Move over Bratz dolls. Childhood sexualization has new spokesmodels.
Here, the Twin Cities’ Jenny Ginther and Krista Carpenter, co-leaders of the body image group at Water’s Edge Counseling, talk about the Mattel’s controversial Monster High Doll Clawdeen Wolf, which is being marketed to girls age 6 and up.
Amy Jussel covers it all in this post at Shaping Youth.
Thanks to Trevor for the tip.
Life circumstances (new day job, new house, and a recent health scare) have encouraged me to do a lot of reflecting lately.
I began blogging more than four years ago; my first post criticized Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. Raising two daughters, I was inspired to write about corporations who were shaping my girls’ views of themselves in order to make lots and lots of money. A sampling:
Less is more, or, may your daughters’ dream be to drive a Disney Princess car someday
Bratz girls are not sexy and you’re sick for thinking so
Time to scream about girls’ Halloween costumes — again
Girls, pay no attention to the naked supermodel sitting next to you, or, Dove’s at it again
PTA is a voice for multinational corporate interests, vows to fight frizzy hair
I didn’t know it at the time, but I was researching what would become the foundation of Parents for Ethical Marketing. I’m very proud of the writing and advocacy work I’ve done. But I’ve found I’m not feeling as pressed to pursue these issues anymore. I’d like to think that it’s because my daughters, now 9 and 13, are over the hump — that I’ve ushered them through those years where they were most susceptible, and have come out on the other side successfully.
That may be overly optimistic — I don’t know. But I do know that the world of blogging and social media has changed so much just over the past few years: When I looked for resources to help me parent the way I felt was right, they were few and far between. Amy Jussel’s Shaping Youth was the first blog I read religiously and I found comfort in the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood’s website. I also learned much from Nancy Gruver (New Moon Girls) and Joe Kelly (then Dads and Daughters).
Now we have Twitter and Facebook and so many great resources out there:
Marketing, Media and Childhood
See Jane/Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
And some places that even include PEM as a resource:
Jean Kilbourne (*squee!*)
Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV
Redefine Girly A blog for Pigtail Pals
All this is to say that I’ve found myself at another crossroads in life, and with a burgeoning teenager in the house, I’ll be stepping back from the keyboard. Not completely, but I won’t be around so much. I am confident that I am leaving my concerns in the hands of many capable advocates.
Thank you for all that you do.
