There are dolls posing in sexually suggestive positions, dolls clad in boys' underwear, and they all have very heavy makeup. What kind of message does this send to our daughters? Is provocative clothing really necessary on "Baby Bratz" dolls that are marketed to preschoolers?
My friend and I were equally horrified and amused as we stood in shock, staring at these crazy dolls. People really buy these things for their kids! There were twin Bratz, camo Bratz, and the worst of all... the "Sweet Seat Bratz. This features a ponytailed doll in undies with a bottle on a chain around her neck, riding on a rocking banana. A ROCKING BANANA!!!
See for yourself!
"Sweet Seat": BANANA, PULL STRING TO MAKE IT ROCK BACK AND FORWARD
A bubble blower. She looks more like a miniature"real doll"-(an adult sex doll):
Here, one blogging mother sums it up:
"I'm not sure who's buying these lingerie-clad babies. One would assume child molesters. Can you tell me why these baby dolls are wearing thongs? Is this a new fad for infants? I'm giving these two dolls the benefit of the doubt that they're good girls forced to work as topless dancers to pay for formula and pacifiers. They couldn't actually be a dominatrix prostitute and a hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold as their outfits seem to imply, right?
Maybe I'm wrong and these aren't babies at all. The upcoming Bratz Babyz DVD states they've got to "put on their makeup" and "look hotter than hot" which would lead me to believe that they're perhaps middle-aged sex-workers. But I doubt it since their website states that the Bratz Babyz are "keepin' it real in the crib" and "already know how to flaunt it". By the way, where is the crib? Because I'm looking at the product line and these babies seems to have bypassed the bassinet and instead prefer to straddle a giant banana.
As I shielded Hailey's eyes I thought to myself, "Wow. These sleazy babies are the most inappropriately sexed-up toys I've ever seen." And they were. Until I saw the come-hither stares of the baby's sultry little pet ponies (er..."ponyz"). Ponies that hang out at the aptly named "Hot-to-Trot" Shoe Store. (Cambridge Dictionary definition of Hot-to-Trot: Sexually excited or sexually exciting.) Congratulations Target! I'm officially offended.
Could you possibly replace the skank babies with something more appropriate for a children's toy aisle? Like a rack of 'Girls Gone Wild' videos or a box of used heroin syringes? Leaking vials of anthrax would be less disturbing than these infantile Nabokov fantasies. "
Tell Scholastic: Stop Selling Bratz in Schools
The Bratz, a line of highly sexualized dolls for girls as young as four are, being marketed directly to children in schools by Scholastic, Inc. Scholastic promotes Bratz through its book fairs and book clubs, selling titles such as Lil' Bratz Dancin Divas; Lil' Bratz Catwalk Cuties; and Lil' Bratz Beauty Sleepover Bash to a captive audience of young students.
The Bratz—whose wardrobes include miniskirts, fishnet stockings, and bikinis—were recently singled out the by American Psychological Association for contributing to the sexualization of young girls. Please tell Richard Robinson, President and CEO of Scholastic Inc., that commercially-driven, sexualized stereotypes have no place in schools.
