ARE BRATZ A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON YOUNG AUDIENCES?
Earlier this afternoon, I came home and decided I would finally address this one thing that’s been bugging me for months and that’s the debate over whether or not franchises for doll merchandise are positive influences on our younger audiences. This topic comes from seeing certain ideologies (*ahem* feminism *cough*) try to discredit quite elaborate toys. This opinion of mine is both in video format and in text format (this article) for various viewing pleasures.
In summary, I believe that dolls like Bratz are positive influences. I believe that once certain ideologies stop focusing on the aesthetics and properly researched into the context behind the products, they would see that there is a dozen reasons why these plastic figurines are wonderful. For instance, as an avid fan of Bratz as a kid, the franchise had a TV show series and magazines released under the same trademarked name ‘Bratz’
Image Not Mine. This is an example of a magazine. I believe the creators have since stopped publishing since I can’t find a copy in local stores anymore.
These magazines might have make up and clothing articles (which they have some variety towards), they also encouraged healthy self image, body positive messages, healthy eating, healthy lifestyles, proper skin care and even had articles on charities to support and environmentalism. They weren’t just for females, either as their Letter bag featured young boys submitting questions and feedback, too! Young boys found appeal in the male dolls and the masculine characters in the movies and television shows, so it was a hit with both genders. In their ‘Guide to Perfect Pets’ issue they cover animal cruelty and how to properly look after pets. In Bratz Magazine Issue #3, they published articles on helping the environment, how to budget while shopping and healthy friendships.
In issue #2 of Bratz as well as the special back to school edition magazine (School Survival Guide), they also targeted the issues of bullying.
And positivity wasn’t just in magazines, it was also in their movies and their television shows with positive, non-stereotypical character development. We as an audience got to see ethnicity represented throughout the series, positive masculine portrayals of men (with character Dylan and Cameron doing healthy masculine activities) and even healthy male and female attraction and relationships. We get to see Yasmin advocate for Animal shelters and the girls helping their communities and each other. The other thing too is that the series shows that even females can bully with one of the main antagonists being female with two female sidekicks who go out of their way to tarnish Bratz and their friends.
Each and every single character, episode and article presented by the company known as MGA were positive, creative, imaginative, unisex and properly developed for younger audiences in the ‘progressive’ (I use this term loosely due to the way the term is used in modern times) we’re suppose to live in and it’s insulting to see certain ‘social justice warriors’ focus on something as small as the aesthetics of how the dolls look when these figurines were more than what meets the eye.
Below are just some images of my own copies of these magazines as examples of what to expect:
A magazine article encouraging healthy eating.
Article on bullying.
Even support for gaming characters and those into video games
