The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: BigHicks1977 on July 20, 2013, 06:03:24 PM
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I saw this story pop up on AOL check it out and give your opinion of what you think
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/19/evolution-of-my-little-pony_n_3617896.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
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I really do not know what to say about it all. I have never been a doll collector. I do not hope these dolls get more attention then the ponies do. :( That is all that I have to say.
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They do have a point...ponies didn't have to change into creepy "sexy" dolls to keep kids (and collectors) interested. I fully believe that marketing guy needs to do some better research.
Side note: I acknowledge that there's people on here that like the EQ dolls and that's totally fine. It just bugs me that they are trying to turn ponies into dolls...if I wanted to collect dolls I'd start buying up Monster High or Bratz. Just my opinion.
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I think that parents should be concerned about exposing their children to toys (and other media) that might cause them to have unhealthy views on what a normal body looks like. However, I think it might be a little unfair to pick on MLP (regardless of the fact that I am totally disinterested in EG and just want my ponies to be ponies.) Hasbro is only following the trend. They are not setting the trend. If you have to blame a toy for that, look no farther than Barbie or even Monster High or Disney. Though, in the end, it comes down to the consumer. If parents didn't buy those kind of fashion dolls, toy manufacturers wouldn't make them. Hasbro is just trying to make money on what they see the consumer buying.
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I was actually thinking about the turning them into humans things. They claim it's to attract teens to MLP. The problem is this doesn't attract them to the core of the brand which is ponies. A better strategy would be to do what they did with G1 and have some humans somehow get dropped into the ponies' world and take part in their adventures. A few teens interacting with the ponies would build a better bridge than turning the ponies into teens. Though Friendship is Magic isn't really the kind of show that can take advantage of this.
And the dolls are creepy looking.
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I was actually thinking about the turning them into humans things. They claim it's to attract teens to MLP. The problem is this doesn't attract them to the core of the brand which is ponies. A better strategy would be to do what they did with G1 and have some humans somehow get dropped into the ponies' world and take part in their adventures. A few teens interacting with the ponies would build a better bridge than turning the ponies into teens. Though Friendship is Magic isn't really the kind of show that can take advantage of this.
And the dolls are creepy looking.
They wouldn't even necessarily have to do that. They could simply make a show that has more adventure and longer story arcs and more complex story telling. Just because you are a teenager doesn't mean that you have to actually see teenagers (in high school, no less) to identify with the characters. Or maybe that was just me.
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HuffPo does articles like this from time to time. It's an interesting look at the evolution of the brand. But I don't understand how Hasbro can say these dolls attract teens to ponies..don't you have to know who Rainbow Dash is to get her character and personality?
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You know, I'm really tired of reading all the negative backlash surround girl's toys. I have 3 daughters, ages 8, 7 and 2, so I have lots of experience with girls and what they want and this ain't it:
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(http://s1107.photobucket.com/user/michellelabrecque/media/1374374108_zps64df3770.jpg.html)
Every time something new comes out aimed at girls, we have the conservative groups who believe it will turn our daughters into promiscuous women. Children are molded by their parents, not Clawdeen Wolf or Rainbow Dash. My daughters see these dolls as pretty girls with cool clothes, not as what they aspire to be when they grow up. My job as their mother is to keep them on the straight and narrow; to grow up with dreams and ambitions. If they turn out poorly, that's on me not Hasbro.
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These new dolls freak me out.
Post Merge: July 20, 2013, 08:03:24 PM
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Bratz and Barbie have made ponies before, so I guess Hasbro answered back by making a doll in their line. :lol: I am not a doll collector either, but I still like the EG ones. I am only going to buy one or two though. I like ponies much better. The only way I would have a problem with it, is if they stopped making ponies and only made dolls. Now that would really upset me. I like the diversity though.
I didn't think those dolls were sexualized at all. You always see people dressing up like ponies for like cosplay. Now they have a doll that looks like them when they do. :) It would be nice to have some more natural looking dolls for a change though. I wouldn't mind seeing more realistic body types on a doll that represent real women.
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The article made me roll my eyes. I'm pretty liberal, so in my opinion these people are freaking out a little too much.
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I'm not too big on freaking out over thin dolls either. i mean, all these dolls are way too unrealistic so I don't think it's such a big issue personally.
But i do agree that the direction Hasbro took sucks :( I'm really unhappy about Equestria Girls as the point of MLP was that THEY WERE NOT HUMAN! I understand that they are a side thing but it's a bit of a slap in the face, at least that's how i feel about it.
