Anti-MH Blog Post

[ElusiveLily]

I wanted to share this with everyone here since MH is quite popular on this forum. It's a blog post made by a mother who has great concerns about MH dolls and pretty much every other line of dolls that are out there:

http://blog.pigtailpals.com/2012/07/ding-dong-the-witch-is-dead/

Obviously this person's concern deals with children and the kind of toys they play with. We're all adults here, so it's not likely that us collecting these dolls are going to have any kind of negative impact, but I was just curious about everyone's thoughts on this issue?

[LazuliRose]

I dunno I think if we actually explain to our children about the dolls, why they look as they do and what they're for and instill in them a love for who they are regardless, MH dolls aren't a big deal. 
People get so wrapped up in feminist bantha-poodo that they forget what dolls are really for.

But thats just my opinion.

[PandaBerryInSpace]

Eh, I don't really agree with it.

[ElusiveLily]

I dunno I think if we actually explain to our children about the dolls, why they look as they do and what they're for and instill in them a love for who they are regardless, MH dolls aren't a big deal. 
People get so wrapped up in feminist bantha-poodo that they forget what dolls are really for.

But thats just my opinion.

First....I LOVE YOUR AVATAR!

Ahem...

And I pretty much agree with what you said. I feel kind of torn about this. On the one hand, I kind of agree with what this woman is saying and I can see where she's coming from....but on the other hand...I don't feel like it's a good idea to give little plastic dolls so much power.

As a person who played with Barbies when I was very little, I never looked at those dolls and thought "This is how I HAVE to look". I just saw them for what they were - toys. They were just something with pretty hair that I could brush and have fun adventures with with all my other toys.

[xkelpiex]

WOAH. Okay, I completely understand her stance, for one, as I am kind of on the fence about six year olds playing with overly sexualized dolls, which some of them kind of are, in a way... I mean, when Bratz came out, I was still pretty young, and even then I kind of crusaded against them. They were "slut dolls" in my mind. As I am older, and the line has progressed passed belly tops and mini skirts with every release, I actually like Bratz now and if I had children, I would totes let them play with them. Monster high? Well, I love them, and as an adult I see no harm in myself owning and collecting them. I'm not sure I would want my hypothetical six year old playing with, let's say wave one sig Clawdeen, but some of the opther dolls, yes! And I would probably let them watch the webisodes because they encourage self-image and differences. This line has actually kind of become a beacon of worthiness and great self-image for girls and I love that about them. BUT, I do understand that their makeup is overdone (even though I love it so) and they tend to wear short skirts, but couldn't a parents explain to the little girl that they are in their teens and teenagers wear makeup? And shave their legs? The mini skirts, I would not want to encourage even my teen daughter to wear, though lol, so I think that while some of the dolls may be deemed overly sexualized, others are not! Wave 2 sig Cleo for example...perfect doll for a little girl! AND you could explain her makeup away as because she is an Egyptian princess, she's allowed to wear that much makeup. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am completely on the fence and am confused about what I would find appropriate for my children. I don't even know if I'd give them MH just because they are so fragile. They'd be stuck with Barbie, Disney, and some of the more well dressed Bratz lol But if they were like 12 and wanted some? I think I'd give the go-ahead. I still wish some company out there would make a chubby fashion doll. SOMEDAY, I TELL YOU.

[ElusiveLily]

Yeah, I totally get that. But...this mother pretty much hates every line of dolls on the market She doesn't like Disney princesses either.

BUT, I do understand that their makeup is overdone (even though I love it so) and they tend to wear short skirts, but couldn't a parents explain to the little girl that they are in their teens and teenagers wear makeup?

Yes, I thought the exact same thing

[PandaBerryInSpace]

Um. What exactly is wrong with Disney princesses?

[SwordPony]

I don't like the fact that she had to lie to her little girl to get her not to like them anymore. Why to go mom. Push your ideal off on your little girl.

Um. What exactly is wrong with Disney princesses?

I think its the face mold this lady doesn't like. 

[Rabiruchi]

I just think those people are sick. She's brainwashing her little girl because she believes gils shouldn't wear skirts...

