Push-up bikini Tops, Pole dancing kits, overly sexy dolls, thongs with suggestive sayings, and pregnant barbies, all of these products are being marketed to your children. Girls as young as 6 or 7 years of age, just starting kindergarten, are being targeted by many companies who are convinced that they are doing absolutely nothing wrong. But experts say that these toys can leave a negative impression that can cause all kinds of problems both emotional and physical on a young girl’s life.
The Peek-a-boo Pole Dancing Kit was first introduced in Europe by TESCO, a local toy making company, as a toy marketed to children as young a 4 years of age. This toy came equipped with a 26 meter (8 ft 6in) tall chrome pole, a “sexy” dance garter, and even an instructional DVD that taught children how to get the most out of their new toy. The toy was described as a way to “unleash the sex kitten inside” (TESCO). This toy was later sold online in the United States in the toy section on TESCO’s website for £ 50 or $120 in American money. Many people were outraged at the thought of these young girls being introduced to such inappropriate behavior. Dr. Adrian Rogers a member of the Family First Group was interviewed by a reporter from the Daily Mail and commented that “It is an open invitation to turn the youngest children onto sexual behavior.”
(Braithwaite, David). After much controversy TESCO made the decision to move the product from the toy section of their website to their fitness section, but they argued that the product was clearly marketed to adults despite its implication to “sex kitten” in their description.
Another toy that was taken off the shelf due to its inappropriate context is the Happy Family Collection by Mattel, the makers ...
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...ation between children and parents is imperative for children to grow up with a good sense of self and body image.”(The Kids Doctor)
Works Cited
- McKay, Hollie. "Mattel's Waxing and Shaving Monster High Doll Sparks Outrage." Fox News (2011): n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011
- Chan, Sue. "Barbie's Pregnant Friend Yanked." MMII The Associated Press (2004): n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011.
- Braithwaite, David. "Kid's "Sexy" Pole-Dance Toy Pulled." Age Company Ltd (2006): n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011.
- "Pregnant Doll Pulled from Walmart after Custimers Complain." Aociated Press (2002): n. pag. Web. 25 Apr 2011. .
The Kids Doctor, “Push Up Bikini Tops for 7 Year Olds?” wfaa.com. 3 Apr. 2011 Web. 15 Apr. 2011
- CNN Wire Staff, . "Abercrombie criticized for selling push-up tops to little girls." Turner Broadcasting System.Inc (2011): n. pag. Web. 25 Apr 2011.
The way young girls dress today can be, so say, disturbing to most people and many parents. In Lianne George article, “Why Are We Dressing Our Daughters Like This?” She writes about “the marketing of the clothing and its potential impact of little girls.” She explains the impacts sexual clothing is having on young girls and their parents. She goes on to answer the questions: When did this start? Will it continue? Is there any way to stop it?
I am not saying that a Barbi doll is necessarily a bad thing, besides the fact that some of her outfits are frightening, but I would rather have the life like rocket that can fly a 100 feet up before it returns to the ground. This discussion might appear superficial at first, but there is an underlying problem to why a parent might want to encourage their young daughters to play with a science kit instead of deciding what evening gown Barbi looks best in. A lot of the toys designed for boys might also be used as a learning tool. When a boy plays with legos and starts to create buildings he is developing his creativity. This act could lead him into a career as an architect or engineer. When he is encouraged to play with rockets or a microscope he has the potential of developing an interest in science that could lead him into a career working on satellites.
