Mattel’s Monster High Dolls: Toys Too Sexy?

Mattel has done it again. You would have expected they’d have learnt after consistently copping criticism for the classic Barbie dolls which have been selling for the last fifty years due to her idealised and unrealistic silhouette (see my post here http://is.gd/sUHvfw) – but instead they’ve taken it a step further. Monster High dolls are now filling the shelves of your local toy store alongside Barbie and her friends – marketed for children as young as six.

‘Draculaura’ and her friends on shelf at perfect reach for your four-year-old

Monster High dolls come fully attired in bondage gear and my personal favourite, hooker boots.

‘See these shackles baby I’m your slave…’

Would you let your little girl out dressing like this?

‘Coffin Bean’ is steaming it up in here

Each kinky playmate features streaked hair, smoky harlot-worthy makeup, and sexy scars. And is it just me or do names like ‘Coffin Bean’, ‘Robecca Steam’, ‘Clawdeen Wolf’ and ‘C.A. Cupid’ sound like porn stars?

I can’t choose… they’re all ‘dot dead gorgeous’

You can meet all the ‘ghoulfriends’ at http://is.gd/G111zh

REFERENCES:

Cavazos, C 2011, Are Some Children’s Dolls Too Sexy?, online article, CBS, accessed 28/10/12, http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/03/18/are-some-childrens-dolls-too-sexy/

How to Explain Monster High and Other Hyper-sexualised Dolls to Young Kids, 2011, online web post, accessed 28/10/12, http://blog.pigtailpals.com/2011/12/how-to-explain-monster-high-and-other-hyper-sexualized-dolls-to-young-kids/

The Ugly Truth About Child Beauty Pageants

Designer dresses, spray tans, high heels, false eyelashes, lipstick, waxing, bleached hair, wigs… does this sound like child’s play to you?

It’s the controversial world of beauty pageants.

There is no doubt that there is great division surrounding the issue of child beauty pageants. With currently over 25,000 different pageants across America, Child beauty pageants make a billion-dollar industry. But again, what kind of example is this form of ‘entertainment’ setting for both the young girls involved in the show as well as children everywhere?

The US cable show Toddlers & Tiaras has sparked debate regarding the way in which young girls are forced to parade around in sparkling costumes for the sake of ‘beauty’. Are hours of hair and makeup, false eyelashes, spray tans, body waxing, sexualised body movements, dance routines and swimwear contests really suited to six year olds?

The ideas presented in the show are yet another example of presenting children with harmful messages and forcing them into sexualised activities.

A 4-year-old featured on Toddlers & Tiaras as Dolly Parton – complete with breast and butt enhancements – photo from http://is.gd/q6V9dF

One episode of the show featured a three-year-old dressed as the prostitute Julia Roberts plays in the film Pretty Woman – prancing around in a tight dress with cut-out sides and long over-the-knee boots. The judges and audience members on the show hail the outfit and sexy strut as “adorable”. Is it just innocent fun or could this be damaging to the minds of such young girls?

Author and teacher Maggie Hamilton expressed to me she sees these messages as harmful. “Girls are very vulnerable to marketing right now, feeling they have to come across as sexy, ‘out there’, having the perfect body and possessions,” explains Hamilton. She believes this creates the issue that girls are being taught how they should look – “what they should possess, aspire to and worry about, taking away their creativity and individuality. It robs the world of a lot of potential, joy and a genuine sense of fulfilment.”

Perhaps we need to reconsider next time we laugh along at the cute girls dressed in glitzy dresses prancing around like Barbie dolls. Is this really our society’s view of ‘entertainment’?

 

REFERENCES:

 

“Pretty Woman” Toddler | Toddlers & Tiaras 2011, online video, TLC, viewed 28/10/12, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAxEt5YL8w4>

 

‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ Shocker: Girl Dresses as Hooker Julia Roberts! 2011, online media release, published 9 July 2011, EHM Productions, London, UK, accessed 28/10/12,

<http://www.toofab.com/2011/09/07/toddlers-and-tiaras-costume-hooker-julia-roberts-pretty-woman-video/>

Human Barbie Spoils Her Daughter for Her Seventh Birthday – Literally

Barbie. She has the perfect body, designer clothes, a dream house and the ‘ultimate’ boyfriend to match. What every young girl dreams of.