Then again, i never warmed up to G4 either because i just really don't like their look. The body and the eyes, I just don't find them cute and I don't find them ponylike :( so i just realised that the new toy fashion is not my thing.
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You know, I'm really tired of reading all the negative backlash surround girl's toys. I have 3 daughters, ages 8, 7 and 2, so I have lots of experience with girls and what they want and this ain't it:
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(http://s1107.photobucket.com/user/michellelabrecque/media/1374374108_zps64df3770.jpg.html)
I love how all of them seem to be looking at something off screen with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. It's as if someone one brought Bratz into the room and they are all "Kids today. Oy."
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They've done a couple of articles on MH lately, so I wasn't surprised to see this.... the toy brands are just being hounded right now. :(
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Well, first off, they most definitely over-reacted. I mean, yeah, sometimes it's ridiculous, but you have to keep up with times. I mean, do kids really want toys that aren't so high quality? I mean, not everybody was a fan of FiM at first, but the animation grew on you, right?? And yeah, they shouldn't have made EG dolls. But everybody knows that Barbie has always been the perfect girl. And kids are NOT as creative as they used to be. And a while ago, toys were supposed to be realistic. now they are supposed to be cartoony and cutesie, and they do have a reason to define the girls from the boys. You know, I completely agree with this:
You know, I'm really tired of reading all the negative backlash surround girl's toys. I have 3 daughters, ages 8, 7 and 2, so I have lots of experience with girls and what they want and this ain't it:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1107.photobucket.com/user/michellelabrecque/media/1374374108_zps64df3770.jpg.html)
Every time something new comes out aimed at girls, we have the conservative groups who believe it will turn our daughters into promiscuous women. Children are molded by their parents, not Clawdeen Wolf or Rainbow Dash. My daughters see these dolls as pretty girls with cool clothes, not as what they aspire to be when they grow up. My job as their mother is to keep them on the straight and narrow; to grow up with dreams and ambitions. If they turn out poorly, that's on me not Hasbro.
And it's basically true. And the EG doll line goes after Monster High shoppers. It was a good idea, but you don't have to like them. You can't tell me that every single young girl in the world who plays with dolls is self-centered. I mean, I played with dolls, I still play with dolls, and I turned out fine. Mostly lol. OK, I'll stop complaining, I just think that that was ridiculous. :stressed:
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I don't get this weird idea that parents aren't supposed to sit down with their kids and talk to them. "Those dolls are fun, but real people don't look like that," can be all some kids need to understand that their self-worth should not be tied up in whether or not they look like a super-skinny toy.
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I really don't have much to say, personally I do not like the new look as dolls. Ponies are awesome! Not all little girls like dolls, but a majority (in my opinion and perspective) love ponies! The EQ dolls do look creepy, and they shouldn't make them so girly. Little girls shouldn't be worried about how the dolls look, or expect themselves to look like in the future from the "influence" the dolls give off. To be honest, I don't even know if that last sentence even made sense.
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I don't think it's a bad thing that they've changed. All brands evolve and the kids now aren't the kids of the 80s - I think today's designs are anime influenced etc and Hasbro just responds to these trends, plus I think the large eyes Faust gave G4 allows for a lot of expression in the cartoon. If only these critics would watch the show and see how good it is for little girls! :lovey:
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I don't even see why this is an issue to begin with. To be honest it bothers me more that many of the complainers seem to equate clothing and even body types with being promiscuous or shallow. That sends a much worse message than anything else in my opinion.
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You know, I'm really tired of reading all the negative backlash surround girl's toys. I have 3 daughters, ages 8, 7 and 2, so I have lots of experience with girls and what they want and this ain't it:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login
(http://s1107.photobucket.com/user/michellelabrecque/media/1374374108_zps64df3770.jpg.html)
Every time something new comes out aimed at girls, we have the conservative groups who believe it will turn our daughters into promiscuous women. Children are molded by their parents, not Clawdeen Wolf or Rainbow Dash. My daughters see these dolls as pretty girls with cool clothes, not as what they aspire to be when they grow up. My job as their mother is to keep them on the straight and narrow; to grow up with dreams and ambitions. If they turn out poorly, that's on me not Hasbro.
Exactly, it's almost like people are just looking to blame others for their lazy parenting. This is just an over-reaction, the media doing what they are best at and trying to create controversy where there is none.