The Barbie is a plastic, man-made female toy, which has perfect facial symmetry, unnatural body dimensions, and perfectly unblemished white skin. In Chris Semansky’s Overview of “Barbie Doll,” he explains that the Barbie “is invented to show women have been socialized into thinking of their bodies and behavior in relation to a male-controlled idea” (Semansky). The title directly alludes to the Barbie toy, which represents a design of a man-made construction of the female image that shows an unnatural human form that could only exist inside the imagination of men. Throughout both “Barbie Doll” and “The Birthmark” you will find the female protagonists seeking an ultimately perfect form, free of the characteristics that those around them see as unworthy. It is as if they are chasing the blueprint of perfection that is present in the Barbie. The original Barbie came with three outfits a bathing suit, a tennis outfit, and a wedding dress (Semansky). Her outfits clearly symbolize restrictions forced on female privilege, identity, and autonomy, where “she embodies the ideals and values of her middle-class American community” who expect her to “spend her days at the country club and her afternoons cooking dinner for her husband” (Semansky). This is directly similar to the “outfits” those around the women in “Barbie Doll” where the girlchild is born
A Study Conducted by the American Psychological Association Task Force concluded that sexualization occurs when a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics; a person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness (narrowly defined) with being sexy; a person is sexually objectified- that is, made into a thing for others’ sexual use, rather than seen as a person with the capacity for independent action and decision making; and/or sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person. The APA Task Force reported many example of the sexualization of girls, such as toy manufactures duce dolls wearing black leather miniskirts, feather boas, and thigh-high boots and market them to 8- to 12-year-old girls. Clothing stores sell thongs sized for 7– to 10-year-old girls, some printed with slogans such as “eye candy” or “wink wink”; other thongs sized for women and late adolescent girls are imprinted with characters from Dr. Seuss and the Muppets. In the world of child beauty pageants, 5-year-old girls wear fake teeth, hair extensions, and makeup and are encouraged to “flirt” onstage by batting their long, false eyelashes. Journalists, child advocacy organizations, parents, and psychologists have become alarmed according to the APA Task Force, arguing that the sexualization of girls is a broad and increasing problem and is harmful to girls, and I for one agree with their proposition.
In The Summit’s TOYS R US, they have clear identifiers of the ‘Girls,’ and ‘Boys,’ sections. However, the toys shown in these sections seem to be geared toward the 8-12
Lawley, Robyn. “Why the Dangerous Thigh Gap Trend Makes Me Mad” The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast.
On Halloween night, one will inevitably see tween-aged girls adorned in sexed-up skeleton, vampire, and doctor ensembles. Costume companies design these provocative outfits specifically for children who want “a sexy look to give you the perfect butt” (Jones, 2014, p.7). The sexualization of girls’ clothing and, consequently, the girls wearing the clothing is not limited to one day per year, however. Popular retailers, such as Abercrombie Kids and Victoria’s Secret PINK, market children’s thong underwear adorned phrases such as “eye candy” and “call me”; push up bikini tops are commonplace in sections intended for young girls (Goldfarb, 2008). Even television shows such as My Little Pony are marketed to sexualize girlhood. The sexualization of girls is inescapable in today’s society, where it is pervasive on virtually all media platforms. This issue must be addressed immediately, as it damages not only the individual, but the well-being of society as a whole.
To test a new product to see if there is an opportunity for Fisher Price to sought out and make a toy that was attractive to moms and boys, a friendlier action figure.
The Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Thomson, Alice. A. Stop Pimping Your Daughters! The Times: 4 p.m. Jul 04, 2011.
Letting Children be Children - Report of an Independent Review of the Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Childhood {resource)
Stone, Tanya Lee. The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us. New York: Penguin Group, 2010. Print.
Barbie was created in 1959 by Ruth Handler. Ruth stumbled upon the idea while watching her daughter, Barbara, act out real life situations with her dolls. Ruth suggested the idea of an adult sized doll to her husband the co-founder of Mattel Toy Company. Her husband wasn’t thrilled with the idea and didn’t approve. In the late fifties and sixties it was very unusual for dolls to have breasts, most dolls then were infants or children, in fact research was done and came with the results that Barbie wouldn’t sell because she had breasts. However, that didn’t stop Ruth, while on a trip in Germany, she found a doll named “Bild Lilli”. She bought one back to the states with her and changed a few things about her and presented Barbie. There wasn’t a doll on the market that had the figure of a real woman, until Barbie. She was created for the same reason any other toy was created, to be played with, but over the years she has been the center of a steaming controversy, whether she is a fitting role model for girls. A role model is often imitated. Her make-up and outfits are chic, “but some girls may interpret these outfits as a sign that you need to look a certain way in order to be allowed to step into roles previously held only by men” (Lee 53). When Barbie was first released many mother’s refused to buy the beloved Barbie’s for their daughter’s, they would sought out to buy them Barbie’s younger sister Skipper, who lacked Barbie’s wom...
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Madi is the proud owner of thekidstoyscenter.com. With this site she hopes to share knowledge to parents about cool, rare and the hottest toys that are beneficial to