This is equally true for Sarah Burge. Known as ‘The Human Barbie Doll’, from Cambridgeshire in the UK, she has reportedly spent over a million dollars ‘improving’ her appearance. What’s worse, is that she is now encouraging her young daughter Poppy to follow in her footsteps – by presenting her with a $9000 breast-enlargement voucher for her seventh birthday.

The young pole-dance was also spoiled with an elaborate birthday party featuring an X-Factor style competition, fashion parade, and an appearance from the world’s largest rabbit. (Check out all the details here http://is.gd/QZ35fR)

For Christmas in 2011, Burge reportedly gave her daughter 7,000 worth of liposuction vouchers. She explains she has plans to continue purchasing Poppy plastic surgery vouchers until she is 18 and old enough to spend them.

“I’m investing in my child’s future,” Burge told Sunday Mirror. “It’s empowering for her to be able to take charge of the way she wants to look. The reality of life is people don’t think they look fine as they are.’ (Sunday Mirror, 2012)

The young girl who has dreams of becoming an actress also competes in beauty pageants.

Is it really acceptable for a mother to be encouraging plastic surgery to her daughter at such a young age, if at all?

Media commentator and children’s rights advocate Melinda Tankard Reist explains that young girls “need to see themselves reflected in the bodies of other women,” and this is why positive role models are so important in the lives of these young girls. The ‘Human Barbie’ has copped criticism for her parenting on various internet forums; including comments such as “this little girl’s confidence must be at rock bottom and she is being told she is inferior and must have surgery to be accepted,” and “disgusting. This mother should be ashamed – she is not fit to look after a child” (Daily Mail, 2012)

 

Poppy Burge apparently ‘squealed with delight’ at her latest birthday present – a voucher for a boob job once she’s 18 – photo from http://is.gd/24eRoC

REFERENCES:

 

Boob Job Vouchers for 7-Year-Olds and Spray Tans for Kids, 2011, online media release, BellaSugar, Australia, accessed 27/10/12, http://www.bellasugar.com.au/Human-Barbie-Sarah-Burge-Buys-7-Year-Old-Daughter-Birthday-Boob-Job-Voucher-17816119

 

Brady, T 2012, ‘I’m investing in her future’: Mother gives eight-year-old-daughter £8,000 worth of cosmetic surgery vouchers as a birthday present, online media release, London, UK, accessed 27/10/12, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2106652/Sarah-Burge-gives-8k-surgery-voucher-daughter-Poppy-8-birthday-present.html#ixzz1oERErA00

 

Rushby, A 2012, If you had a daughter would you let her go to this party?, online web post, Cambridge, UK, accessed 28/10/12,

http://www.mamamia.com.au/parenting/sarah-burge-human-barbie-and-daughter-poppy-would-you-let-your-daughter-attend/

Children’s Reality TV Shows: Entertainment or Exploitation?

When does a little ‘harmless fun’ turn into dangerously sex-encouraging activity? Answer: Reality television shows such as Toddlers & Tiaras and Dance Moms are presenting young girls with these messages encouraging a strong focus on outward beauty and sexualised behaviour.

The US reality show Dance Moms highlights the risk of exposing young girls to such messages. The show follows an American junior dance studio and the young girls and their mothers involved. On the show, girls as young as eight are forced to dance burlesque routines in next-to-nothing show costumes and are told to “dance like men can’t afford you.”

What kinds of messages are these activities sending to young participants?

Blogger and media commentator Paula Orbea believes this is teaching women and girls “they are never enough”. She sees this has severe consequences, encouraging girls to “spend the majority of the time feeling inadequate and worrying about their appearance. Women then take action on this, by spending ridiculous amounts of money ‘improving’ themselves.”

Toddlers & Tiaras is equally as distasteful. Well-known ‘pageant princess’ Eden Wood has become a household name on the show. Her mother, former pageant queen Mickie Wood claims her daughter is living her dreams and “loves it”, Wood proudly spends thousands of dollars on items for Eden’s wardrobe – such as a $4000 showgirl costume.

Her trip to Australia in July 2011 was aimed to promote the introduction of the child beauty pageant industry to Australians before the Universal Royalty Pageant was to be held in Melbourne weeks later. The concept of such a pageant being held here sparked debate among many Australians upon its announcement; with groups on Facebook and other social sites forming quickly.

