Not 'My Scene'

Have you ever heard the criticisms about Barbie dolls? That they give girls unrealistic body expectations? Or that Barbie is so drastically anatomically dysfunctional that an actual woman with Barbie’s figure wouldn’t even be able to stand up?

Barbie has been under fire since her debut in 1959 and the criticism only escalated with every generation of thinking women that followed. While Barbie does indeed perpetuate the blonde-bombshell stereotype that has unquestionably contributed to countless eating disorders, low self-esteem complexes, and the objectifying societal view of women, it is time to turn our objections towards a much worse adversary.

The My Scene dolls (also a Mattel product) and the Bratz dolls have taken the image of the female gender to an all time low. These dolls, which are targeted to females in the “tween” category (the age between children and teenagers), not only blatantly glorify the notion of women as nothing more than sex vehicles, but contribute to the ever-increasing sexualizing of younger and younger females.

Marketed to preteens under the guise of being “trendy” and possessing a “passion for fashion,” these dolls are decked out in nothing more than lewd hooker getups, complete with see-through fishnet tanks, thigh-high boots, mini-skirts barely covering their privates and gaudy makeup that would even make a porn star think twice. Girls traveling through the awkward process of puberty are too vulnerable and buckled down with uncertainty and self-consciousness to grasp the detrimental message hidden beneath their scantily-clad playmates.

While Barbie may promote unachievable beauty standards, My Scene and Bratz dolls encourage the outright sexualizing of preteen girls. If it is acceptable for My Scene and Bratz dolls produced for children to wear skimpy, suggestive outfits, then why would the girls who own them think twice about wearing such outfits?

These dolls only further the awakening of a distorted awareness of sexuality in girls who are neither old enough nor responsible enough to deal with the consequences that come from emulating the clothing, makeup, or mindset of this brand of demeaning trash. Innocence and naivety are already stolen from children too often as a result of premature exposure to media and products aimed toward adults; must we directly taint them with toys designed for their entertainment and admiration?

These irresponsible money-hungry companies display no concern for the marketing of superficial stereotypes and the degradation of women. My Scene and Bratz dolls just further spoon feed these damaging lies to yet another generation of young girls.