"MH are bad dolls because they're the kind that smoke cigarrets"

I think it's ok to teach your girl cigarrets are not good... but them use them to make her hate the dolls? I don't know if I laught or if I pitty...

She won't allow her little girl to wear make up? My little cousings love to wear makeup and paint their fingernails... not because they want to atract boys, but because girls are natually atracted to pretty colorful cute things

Come on... that girl would look just lovely wearing make up and a cute frilled dress... such a waste...

[ElusiveLily]

I don't like the fact that she had to lie to her little girl to get her not to like them anymore. Why to go mom. Push your ideal off on your little girl.

Um. What exactly is wrong with Disney princesses?

I think its the face mold this lady doesn't like.

Yeah, that kind of rubbed me the wrong way, too.

And another problem I have with a lot of her posts, and others have pointed this out to her, is her use of sexist slurs, like 'slut' and 'whore'. I can't stand it when people feel the need to refer to a woman as a 'slut' or a 'whore just because their skirts don't go past their knees or because they flash a bit of cleavage. What's wrong with just saying "It's okay for women and older teens to wear these types of clothes, but little girls shouldn't be wearing that"? Why do people need to throw around insults?

Oh, and regarding the Disney princess dolls...seems like I remember her problem was more to do with the idea that these dolls send a message to young girls that they have to wear pretty, sparkly dresses. I can't remember exactly. I actually discovered her blog a month or two ago, but this is one of her more recent posts.

[TheLoveCat]

I am saddened and rather heart broken by this mother's choice to teach her child what "sexualization" is.... I work with children, ages 4 - 7. I know their innocence. The children I teach would never come up with a stance on what is sexual or skimpy on their own (unless they had a family member, ie: older sister/brother, who did not censor themselves)... they look at a doll dressed like Monster High, and they dont see "sex" because they are children and they do not know what sex is. They do not automatically assume that they should look like that doll (especially if said doll has pink skin or wolf ears), this assumption most often only occurs when someone puts this idea in the child's head, or makes a comparison between the dolls and little girls.
This woman has stolen her own child's innocence in the name of protecting it.

[ElusiveLily]

She won't allow her little girl to wear make up? My little cousings love to wear makeup and paint their fingernails... not because they want to atract boys, but because girls are natually atracted to pretty colorful cute things

Come on... that girl would look just lovely wearing make up and a cute frilled dress... such a waste...

This, totally. Little girls love to get into their mother's makeup and play dress up. And for some girls, makeup is more about art, not seeing how many boys they can get into their pants. Same thing with clothing.

[SwordPony]

I wanna add that while I don't have kids of my own. I do have nieces and nephews. One of nieces is 6 the same age as this lady's little girl. She loves MH and doesn't see them as sexual she sees them as different and fun.

[PandaBerryInSpace]

That's...incredibly stupid, I'm sorry. I was nine when Bratz dolls first came out -- I got Jade for my ninth birthday. The original Bratz had very skimpy outfits and tons of makeup, but my parents let me play with them anyway, and I never saw anything wrong with them. Today, I never wear makeup, and I don't wear skimpy clothes either... They had no negative impact on me overall, because I knew they were just for fun. I agree with TheLoveCat 100%.

[ElusiveLily]

I am saddened and rather heart broken by this mother's choice to teach her child what "sexualization" is.... I work with children, ages 4 - 7. I know their innocence. The children I teach would never come up with a stance on what is sexual or skimpy on their own (unless they had a family member, ie: older sister/brother, who did not censor themselves)... they look at a doll dressed like Monster High, and they dont see "sex" because they are children and they do not know what sex is. They do not automatically assume that they should look like that doll (especially if said doll has pink skin or wolf ears), this assumption most often only occurs when someone puts this idea in the child's head, or makes a comparison between the dolls and little girls.
This woman has stolen her own child's innocence in the name of protecting it.

Yeah, while I get her concern, it just doesn't sit right with me to say 'no' to a little girl who wants one of these dolls, not because she can't afford it, but just because of her personal beef with the way the doll looks, especially considering the child doesn't fully understand that beef. Six is a little too young to understand what sexualization even means.