Besides, I think Rainbow Dash looks pretty fierce as a doll, not as ultra-feminine as this article seems to suggest :)
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Here we go again. I say that because I remember one of my aunties getting upset, in the mid 80s. Over Barbie being "bad" for my cousins (girls). Granted the lack of poc/Native is another discussion. The thing was, myself and my cousins where taught that we knew the difference. Barbie, GI Joe or heck even Hot Wheels. They are toys, it was up to our parents/care givers to teach us (and they did) that toys where just toys. Not how real people looked or even having Hot Wheels didn't equal the real thing.
If and when I have a kid(s), I'll be taking the same approach. The parents not the toy makers drive the discussion. And if you were wondering, none of us thought we looked like Barbie or Joe. Even at age ten I thought my auntie, well I told her. In a polite way, that I understood the difference.
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They wouldn't even necessarily have to do that. They could simply make a show that has more adventure and longer story arcs and more complex story telling. Just because you are a teenager doesn't mean that you have to actually see teenagers (in high school, no less) to identify with the characters. Or maybe that was just me.
Very true. Transformers made Rescue Bots to appeal to younger kids with more lighthearted antics while Transformers Prime appealed to older kids and young adults with a darker and more action-oriented story.
They could do the same with MLP. Friendship is Magic can stay the lighthearted slice of life show and a spinoff could be more about action and adventure. It would give more ponies focus so they could sell more toys. It would also attract older kids who would be more interested in the action and more complex stories.
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The Huff Post is a toilet website. Often they twist stuff around in their articles for shock value or to start controversy (I think some of their stuff was completely made up) .
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Opinions are always interesting - no matter the side of the line they fall on.
I have worked in media, marketing and advertising for over a decade, the key to remember is that toys are created because of a demand, the toys don't create the demand - that is what marketing is all about.
And also...little girls wanted to be princesses and were attracted to romanticism for just about as long as history can remember - princess or pretty dolls fill that demand...they don't create it to start with.
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The thing is, Hasbro has access to a very powerful tool to diagnose and even manipulate demand called media. Just take a look at Megan from G1. Megan was introduced as the token human character in Rescue at Midnight Castle and she was so popular Hasbro figured they could make a toy of her to go with the ponies. They can use media to get older kids interested in ponies if they use it right.
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As long as they keep making ponies I don't care if they also do a doll line.
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I personally don't like the new dolls. They aren't My Little Pony for me. I just don't see the point. It's a bad attempt to try and compete with the Monster High. And I think it's stupid, because ponies aren MH, so why try and be it?
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I possibly think the person who wrote this article on the Huffington post also knows the person who wrote this article on Barbie:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-57594425/barbie-fights-for-her-life/
They make a good point. Hasbro wants a piece of the consumer pie, and they're trying all angles on this one...
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"Sexualized and self-objectifying?" Oh jeez, so much wrong with that. :facepalm:
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I think Huff is way off the mark on this one. As others have stated, as long as Hasbro keeps making ponies I don't care if they have this offshoot line of dolls. They are not as bad as Bratz in the least and it's not fair to compare them to that line. Bratz are all about being sexualized and having the cool sexy clothes and expensive accessories (cell phones, "bling", purses, cars etc etc). NOT the kind of example I think is healthy for anyone to model after, especially young girls.
The EQ girl line is, again as others have pointed out, just a manifestation of real girls who are cosplaying the characters in real life. They aren't overtly sexual, their clothing is reasonable in style (no belly shirts, hot pants), their accessories more innocent, their stories have morals and values.
I also think MH are at least more creative (and I admit , I think they are actually pretty cool/cute), being based in fantasy, not reality. Not fair comparison.
I think MH and EQ got their inspiration more from Blythe dolls or anime dolls, following their cues rather than the horrid Bratz line.
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The thing is, Hasbro has access to a very powerful tool to diagnose and even manipulate demand called media. Just take a look at Megan from G1. Megan was introduced as the token human character in Rescue at Midnight Castle and she was so popular Hasbro figured they could make a toy of her to go with the ponies. They can use media to get older kids interested in ponies if they use it right.
Trust me if it was that simple, my job would be so much easier. Hasbro cannot manipulate the desires of little girls the world over wanting to be princesses and play with pretty, skinny, overly made up dolls. That is a cultural issue. Yes, Hasbro respond and buy into that concept but they don't create it. Any study of cultural history going back centuries will find you stories of handsome princes and pretty girls; a desire and and concept which existed long before any of today's multi national toy companies existed.