‘Pageant Princess’ Eden Wood in the middle of a typical sexy routine – Image from http://is.gd/S6sEkM

In June this year there was reportedly a secret child beauty pageant held in Sydney, where Eden and her mother made an appearance, Eden to teach other girls about pageantry (since she has already retired from competing at the age of six).

It’s inevitable – these toxic pageants are seeping their way into our country.

If you don’t see teaching girls as young as 20 months to parade around in skimpy swimwear and lingerie, join in to take a stand and sign the petition to stop child beauty pageants in Australia here http://is.gd/A5D39y

REFERENCES:

Tankard Reist, M 2012, Teaching 8 Year Old Girls Burlesque and Stripper Moves, online media release, 13 March 2012, Melinda Tankard Reist MTR, Canberra, ACT, accessed

28/10/12

Eden Wood on Tour 2011, Eccleston D, published July 7 2011, online media release, accessed 28/10/12,

< http://is.gd/fcrY7v />

Melinda Tankard Reist: Is this the Face of Feminism?

Love her or hate her – anti-porn women’s rights advocate Melinda Tankard Reist is a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind, sharing her strong views on today’s ‘pornified’ culture. Her website lists her as and author, speaker, media commentator, blogger and advocate for women and girls.

 

Melinda speaks at Katoomba Christian Women’s Convention, 2009
Photo by Megan Talintyre from http://is.gd/C02CTL

Based in Canberra, Tankard Reist is a regular contributor to Collective Shout, an online forum and blog which “names, shames and exposes corporations, advertisers, marketers and media engaging in practices which are offensive and harmful, especially to women and girls.”

The self-described pro-life feminist is a mother of four and author of four books…….She has been described as “one of the most misunderstood women in the public arena.”

 

I recently contacted Melinda Tankard Reist with a few questions of my own on her opinion regarding the messages communicated to young girls and women today through media.

 

Are digitally altered images of women having an impact on young girls growing up today? How?

 

The research tells us that girls are negatively impacted by idealised, normative images of women, depicting them as conforming to a stereotyped norm of how women should look. Girls are aspiring to images of women which are fake. They have a right to know this. So many think they need to strive for bodily perfection, when the images they are looking at aren’t even of real women, but photoshopped, digitally enhanced and doctored versions. Girls can’t be what they don’t see, and what they are seeing everywhere is hypersexualised images of ‘perfect’ women.

 

Why should women’s magazines take responsibility for the way they present women’s bodies?

 

Because they are so influential in the lives of many women and girls. Girls and women need to see a diversity of women’s bodies (beyond the token ‘plus size’ issue). They need to see themselves reflected in the bodies of other women.

 

What do you believe should be done to take action against the messages being presented to children and young women about their bodies?

 

So many things! We need governments and regulatory bodies to demand real change from advertisers, corporations and marketers who objectify women and sexualise girls to sell stuff. At the moment we have a self regulatory regime, which means advertisers get to do what they want and get away with it. They don’t deserve this system because they haven’t earnt it. We need a whole-of-community approach, in the home, in schools and in broader society to address toxic messages which contribute to eating disorders, self-harm, low self-esteem, depression and anxiety and poor academic performance, as documented in a growing body of global literature.

 

The author of four books including BIG PORN INC. which seeks to expose the negative impacts of the global porn industry has been harshly attacked for her “sneakiness” about her Christian faith – being labelled as ‘deceptive and duplicitous’. She threatened to sue blogger Jennifer Wilson for questioning her believability as a ‘fundamentalist Christian’ – a background which Reist claims not to hide. If you ask me, however, it appears not to be something she highlights – absolutely no mention of any alliances with Christianity appear on her website, blog or Facebook page…

Sneaky?

 

REFERENCES:

 

‘About’ Collective Shout, webpage, accessed 28/10/12, http://collectiveshout.org/about/

 

‘About’ Melinda Tankard Reist, webpage, accessed 28/10/12, http://melindatankardreist.com/about/

 

Hills, R 2012, Who’s Afraid of Melinda Tankard Reist? online article, accessed 27/10/12, http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/whos-afraid-of-melinda-tankard-reist-20120110-1psdx.html#ixzz1jkkC9DDu

 

‘Products’ Melinda Tankard Reist, webpage, accessed 28/10/12, http://melindatankardreist.com/products-page/

Barbie: “Ideal” Body?

Most of us have memories of playing with her, dressing her, and organising yet another hot date for her with Ken. The first Barbie doll was released in 1965 and her popularity has soared ever since. Little girls are still playing with Barbies, their parents are still buying the dolls and their accessories. Why is the plastic fashion doll still so popular?

