You probably never thought you’d be reading about girls’ dolls here at Reconciliation Blog, did you? However, the recent court case that sent MGA Entertainment, makers of the notorious Bratz dolls, down in defeat to the toy giant Mattel forces me to go where no RB post has gone before. I’m sure you heard this news last week, right?
In a long-simmering legal battle, the courts finally sided with Mattel, maker of the Queen of All Dolls, Barbie, and ordered MGA to stop producing the Bratz line and recall all of its product after Christmas. Apparently, the original Bratz designer was employed by Mattel during the period when he came up with the idea for the Bratz dolls. When Mattel rejected it (fearing it would distract from its sacred Barbie line), an ex-Mattel employee took sketches of the concept up the road to the upstart MGA. And the rest is doll diva history. The Bratz line became a multibillion dollar sensation almost overnight.
Now Mattel is in the driver’s seat. Will it vanquish Barbie’s arch foe once and for all, or will the company be gracious to MGA (and its 1,500 employees) and find a way to work with it to keep producing the Bratz line? With billions at stake, I find it hard to think that Mattel will just erase the Bratz altogether.
But is this just a battle between two toy companies or something bigger?
Here’s the angle that draws my attention. The Bratz have long been viewed by parents as a skanky and materialistic alternative to Barbie—sort of a Bizarro version of Mattel’s classy and demure icon. Many parents probably celebrated when they heard the news of the Bratz’s potential demise. There’s one less worldly item to attempt to keep their little girls away from. (As a father of a 9-year-old daughter, I can attest that I was always a little uncomfortable with the Bratz—the same way that I’m uncomfortable with Sponge Bob; there’s just something about them that makes me suspicious.) And clearly, the Bratz’s blatant diva-ness and questionable attire are things any parent should be wary of.
One blogger, known as Noble Mother, did not hide her elation that the Bratz dolls might soon be off the shelves. However, I was most struck by the comments beneath her post, and one in particular by a mother named Suzanne. Here’s what she said:
I don’t particularly like the Bratz dolls, either, but I do allow my daughter to have some, and here’s why: my daughter is mixed (I’m white, her dad is black) and there just aren’t many dolls on the market that she can identify with. In fact, my daughter IS a Bratz doll…she has the doe eyes, the full lips, the big butt and she’s a knockout at 9.
Until the Bratz dolls came on the market, my daughter just wasn’t really interested in dolls of any kind. She and I have lots of conversations about ‘what she is’…and she’s decided she’s not white, she’s not black, she’s brown. She’s often asked why there are never any brown babies in the stores? There are white and there are black, but not brown. And I’m sure she’s not been the only little girl asking this question.
The Bratz dolls, while I have major issues with many other factors about them, have given my daughter a sense of validation of her color. Now, there are dolls on the store shelves that look just like her. She no longer has to decide whether she wants a white doll or a black doll…she can get one that looks just like her.
Very interesting insight, as is Noble Mother’s humble response. Please check it out.
So again, this Bratz vs. Barbie mêlée seems to be about much more than two toy titans clashing to protect their precious market turf. In fact, this whole situation could raise the larger question: Does Barbie represent an increasingly outdated notion of what “normal” mainstream culture looks like, while the Bratz signify a more multiethnic (or urban) aesthetic that is underrepresented among children’s dolls today? Even millionaire celeb Angelina Jolie, who adopted an African daughter, spoke up on this recently.
So, as much as it pains me to ask this, do we need the Bratz dolls? What do you think?
[…] blog brings attention to the culture clash over dolls and quotes a comment under a post by Noble Mother that talks about her conflicted feelings […]
Although I am not coming at this from the parental perspective, I would say that we don’t need Bratz Dolls. I understand the issue of having dolls that look like the children playing with them. And also would add that it is important for their to simply be dolls that are ethnically more representative of our culture.
But I would also argue that Bratz dolls are more representative of a suburban middle class desire to embrace something urban and ethnic rather than a true manifestation of those values in our culture. They are akin to contemporary, popular hip-hop culture. Popular hip-hop gives something to suburban America that resembles hip-hop, but is a really psuedo-hip-hop. The style is similar but not authentic.
I don’t think we need Bratz dolls necessarily, but we do need to have dolls that are more representative to the culture and landscape of the U.S.
I also look at the dolls and see that they still give a unrealistic example of what a woman’s body-type is, but that is a different issue.
I posted a video on my blog that deals with the American Idea of beauty (www.blackwasp19.wordpress.com).
OMGoodness no.
I respect the desire for there to be more options for dolls than a very white doll or a few black alternatives.