But as others have pointed out before me, its about a balance; its not Hasbro's fault that pretty, skinny dolls with too much make up and unnaturally large eyes are popular. They dont manipulate media [the same media which then writes these kinds of articles]. Life, style, culture creates a market, companies like Hasbro buy into and give that culture an id. So they are not the source but they are the messenger.
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I think Huff is way off the mark on this one. As others have stated, as long as Hasbro keeps making ponies I don't care if they have this offshoot line of dolls. They are not as bad as Bratz in the least and it's not fair to compare them to that line. Bratz are all about being sexualized and having the cool sexy clothes and expensive accessories (cell phones, "bling", purses, cars etc etc). NOT the kind of example I think is healthy for anyone to model after, especially young girls.
Actually Bratz were not about being sexualized either. Their message was more about friendship and diversity (great) and materialism (not so great). Their bodies weren't even that busty. I think the backlash against the Bratz is more of an internalized racism cause most of the Bratz styles are urban and they have big lips. There is an awful stereotype that women of color are more "sexual" than white women and quite frankly that disgusts me.
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I think Huff is way off the mark on this one. As others have stated, as long as Hasbro keeps making ponies I don't care if they have this offshoot line of dolls. They are not as bad as Bratz in the least and it's not fair to compare them to that line. Bratz are all about being sexualized and having the cool sexy clothes and expensive accessories (cell phones, "bling", purses, cars etc etc). NOT the kind of example I think is healthy for anyone to model after, especially young girls.
Actually Bratz were not about being sexualized either. Their message was more about friendship and diversity (great) and materialism (not so great). Their bodies weren't even that busty. I think the backlash against the Bratz is more of an internalized racism cause most of the Bratz styles are urban and they have big lips. There is an awful stereotype that women of color are more "sexual" than white women and quite frankly that disgusts me.
Internalized racism?? Really? I was born and raised in an urban environment and my opinion has nothing to do with their diversity or big lips. It was purely about their sexual style of clothing and materialism. If that is how you perceive urban culture, that doesn't make it a positive image. Women paid for their companionship dress that way too, are they just being cool? Of course, even the popular, catty, rich white girls had thier click of friends. I would not call the story about their friendship being a core value of their toy line but rather a vehicle for their exploitation, cloaking it as "friendship". Yeah, all friendships should be based on shopping, wearing makeup, having the cool stuff. Oh and boys, let's not forget about the boys.
It sounds like you are coming from a very biased position rather than looking at what the dolls offered outside of "big lips" and "urban style"
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Did you know a regular huffington post article headline is "We did NOT expect this from [NAME]! WOW!" and it turns out to be [Name] selling their house?
So I wouldn't particularly worry about anything they have posted ever.
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As for me, I'm just shocked that the article's slideshow of photos IS actually in chronological order! I don't expect actual correct facts in the HuffPost these days.
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When I was a kid I played with Barbies that had bigger chests and a whole lot more eye makeup than Barbies have today. This did not make me aspire to have a big chest, nor did they make me crazy about makeup (which I don't even wear). I didn't start noticing how ridiculous my childhood barbies looked until I was in my late teens.
Think this:
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Orange and blue-skinned dolls with pointy horse ears atop their heads and pony origins are not going to affect kids' body images any more than my barbies affected mine. They will only assist imagination for children whose imaginative pony stories include these dolls.
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The article made me roll my eyes. I'm pretty liberal, so in my opinion these people are freaking out a little too much.
Pretty much this. I empathize with their desire to make toys that don't give girls unrealistic expectations, but we can't pretend that it's all in the hands of the toymakers. Greater diversity in our toys would be nice, but we need to be willing to take responsibility for our children's development first and foremost in the lessons we teach them. Media has a lot of power to shape the culture of future generations, but we can't go on pretending it's the largest factor and keep freaking out every time something becomes hugely popular and wonder if that makes there's something wrong that's going to swallow our kids whole.
This all reminds me very much of the massive backlash Pokemon underwent when it first got popular, when people screamed bloody murder about it being everything from simulated cockfighting to gambling. Different message, but it speaks to the same kind of knee-jerk ignorance. Too many people in the position to raise another human being aren't willing to get involved in what their kids are interested in-- they want TV, papers and websites to do the research on what's good for their kids so they don't have to.
