Growing Girls With Purpose
April 9th, 2009 — Media, Marketing and Advertising, Sexualization of Girls, Toys & Games
This would be funny on Saturday Night Live or John Stewart.
As actual marketing targeted to children its disrespectful and inappropriate.
Parents can effectively fight this kind of nonsense. Write a protest letter to Nickolodean, Sponge Bob Square Pants and Burger King and tell them to stop sexualizing girls using cartoon characters, kid’s meals and butt rap. Click here.
February 9th, 2009 — Media, Marketing and Advertising, Politics & Legislation, Toys & Games
By Leola Dublin
Someone had to be the first to attempt to capitalize on our collective fascination with the First Daughters, and the Ty Corporation has that dubious honor.
Ty is responsible for the Beanie Baby craze and the questionable TyGirlz line of plush celebrity dolls.
Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia join a collection of dolls that include Lucky Lindsey, Bubbly Britney, and Precious Paris.
Following First Mother Michelle Obama’s disapproval along with public criticism, the dolls have already been “retired.”
A spokesperson for the Ty corporation insists that the dolls, despite being two of only three brown-skinned dolls in the collection (the third is Supercool Serena), are not based upon the youngest members of the first family. The dolls are named Sasha and Malia simply because the names are “so beautiful.” Yup. Apparently, we are supposed to buy that along with the dolls.
Michelle Obama’s spokesperson, Katie McCormick Lelyveld expressed the first lady’s sentiment in a statement that read “We feel it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes.”
I couldn’t agree more. Is nothing sacred?
Others, like authors of Packaging Girlhood are upset that Ty inappropriately and unnecessarily sexualized the 7- and 10-year-old Obama daughters by making the dolls with breasts.
“TY has made two dolls, Sasha and Malia, to match their other dolls. They’re the same height, look very teen, and even have breasts. What’s going on here? And they surround them with butterflies and hearts… typical little girls, soon to be partying little teens?”
The authors of Body Impolitic, feel Sasha and Malia dolls could be a healing thing for black girls especially.
“They represent black dolls that all kinds of people will want to own–and that bit of doll magic can also be a good thing.”
Sasha and Malia are making a difficult transition from girls who earned a weekly allowance of $1 to overnight celebrities and fashion icons. When the girls appeared in CrewCuts outfits during the Inauguration of their father, viewers quickly turned to the J. Crew website hoping to buy coats identical to those seen on televisions around the world. J. Crew’s website crashed.
Michelle and Barack Obama have gone on record as saying that they will try to maintain a sense of normalcy for the girls.
In an interview with Barbara Walters, Michelle explained her conversation with White House housekeeping staff:”I said, ‘You know, we’re gonna have to set up some boundaries,’ ” she said. ” ‘Don’t make their beds. Make mine. But skip the kids’ – let ‘em make their own beds.’ They have to learn these things.”
Perhaps President and Mrs. Obama have the political muscle to bring stop Ty from mass marketing dolls of their daughters. But, for how long?
Americans are fascinated by Sasha and Malia, as they have been by other First Children.
How do we celebrate Sasha and Malia for who they are – two adorable little girls – without rewarding those who seek to inappropriately profit from them?
Leola Dublin is a third year doctoral student in the Program in American Studies at Washington State University. Leola’s interdisciplinary research examines the effects of mass media on identity development in adolescent girls, investigating the ways that gender, sexuality, race, and beauty are constructed and marketed. She is especially interested in the representations of African-American women’s bodies and the ways that young African-American girls negotiate these images as they attempt to define themselves. A native of North Carolina, Leola grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC. She is currently preparing to take her preliminary exams this spring, and hopes to successfully defend her dissertation by May 2010.
January 15th, 2009 — Reviews & Giveaways, Toys & Games
The Silly Game of Sketchy Directions!
Backseat Drawing Junior brings the outrageous fun of Backseat Drawing to the entire family. Continue reading →
January 14th, 2009 — Reviews & Giveaways, Toys & Games
Let’s face it – kids today need to be computer literate so they can make a living when they grow up. Tomy USA is offering to give one reader of The Girl Revolution 1 MyDoItAll game for Nintendo DS. Continue reading →
January 13th, 2009 — Reviews & Giveaways, Toys & Games
Does your daughter want to play with fashion dolls? Mine too.
I like Juku Couture Dolls. They layer more clothes, not less. The bios of each doll is very appropriate for young girls including academic ambition, fitness, pet ownership, artistic endeavors and healthy eating. These dolls even come with causes like the environment. Their body ratios are basically what you would expect freshmen in high school to be – unlike some dolls. The dolls are multi-ethnic and come from all over the world. Read the whole review here.
Jakks Pacific has been generous enough to offer to give away a set of all 4 dolls! Continue reading →