But do we really need to settle for this as an alternative?
Those Bratz dolls might have the same skin color as the girl mentioned, but if they look just like her, then I think there’s problems, ya know?
Barbie is bad enough regarding unrealistic body proportions. The Bratz dolls have that and then some. Big heads, skinny bodies, revealing clothing and crazy makeup.
So I don’t like Bratz either, but, as the parent of a biracial child, I feel the parents who have a hard time finding dolls that reflect their children’s appearance. (a list of the ones I’ve found is here: http://thelinkbetween.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/multiracial-dolls/ )
As it stands, I usually end up looking at the dolls labeled “Hispanic” b/c they look the most like my daughter. In general, I find the whole world of dolls to either grow up little girls too fast (i.e. Barbie and Bratz) or over-stereotype the races (i.e. American Girl dolls). I’m having a hard time finding dolls in the middle ground!
I’m going to have to disagree with the previous commenters. These dolls seem no more pernicious than Barbie to me. In fact, I agree with Suzanne, whom Ed quoted. The body shape seems much, much healthier. At least they have hips. And why is it the urbanesque aesthetic any worse than the beauty pageant one, or the rock star one that are among Barbie’s iterations?
I gather that some want their daughters to play with nothing but American Girl dolls. As the mother of boys, I’m somewhat unfamiliar with these wholesome looking dolls, but I know their cost would be prohibitive for many families. Is that part of the appeal? Is there a problematic status statement in owning an American Girl, with all its attendant paraphenalia?
The Bratz dolls might be too sexy, especially for a younger child, but they seem to emit attitude and strength that the other dolls lack, and that girls will need in abundance if their going to become women who can compete and handle the challenges of adult life.
Go Bratz!
Cas,
I do think that the body shape of the Bratz Dolls are healthier than their un-proportionate and un-realistic Barbie predecessor, but I still think it represents a body-type few women have. Ideally I would love to have a line of dolls with a variety of body types. I think that shows a more realistic picture of what being women is really like.
I also think the sexiness issue is complicated. I want women to succeed, be in leadership, but I don’t wan them to think that they have to be sexy to do that. I am perhaps an idealist, but I would rather women succeed because they are competent and skilled, not sexy.
Thanks for the response, BW19. I really cannot envision the day when glamour dolls will be ample, but one can hope. Maybe there’s a Queen Latifah doll on the market. She big and beautiful.
As to the sexiness issue, our culture doesn’t do a good job of teaching young people healthy concepts of sexuality, period. Girls grow curves. Boys are attracted to them. Girls often get both subtle and overt messages to either be ashamed of their sexual power or to misuse it.
I remember being disturbed by the Bratz dolls when they first came out, but looking at the images above, I am less so now. Perhaps because of the way real live women and girls dress these days. I recently bought a Jones New York business suit. This is classic, conservative office wear. Only this suit came with a low-cut, sleeveless top that looked like lingerie. I cannot imagine wearing that top to the office.
As a pre-teen in the 70s, I was not allowed to wear a string bikini. The sides had to be at least a couple inches wide, and everything had to be covered. Before I left California a couple months ago, a young neighbor was wearing a g-string bathing suit to our neighborhood pool every day. In comparison to reality, the Bratz seem tame.
Have I succombed to the culture or gained or perspective? I don’t know. Perhaps it’s also the fact that as a parent whose already raised my children, I realize that some of the issues I worried most about didn’t end up being the most important things.
I think teaching healthy sexuality seems a better idea than banning the Bratz.
Best to you Blackwasp19~
LOVE the post, and the thoughtful comments.
My opinion, both the Bratz dolls and Barbie dolls have far more negative implications and impacts on young children then positives. I’m planning on keeping my daughter away from as much of the big brands, the ones with enough advertising dollars to get close enough to try and warp her young mind.
A couple resources related to the topic.
Great Blog about parenting, etc, with posts similar to this one:
http://www.antiracistparent.com
Doll site for better options:
http://www.dollslikeme.com/
Book recommendations:
Consuming Kids
Buy, Buy, Baby
We don’t need Bratz anymore than Barbie in one sense—both are materialistic, focusing on shopping & fashion.
As far as their look (not the fashion, but the body shape) – to me, it’s reminescent of Anime (Japanese “cartoon”) art that is also popular with this generation. It’s just a toy – I don’t expect it to be any more “realistic” than Elmo, Raggedy Ann & Andy, Star Wars or Dora.
But definitely there’s a need for multiethnic (and mutli-personality) toys.