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I still personally think Hasbro are trying to cash in on the popularity of Monster High, which is very popular (I collect them myself) although it would have been more interesting if they'd given the dolls feet and made all of them pose-able like Monster High.
There was something online a month or so ago that harped on about ponies becoming sexualized even saying Celestia looked like a pole dancer. I rolled my eyes at that and I rolled my eyes at this pile of poop. :rolleyes:
Companies often try to follow trends, EG is obviously an example of this with the MH/Bratz/Pony crossbreed
I'll stick to ponies :biggrin:
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You know, I'm getting really sick of Peggy Orenstein (author of "Cinderella Ate My Daughter") and what she has to say. I wish we could stop giving her media attention, because she's wrong wrong wrong.
I remember a while back I read a post she made on her blog about Monster High, because I like that line so much. The top of the post had a photo of her daughter in front of the Monster High aisle in a store, while the article went on about how her daughter would never be allowed one. Really? You're going to make your kid pose in front of things they probably want but will never be allowed to make a point on your blog?
The little girl was also in very covering clothing to the point that it just wasn't practical, all while her mother's goes on at the child that the MH characters look like bad people because of the way they dress. All she is doing is teaching her child not to value women who dress even a little revealingly, that those people are 'bad'. The mother had never even watched an MH episode or read the literature behind them, so she didn't know what the personalities of these dolls were, only judging them on the way they dress. And that really is damaging. She also had to skirt around trying not to mention sex because the child was too young, when all her opinions on children's toys are based around sex. She's not a healthy person.
It's sad because the message she went so overboard trying to get across is actual so simple to do: Sit down, talk to your child and if you don't want them to dress a certain way, don't buy them those kinds of clothes. A doll should not be parenting for you.
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<very good post>
So much agree!
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<very good post>
So much agree!
Me too!
Some people have good intentions but they go so far the other way that they just go right around the bend anyway. There is no middle ground. There is no gray, just pure white and wicked, wicked blackness. People want to know right now what they should and shouldn't like, and some of them don't even care why. It's blind ideology that's lost sight of what it really wants to achieve. :(
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You know, I'm getting really sick of Peggy Orenstein (author of "Cinderella Ate My Daughter") and what she has to say. I wish we could stop giving her media attention, because she's wrong wrong wrong.
I remember a while back I read a post she made on her blog about Monster High, because I like that line so much. The top of the post had a photo of her daughter in front of the Monster High aisle in a store, while the article went on about how her daughter would never be allowed one. Really? You're going to make your kid pose in front of things they probably want but will never be allowed to make a point on your blog?
The little girl was also in very covering clothing to the point that it just wasn't practical, all while her mother's goes on at the child that the MH characters look like bad people because of the way they dress. All she is doing is teaching her child not to value women who dress even a little revealingly, that those people are 'bad'. The mother had never even watched an MH episode or read the literature behind them, so she didn't know what the personalities of these dolls were, only judging them on the way they dress. And that really is damaging. She also had to skirt around trying not to mention sex because the child was too young, when all her opinions on children's toys are based around sex. She's not a healthy person.
It's sad because the message she went so overboard trying to get across is actual so simple to do: Sit down, talk to your child and if you don't want them to dress a certain way, don't buy them those kinds of clothes. A doll should not be parenting for you.
Okay, now I'm totally going to find her blog. XD I want to read her book too, because I don't "GET" her concept. I mean, I wasn't into princesses and Barbie as a kid, in fact my dolls were pretty much shunned. My ponies spent more time in the Barbie doll house than the Barbies themselves! One reason I collect My Little Pony is because it was THE toy of my childhood and the start of a life-long love affair with horses. I also loved my Pound Puppies, Care Bears and basically anything animal shaped. The result? I am a make wearing, mostly skirt wearing, woman who paints her nails and collects dolls and writes romance novels. So....what the heck?
As for the Equestria Girls dolls...I collect dolls and I love anthromorphic designs or dolls that have a "different" flair (think La Dee Dah style), so I will be buying them. BUT I do agree that MLP should be about ponies. It used to the alternative for girls who weren't really into the doll thing. As long as it stays that, I'll be happy. I think there's room in the line for the Eq Girls *AND* ponies...and I'll remain optimistic that Hasbro realizes that too.....until they prove me wrong, of course.
