Scholastic defended its inclusion of the Bratz books because, they said, they want to get kids to read. Kyle Good, Vice President for Corporate Communication, said, “We offer materials that appeal to children where they are, not where we would like them to be. This is particularly true for reluctant readers.” Whatever happened to the principle of teaching children to better themselves and holding out ideals for them to emulate?
The Bratz babes were singled out by the recent report from the American Psychological Association as one of the worst offenders in sexualizing girls.
The objectified sexuality presented by these dolls, as opposed to the healthy sexuality that develops as a normal part of adolescence, is limiting for adolescent girls, and even more so for the very young girls who represent the market for these dolls.
Bratz has opened a new line called “Baby Bratz.” These dolls are even more controversial than the teen version. Appallingly, the baby version wears a thong instead of a diaper. MGA Entertainment apologized for the “mistake” claiming that there should have been a Pampers on the baby instead. Right! The baby bottle filled with a soft drink, accompanied by a life-sized burp, not-so-subtly pushes sugar-laden soft drinks for infants when childhood obesity is a national epidemic.
These Bratz babes are changing the face of childhood. MGA personnel are blasé about their product. “Those who take offense,” they predictably say, “have dirty minds.” The rest of us who have common sense and recognize the dangers of sexualizing our children know better. MGA is pushing a bawdy adult sexuality off on children; parents are reporting that some pre-teens will wear only lingerie from Victoria’s Secret. What about the thong on the baby doll? MGA’s Web site claims that the Baby Bratz, “know how to flaunt it, and they’re keepin’ it real in the crib!”
Obviously, parents were not listening when Whoopi Goldberg warned, "White parents have no clue that their kids are being indoctrinated into ghetto values and culture."
You can bet, though, that people who are living the ghetto life for real recognize what MGA is doing. The Urban Dictionary, a Web site that allows readers to provide their definitions for urban slang, has eight readers’ definitions for Bratz –– all of them recognize that the dolls are “helping to make our children sexually promiscuous.” One definition explained, “We are living in a society which is determined to take innocence away from youngsters.” Others were rude: “Toys like this create a new generation of sluts, skanks, and whores!” “They dress like a slut and bring a bad message to little girls who play with them.”
That’s the truth –– out of the mouths of those who know.