Another example is Disney’s Princess line. The extended version might have Mulan, Pochahantas, & Jasmine (but no African, or Hispanic), but usually you just see 2 blondes & a brunette.
The American Doll series is for older girls (i.e. those who can read), but it definitely fills a need, as they have girls of all types. Unfortunately, the materialism problem comes in all the accessories to buy for them.
Now, I’m a guy, and my toys growing up were Lego’s & Star wars/GI Joe action figures, which I used my creativity to create new kinds of characters & starships. I created something even more than what the toy company intended. So I hope we can teach our kids that.
I am just learning the girl thing…but if we can help our young ladies look even beyond their culture, that might help as well..
There’s a great family friendly Korean Historical Drama called Dae Jang Geum. (It’s so great that though there is a “realisitic” love story, yet the two characters don’t even share an on-screen kiss!). It would be great to have toys based on things like that.
Back to your original question – we need SOMETHING different…and as Veggie Tales created a “Disney alternative” that was something original yet Christian, this might be a chance for the Christian community to step up & create something that can go beyond the Christian Community, and NOT feel like a rip off of a fading contemporary trend.
P.S. There is something strange not only about SpongeBob, but much of Nickelodeon. I mean, the “Naked Brothers Band”? Isn’t that an open invitation for pedophiles? However, my 3 year old loves SpongeBob. She also is beginning to like Dora the Explorer, which so far, seems pretty good for her. (A more positive girl image)
Dora, Now there’s a doll I think I might like. She’s sassy and smart, No?
Dear Jody & Ariah,
I apologize. For some reason, the system was holding back your comments until I approved them. Must’ve thought they were spam. This happens occasionally; not sure why. Anyway, I’m sorry I didn’t see them earlier. They’re up now. Thanks for chiming in.
Peace,
Ed G.
Reading over this thread again, I notice multiple acts of incorrect grammar and spelling. Apologies from a trained editor!
just a thought…since when is being called a brat a compliment?
I personally don’t want girls to have dolls that makes them feel their value is in their sexual appearance or in being materialistic or glamourous. I feel both Barbie and Bratz dolls do this.
Our whole media glamourizes women who dress sexually. I work with young teenage girls and I see how it affects their self esteem. They see their value as a person being wrapped up in being sexually attractive. And dolls like Bratz and Barbie just encourage that sort of thing.
I just hate that so much of what girls are presented with in our society as being female centers about being sexually attractive. It’s like we are raising girls up just to be sex objects, not persons that understand they are worthy of love no matter what their appearance is.
I wish my copy of Why Beauty Matters by Karen Lee Thorp and Cynthia Hicks was not packed away in storage so that I might find more directly applicable quotes than the ones I cite below, but these Christian authors (one of whom was sexually abused) argue that we ignore beauty’s power to our peril.
Girls are taught that in order to be good Christians, they must sublimate it. Conversely, according to these authors and/or Lilian Calles Barger, author of “Eve’s Revenge,” the church has a long history of equating beauty with virtue. So while we say, let females be judged by the content of their characters rather than the color or attractiveness of their skin, that is not the world we live in, and it has always been so. Studies consistently show that beautiful women have more opportunities both in the world of work and in the romance department.
Christian girls and young women are counseled rightly toward modesty, but sometimes modesty does little to hide their sexual or physical attractiveness. The curves, lips, eyes, hair or some combination thereof are just beautiful. Calles Barger argues that all women must grapple with their unique experience of embodiment and with the power of beauty.
So jlp, I’m a little ambivalent here because while I agree that their is an avalanche of pressure for females to misue beauty and sexual power, I would say that what they need to learn is how to manage it responsibly. They are of course worthy of love no matter what their appearance. Unfortunaely their experience in the world tells them otherwise.
Now, a couple random quotes from “Why Beauty Matters” that I had archived on my blog.
First this:
“The public face of a wise woman lovingly offers her soul to the people around her. She is unafraid to let others enjoy the sight of her, whether her beauty is the young woman’s splendor of curves and smooth skin or the mature woman’s smile and welcoming eyes. She knows that if someone sees her with lust or fails to see her at all, then the problem lies in his clouded eyes, not in her body. The awareness that she carries God’s image and reflects God’s glory takes her beyond shame and fear into compassion for the blind. The confidence that God’s light is in her face leaves no room for pride. Her humility enables her to let her own and others’ beauty matter just enough, not too much nor too little.
None of us attains this wisdom without help. The habit of beholding the glory of God as in a mirror is not just a solitary discipline—we are each other’s mirrors, reflecting back to each other the glorious love of Christ. A lonely woman’s mirror is clouded by sorrow, but a loved woman sees a truer reflection in the face of those who love her.