Barbie has always been prominent and not always for positive reasons. It’s no secret Mattel have copped harsh criticism for the doll’s overtly voluptuous figure and immaculate appearance. Let’s be honest, though; what kind of an image is this encouraging little girls to attain to?

In order to effectively duplicate Barbie’s look, an average healthy woman would have to be 61cm taller, 15cm thinner at her waist, add 13cm to her bust, and 8cm to the length of her neck. The average women’s legs are 20% longer than her arms, yet Barbie’s are 50% longer than her arms. Barbie’s neck is twice the length of an average human’s, which means she would be unable to hold up her head. Due to her small feet and large bust, she would have to walk on all fours.

If Barbie was a human being, she would suffer chronic diarrhoea and end up dying from malabsorption and malnutrion.

She would also be without the body fat necessary to menstruate or have her monthly cycle.

How’s that for an ‘ideal’ figure?

So what kind of an impact is this plastic doll having on young girls?

Jennifer L. Derenne and Eugene V. Beresin in their study Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders explain, “though it is highly unlikely for a rail-thin woman to have natural DD-cup size breasts, toy manufacturers set this expectation by developing and marketing the Barbie doll, whose measurements are physiologically impossible.” (Derenne and Beresin, 2006, p.2)

According to media commentator, author and blogger Melinda Tankard Reist, this is having an impact on theway young girls view themselves. “Girls can’t be what they don’t see, and what they are seeing everywhere is hypersexualised images of ‘perfect’ women.”

Check out blogger Sam Page’s analysis of real-life Barbie proportions here: http://is.gd/ajTxr2

Image by Tracheotomy Bob, taken from http://is.gd/fVLKju

REFERENCES:

Barbie’s Soaring Popularity Continues 2010, online post, Barbie Fest, US, accessed 27/10/12, http://barbiefest.com/news/barbies-soaring-popularity-continues

Derenne, J L & Beresin, E V 2006, Body Image, Media and Eating Disorders, online article, Boston, MA, accessed 27/10/12,

Maria, S 2012, Negative Body Image – Is the Media to Blame? online article, California, US, accessed 27/10/12,

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22188/88628-negative-body-image-media

Page, S 2012, What if Barbie were a Real Woman? online post, Peace Love Lunges, LA, accessed 27/10/12,

http://www.peacelovelunges.com/blog/ask-sam/what-if-barbie-were-a-real-woman/

Negative Body Image, Eating Disorders – Who Is To Blame?

One of the questions we often hear asked is ‘Who is to blame for negative body image?’ Eating disorders of all kinds are more of a public health issue today than ever before. According to a study undertaken by Brown University in Rhode Island in the US, 74.4% of average weight women stated that they thought about their physical appearance “all of the time” or “frequently”. And these numbers are on the rise.

The most common answer given to this question is the media. Every time a discussion arise surrounding eating disorders or body image, the blame is instantly shifted to the ‘media’. However, is this really the case? On this blog I hope to explore and investigate this claim and share my findings.
Blogger and media commentator Paula Orbea believes that people today are learning more from the media than from anything else. The diversity of platforms available means it is inescapable.

“The media is encouraging women to feel as though they are never enough, as they are,” she explains (Orbea, P 2012). In her opinion, young girls are being taught what to be and boys are being taught what to look for. These ideas are being constructed through the way women are presented in magazines, advertisements and movies – as objectified beings; often half naked and in sexualised positions.

Are these kinds of images really that bad for women and young girls?

According to adolescent health doctors Jennifer Derrene and Eugene Beresin in their article Body Image, Media and Eating Disorders these messages ARE having an effect on the health and wellbeing of both young girls and boys. Throughout history, the predominant culture and lifestyle trends have always determined the popular….. However, today the media (including television, internet, movies and print is far more powerful than ever before – meaning these messages are being spread more rapidly and to a wider audience. (Derrene, J L & Beresin, E V 2006, p 3)

Typical Women’s magazines at local supermarket

REFERENCES:

Derenne, J L & Beresin, E V 2006, Body Image, Media and Eating Disorders, online article, Boston, MA, accessed 27/10/12,

http://ap.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=50181

Body Image, (no author), online article, Brown University, Boston, MA, accessed 27/10/12 http://brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/nutrition_&_eating_concerns/body_image.php#77