Wednesday, April 25, 2007

ProstiTots

Did anybody else watch Boston Legal last nite? A mother wanted to sue the "family-oriented" department store for selling Tarties. Tarties are fictionalized versions of Bratz dolls. The mom called them "ProstiTots" which is dead-on appropriate. Sometime last month, the Sunday paper had an article titled "Are We Sending the Wrong Message?", also citing Bratz dolls. Then I turn on the computer and this article is on the front cover of MSN.com

Dave and I initially wanted a boy, then a girl. We got two boys. That's fine, had a moment or two of... I don't know, not disappointment but... a little bummed? Of course, we couldn't be happier with the way things turned out and when I think about it, yeah, thank fate we didn't have any girls. I am so not a girl-mom. I would never buy Barbie. I'd let the daughter collect her allowance and buy her own if she had to have them. However, I would never let a Bratz doll of any kind into our house.

Have ya seen 'em?? They are these little, scantily clad, overly make-upped, trashy looking things. That's all well and good. They have cars and little play night clubs so you've got to figure them to be at least 21. When you're 21 you can wear whatever you like. But then they came out with Baby Bratz.

They were marketed as being the Bratz girls when they were babies. Hmmm. The dolls are tiny babies wearing diapers, midriff-baring tops (some with pierced belly buttons), sassy hair and tons of make-up. The company has just succeeded in selling these wildly popular, completely sexualized baby girl dolls. It makes me nauseous. They have Bratz tots now too. In case the sexy baby is too young for your taste and you prefer your sexy girl to be at least 2 years old. And the news article has the nerve to ask "are we sending the wrong message"??

This article defends Bratz over Barbie by saying how Barbie is white and has limited career and man choices and Bratz are ethnic and represent individuality and more realistic body shapes. The Bratz dolls brought in about 100 million dollars last year, Barbie stilled topped out at about 2 billion worldwide. Personally, I think they both suck as role models/toys for girls. Even when I was a girl, I never like Barbie. Loved her cars and her shoes but she seemed so weird to me. My mom is a curvy, pretty woman who rarely wore make-up.

At the spa I used to work at, they cut hair for Locks of Love . One day I was getting my hair cut the same day an 11 year old girl was getting hers cut for this organization. The hairdresser asked the girl how she wanted her hair done, like Brittany Spears or like Pink? The girl said she wanted neither, that neither one of those girls was a good role model. She proceeded to explain the haircut she wanted, comparing it to no one, just saying, "Short, layered, no bangs please." Her mom was standing behind her smiling proudly. And rightly so. Girls like that (and the moms who raise them) give me hope.

Still, though, glad to have boys, Ruth!

8 comments:

Chris said...

Yay for the girl at the hairdresser!

Anonymous said...

My daughter isn't allowed to play with Barbies or Bratz. We don't play with hookers. :-) Don't even get me started on the crap role models for girls. It just burns my ass.

YarnThing said...

Hey, thanks for commenting on my blog...since I don't have your email address I thought it best to answer your question here.

The store is Ewenique Yarns in Cherry Creek Area. They don't have a website...that I know of but you can look them up in the phone book or call information!

Let me know what kind of deals you get!

Marly
knitthing.blogspot.com
knitthing.mypodcast.com

Olga said...

This is the hardest thing about being a mom to daughters, I have 4.our 'culture' is so centered on sex and every female looking like a boy-toy that if anyone doest fit the mold she is deemed 'ugly' .When those brats came out my mom bought them for my girls and I refused to let them play with them and threw them away. Oh man, I could go on and on about this topic, but I'll spare you.....

Me7of11 said...

HEY Susan--You knitters need to start showing us hookers some respect! LOL (I crochet thanks to Ruth and the good book of "The Happy Hooker".)

Carrie said...

I LOVE Boston Legal, and I watch it whenever I can. I was totally nodding my head along with that last show. I have three girls, and it's hard enough to keep them away from the mid-riff shirts. The oldest is only nine, and it's almost impossible to find anything appropriate for her in the stores. =/ I love Susan's quote, "We don't play with hookers." =)!

Unknown said...

Interview time...

Here's your 5 questions...

1. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Are they all different or do you have a shoe "type"?

2. What's your pet peeve? What really annoys you?

3. What is one piece of advice that was one of the best youʼve ever received?

4.If you had to pick one color to wear for the rest of your life, what would it be?

5. Do you have a "green thumb"?

Then add this to the bottom of the post.
Want to play? Here's the scoop:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me." (and
give me your email address if you can to make this
easier on me!)
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I
get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the
questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to
interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you
will ask them five questions.

Thanks!
Nell

Anonymous said...

Amen, and just try finding clothes for little girls. Oy! I ended up making a lot of my daughter's clothes. She loves wearing dresses and it almost impossible to find them in stores, let alone appropriate ones.

No slut dolls allowed in our house.