To look deeply into the eyes of those who love us is to contemplate the Lord’s glory and be transformed by it. May we have the grace to be clear mirrors for one another, making each woman we meet beautiful in the eyes of a loving beholder.”
And then this, which might be more of a problem for older women:
“More often than not, the pursuit of beauty for prideful reasons is associated with wealth and indifference to the poor. Isaiah warned Jerusalem’s women:
‘The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments, jingling on their ankles. Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalps bald.’ In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery; the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, the earings and bracelets and veils, the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, the signet rings and nose rings, the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.”‘
Here we see a much different view of beauty and ornamentation than we saw in the Song of Songs. This is beauty abused by proud women, ornamentation collected by rich women who care more for exalting themselves than for helping their poor neighbors. …
Toward the end of his diatribe against whoring Jerusalem, Ezekial warned her about her sister Sodom’s sin. ‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her sisters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.“
whoops, I forgot to logout of wordpress for that last comment.
Very Cute Girl, Loving it
I wanted to post this link to an article on the Root called Dolls Like Me. http://www.theroot.com/id/49190.
To inform all of you Bratz should be innocent. I have watched the news and recorded some updates on information of the clashes against these popular brands of dolls. Mattel’s “barbies” copied off of a German sex doll. So they should be getting sued. Also, Bratz did not copy off of Barbie. Barbie copied off of bratz with their “My Scene doll”. Don’t you see the resemblence? Bratz should not be going away. Barbie has been here far too long but I guess Mattel couldn’t grasp with the fact that they had a little competition. They are just jealous because Bratz were going up and they were going down. And I’ll have you know if Bratz get taken off the shelves then no one’s gonna buy Barbie. Not that they ever did in the first place. Also if Bratz was Mattel’s concepts they would’ve made that product ages ago! But they didn’t. So Larian should own the whole thing. It’s not fair!
Come on!!!! Does it REALLY matter? My daughter is 8 and she LOVES Bratz dolls. To me, that is all that matters. They are not dressed sleezy, to a 8 year old its cute. Have’nt any parents been to the mall???? All the stores have really skimpy outfits. Now does my daughter dress like that? No. She also does’nt dress like a bratz doll, barbie doll or any make believe doll either. It is a TOY that she plays with and has fun with their hair. I think everyone reads to much into it. I played with Barbie when I was growing op and I knew that it was not realist for me to have a large bust and skinny waist. It was a doll to play with. Same with bratz. The are just alot more hip to keep up with todays style. I think that this whole battle is really sad. It is just hurting the little girls who are saddened by the fact that they can no longer purchase bratz dolls. It is not going to get them to start liking barbies. In fact just the opposite is happening in our house. My daughter now promises that she will NEVER EVER play or purchase a barbie. So really, think about it??? Who loses?? The kids!!!
Bratz dolls try to go to retail
Babs say, “no, no. no.”
Bratz dolls try to go to retail
Babs say, “no, no, no.”
Ok I go for the bratz there style is very understandable, but if you think about it, there just taking the same style that we use daily. Like singers,actors,celeberties look at what they wear! Kids see them like everyday, school,Out in public. Most kids look at celeberties as idols people they rely on so if that’s excatly what the bratz are doing following the style you can’t excatly blame them for somthing that is happening in our daily world!
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I would never buy my doughter a barbie. It could damage my child’s understanding of beauty and make her idealise unrealistic standards. You se the news about girl’s havin plastic surgery to look like barbie dolls etc.
Bratz are a lot better at this point because of the way their hads are. Bratz’s heads are not like any human being’s hea could ever be and it is easy for a child to see that. None of celebrities or any normal person have their head and body that way. So my child doesn’t want to look like a bratz doll, she is happy with her body, just the way she is.
also i think that barbie is racist. like blond hair and blue eyes etc. i know there are black barbies and barbies of different ethnicities… but they are mostly and mainly white and blonde. I am a white person with brown hair but i dont want my child to learn how to be racist from barbie. (i also hate that barbie always smiles like it’s all about happiness and fun)
the way bratz wear might be a little slutty but you can choose one with more clothes on. i think bratz’s clothes are trendy and way way better then barbies. AND IT IS BETTER FOR MY CHILD TO DRESS LIKE A BRATZ DOLL THEN HER BEING UNHAPPY WITH HER LOOKS AND WANTING TO BE A REAL LIFE BARBIE
in short: bratz heads are big so children can see that they dont have to look like them. because nobody does. and they can be happy the way they look, their body’s natural shape.