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When I was a kid I played with Barbies that had bigger chests and a whole lot more eye makeup than Barbies have today. This did not make me aspire to have a big chest, nor did they make me crazy about makeup (which I don't even wear). I didn't start noticing how ridiculous my childhood barbies looked until I was in my late teens.
Think this:
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Orange and blue-skinned dolls with pointy horse ears atop their heads and pony origins are not going to affect kids' body images any more than my barbies affected mine. They will only assist imagination for children whose imaginative pony stories include these dolls.
I don't know, I wanted mountainous shoulder pads after Barbie had them. ;)
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I could have been abnormal but Barbie and other dolls growing up were all about what they were and what they did rather than how skinny they happened to be. I never even noticed the bodies were unrealistic because I didn't see it as a body but rather just how Barbie, a pretend girl, had always looked. She was a role model, but not a body model to me.
All that beside the point I think EG dolls are a passing thing, for better or worst. They seem to be really pushing them to be the image of cool and hip and cutting edge which could ether sell very well or sell well with some and seem forced to others. For what it's worth I hope little girls enjoy them but I think the fact that the draw to the MLP brand is\was that they are ponies, not just pony shaped humans, is good for Hasbro to remember to :satisfied:.
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Trust me if it was that simple, my job would be so much easier. Hasbro cannot manipulate the desires of little girls the world over wanting to be princesses and play with pretty, skinny, overly made up dolls. That is a cultural issue. Yes, Hasbro respond and buy into that concept but they don't create it. Any study of cultural history going back centuries will find you stories of handsome princes and pretty girls; a desire and and concept which existed long before any of today's multi national toy companies existed.
I'm not saying Hasbro can change what is widely accepted. Yes. Girls are attracted to skinny, pretty, overly made up dolls. There's probably nothing that will change that short of a complete shift in our culture which Hasbro is neither willing or able to create.
However, Hasbro has specialized at thinking outside of the box and bringing something new and different out of the familiar. Their most successful franchises are based on a common thing given a new twist. Vehicles that can turn into giant robots. Equines that come in all the colors of the rainbow and many varieties. Common soldiers elevated to "American Heroes." Mattel is the one really following Hasbro's lead by trying to make science fiction and fantasy related media tied to their brands and with newer properties like Monster High trying to capture that familiar but different feel.
It's not that Hasbro can destroy a market, it's that it can make its own markets.
Also, mutating a brand to remove all of its unique charm to follow someone else is never a recipe for success.
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"Sexualized and self-objectifying?" Oh jeez, so much wrong with that. :facepalm:
Indeed--whether or not you objectify yourself has nothing to do with how sexualized or virginal an image you put out there! If you are having sex solely for attention, then you are objectifying yourself. If you are a virgin solely for your reputation, or to become a virginal bride/groom for somebody else, then you are objectifying yourself. But if you have sex or abstain from it for YOUR reasons, based on YOUR ideals, then you're treating yourself like an intelligent human being--not an object.
Also, chiming in with tons of praise for Saiko's post.
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I read the HuffPost article this morning and didn't find anything in it very compelling. The author begins "Despite valiant efforts made by parents, toy creators and even kids themselves to convince brands to produce gender-neutral toys, the divide between "boy" and "girl" products remains vast"--yet that really has nothing to do with the article. MLP, for better or worse, has always been a hyper-feminine product and marketed as such. So the "disturbing evolution" of MLP is not that the toy has become more gendered. Of course what the article really argues is that MLP has become more sexualized, which was a complaint lodged years ago against G3s.
I for one do think MLP was at its best in its early days when the ponies had more equine habits (after all, the toy was inspired by little girls' love of horses), but as many have said here, times do change, and while I'm no fan of the dolls, it will be interesting to see if little girls like them! I don't see anything about these dolls that is more "sexy" than Barbie or Bratz--honestly they seem less so.
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"Sexualized and self-objectifying?" Oh jeez, so much wrong with that. :facepalm:
Indeed--whether or not you objectify yourself has nothing to do with how sexualized or virginal an image you put out there! If you are having sex solely for attention, then you are objectifying yourself. If you are a virgin solely for your reputation, or to become a virginal bride/groom for somebody else, then you are objectifying yourself. But if you have sex or abstain from it for YOUR reasons, based on YOUR ideals, then you're treating yourself like an intelligent human being--not an object.
Also, chiming in with tons of praise for Saiko's post.
I'd also like to chime in that how a woman dresses is not a measure of her worth and neither is how much sexual activity she has or doesn't have.