or sleeping bags or lunchboxes? By all means, start your protest. I hope it makes you all happy.
Wow… those are really horrifying. Or should I say “whore-ifying?”
Sadly, I’ve known many a girl/woman (late teens, 20s) who would see these as “so cute.” Well, there goes society.
So true, bad things have been around for a long time. I mean, WHAT was Rosa Parks thinking? WHY should there have been a protest? And Martin Luther King, telling people to protest? Why bother? Bad things are out there. And wife beating, which used to be legal… oh well, it’s been around FOREVER – so why get upset about it? And women voting? Nah, who cares. Women shouldn’t have gotten “hysterical” and starting protesting for their rights.
It’s only a little sad you’re comparing dolls to the civil rights and womens movements. these are dolls of babies. so what if kids look at it and decide they want to dress that way. do you let your kids buy their own clothes? no, parents buy their kids their clothes. dolls and civil rights? come on.
Chief, I think you’re misinterpreting what my Aunt Margie was trying to say. She’s not comparing them in effect and scope to civil rights or the womens rights movements. What she’s saying is that when you disagree with something, it’s important to take a stand against it, otherwise nothing will ever be done and progress will never be made. Yes, the world has always had evil in it, and I think there really is nothing new in this world. But the severity of it as exposed to everyone in the general public waxes and wanes according to just how much the people will tolerate. This pattern has continued throughout history, and if the majority of people object to it, then they have the right to stand up and say so. That’s how the civil rights and womens rights movements came to be in the first place. What Aunt Margie was saying was, what would have happened if those who fought for those rights had just sat down and done nothing when someone had said to them, “Bad things have always been out there”? Nothing would have been accomplished if everyone adopted apathetic attitudes toward social change, and nothing will change in the future if people who are passionate about what they believe don’t stand up for their rights, their beliefs, and so on. If no one agrees with them, then at least they know they tried and were true to their beliefs. If it turns out that the majority of society does agree with them, then maybe some evil will be stomped out of the world, or at least made a little less in-your-face.
Even if evil is irradicated a little bit, it still allows just a little more room for good in the world. And that will mean that it’s always worth the fight. If I had said to myself that there was always bad in this world and always will be, I never would have started the Daily Prophet, I never would have worked on PotterWar, and those are the things in my life that have brought me the most joy and fulfillment. Yes, I realize it’s only a small effort compared to how much bad or evil is out there, but I’ve done and will continue doing my part to do what I believe is in the best interest of the world around me. If people don’t agree with me, then that’s fine, that’s their right. But at least I know I tried. And that’s all I’m saying here with this post, and that’s all Aunt Margie was saying. I saw something that made me mad, made me want to throw up, and above all else, really depressed me at the thought of what it might be doing to the psyches of the young girls who are exposed to those toys. I have the right to say, “I don’t like this!” And if other people agree with me, then that’s fantastic. If not, that’s fine too. But I don’t agree with anyone who says it’s pointless or wrong to try and fight for something I believe in. If that were so, then there would be no point to living at all, because if the world is that wrong, that evil, then I want no part of it. If I didn’t have the right or the ability to fight for what I believe in, then frankly I would rather die. Because what point is there to life otherwise?
i totally agree and im only 12! iv been trying to reach a certain website that agrees that profanitising mumbo jumbo should be dropped and burnt. all the girls in my class are mad about these stupid dolls and yet they fail to see they are’t teaching them anything useful! i must say i did buy one of them but jades posture and no feet really started to get to me! her eyes were spaced out like shes been sniffing glue all afternoon and her tiny beestings are inaproppriate (sorry i dont know how to spell that word) compared to the barbies in the world and most preteens of my age and school are totally flat and still think they have hope because of these stupid dolls! ohhh dear know I cant go bra shopping with you because I dont have anything to park in there , but shortly I will because I’d say that my bratz doll is like … oh say … 13…. so that means im going to be loaded by the time in 14! says my friend Bianca
Hot pants is not right for the childrens future of seeing fashion , and since i would clearly know about fashion , since my great ambition in life is to become the next Elizabeth Arden , then dont diss and look and do something about this disgusting sexuality crisis!
I also think it’s a tad bit racist that girls are allways the ones in hot pants and not the boys! sinced these creatures with pointy toes and high profilke smiles came out it’s been nothing but artificial crap! im sure that most woman , ladies and girls , would agree with me that there is more to an appearence then just boob tubes lipgloss hot pants and bright pink lipstiick , and then inside all of that is a brain and a tough spirit!
I personally agree with heather that she has the right to speak about what she believes in and everyone else should aswell
Im protesting today because I some ditzy girls wouldnt stop hassling me because i dont wear a push up bra for fun
Now that I have been alerted to their prominence I am now seeing them everywhere I go.
And I mean everywhere!
Wow, couldnĀ“t have said it better myself! I live in Sweden and is currently leading this big discussion on the largest familysite here about just Bratz, and what really gets to me is these moms & dads who just let it happen.. even if they donĀ“t like the dolls so much the kids rule in the household, and they canĀ“t say no. Some defend them like itĀ“s totally normal to play with pornodolls..