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Barbie Beats Bratz
New York, 1:10 AM
Mon Dec 7
19 posts in the last 24 hours
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Barbie Beats Bratz |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
12/04/08
That said, is it really a good idea to teach your kids to say "ewww" and "that's trashy" about the dolls when they're going to have to learn to live with people who dress this way in real life? Wouldn't it be a better idea to teach our daughters to dress in a way we think is tasteful, but to not judge other girls who don't?
12/04/08
When they ask about their friends who DO play with these kinds of toys I say "they deserve better, too.' I hope that will translate into compassion down the road, as in, "that girl's outfit may be awful, but she is probably a good person and she deserves better. Too bad our culture doesn't want to give her better choices."
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And this is why I hate having a conscience eight states wide - I can't even muster up glee that the creators of these heinous toys are going away because I'm too busy feeling sad for the innocent people who will go away with them.
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I mean, obviously you have to read your contract thoroughly, but honestly, what are you going to do if you don't like it?
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If it's good or big, quit before you sell it to someone else so there is no conflict of interest. The end.
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That said, Bratz suck and I hope Mattel kills the brand (fat chance).
12/04/08
Astronaut Bratz: Metallics are so this season!
Street Walker Barbie: Imagine a world of fashion and fine powder!
12/04/08
"Hmmm, you know, Barbie's pretty unrealistic, but is she child prostitute-y enough???....no, no, she is NOT!"
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@sarah.of.a.lesser.god (subservient to the ovumlord): Oh, grow up!
Heh, heh "grow up".
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Not that Barbie is like a hugely wonderful role model, what with the tiny waist and large torpedo boobs and all, but somehow she seems better than a Bratz doll. Maybe I'm biased because I loved my Barbies, and so did my Mom.
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Then DeeDee from Barbie and the Rockers came and kicked their ass. Then Aja from Jem and the Holigrams kicked her ass. Pizazz laughed, and the cycle continued.
12/04/08
And Jem. Jem was totally awesome, but she died in the house fire. So sad!
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In Defense of Bratz dolls vs. Barbie
I was happy to see The Bratz dolls when they came out. They reflect our multicultural society in a fun, hip way.
Disapproval of the Bratz often takes a racist and class elitist tone.
I hope MGA wins the rights to the money that they are earning for the Bratz
The creator of Bratz dolls did what the creators of Barbie were asked to and failed to do:
-- created a group of friends that have remained consistent, rather than appearing and disappearing like Barbie's friends
-- created a group of dolls that reflect America's racial and cultural diversity.
(Big lips are automatically "prostitute BJ lips" ? What?!)
-- created a figure more realistic to a preteen girl in height, weight and development
Those are the reasons for the Bratz immense popularity.
Also, Barbie was originally created as a sex doll for soldiers in Germany. She was adapted as a teenage doll when Barbie's creator saw his kids trying to pretend their baby dolls were teenagers.
Despite later adaptations for so-called Barbie "careers," Barbie's main activities are styling hair and dressing in fashion clothing. The difference is that the Bratz are hipper. I remember trying to make blue jeans for my Barbie in the 60s because there were none for her. She lost her fashion relevance after about 1965, or so.
The comments about make-up are rather odd, since Barbie cannot be described as have a low make-up look. Also, the idea that a "higher class" woman wears less make-up in real life than a "lower class" woman is suspect and debatable.
I don't think a doll is influencing how a child dresses, rather, how children dress determines what kind of clothes they sell for the doll.
From LA Times:
Creator Bryant, who reached a sealed agreement with Mattel before the trial began, said he got the idea for the look of the doll from observing teenagers near a high school.
Yes, preteens are building their teen and adult identities and fitting in, fashionable clothing, friends, sexuality, and acceptance are important to them.
The Bratz are far more urban, sophisticated, socially aware, inclusive, realistic and fun than Barbie.
Hooray for them.
12/04/08
I loved my barbies and really liked the outfits/hair most of all, because Barbie kept it classy! (This was the late 80s, and some of her outfits my mom literally had in real size.)
12/04/08
The Bratz look totally unrealistic- the heads too large for their bodies, the huge eyes and lips. And on the "racial" front- there are all hues and ethnicities represented by Barbie.
I would never allow any children I may have in the future play with a doll that is solely focused on looking like a skank. It sends a bad message that has been replicated by clothing manufacturers in our society- and little girls everywhere are growing up too fast.
So, basically your assessment is profoundly off-base. Marketing these toys to small children violates ethical behavior on many levels.
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ha! sums it up perfectly.