We are Stealing Girl's Childhoods

The average American will spend 3 years of their life watching TV commercials. Yes, only commercials. We know that every type of media sexualizes little girls, including TV, music videos, lyrics, movies, magazines, video games, the Internet and ads. We know that everyday girls are bombarded with sexualized images of all types and that the pressure to look sexy is starting earlier and lasting longer.

Now, sex is nothing new when it comes to selling a product—you have probably it seen years ago with the Brooke Shields commercial for Calvin Klein or any other advertisement—but it is definitely new when the women used to sell the products are 5-year-olds.

As a parent, you probably try to avoid your child being exposed to inappropriate content. Advertisements are everywhere and it is hard to prevent your kids from watching those. The Internet is full of sexualization of young girls, but normally, little kids are not very interested in the computer; and if they are, you can just avoid installing the Internet on the computer or put some filter to it. However, when trying to avoid your child from watching any sex content in the TV, you might put on Disney Channel or Discovery Kids. You might think that when watching those channels your child is safe from all the sexualization of children. But you are wrong.

Even though the shows played on kids’ channels might seem harmful and educational, the commercials run in them are damaging and detrimental for your kids’ health.

Repeatedly, in channels such as Nickelodeon and Discovery Kids, commercials for the Bratz dolls are run. These commercials portray doe-eyed, waist baring dolls dressed in miniskirts, fishnet stockings, and feather boas. This does not only encourage young girls to focus only in looks and sexuality but also creates erroneous expectations for young boys about how girls show dress and behave.

Recently, I was watching TV with my mother’s 5-year-old goddaughter. We were watching Phineas & Ferb on Disney Channel and suddenly the ‘Bratz Glammed Up’ commercial went up on air. This commercial depicted hooker-like girls dressed in black-and-pink slutty dresses that only cared about painting their hair pink and blue.

I was about to make fun of that commercial and laugh at how pathetic these girls looked until she turned around and said “Mami, me compras esto para mi cumpleaños?” (Mom, can you buy me this for my birthday?).

“No Francesca, tu cumpleaños fue la semana pasada” (No Francesca, your birthday was last week) her mother said.

“Me falta Phoebe y Roxxi para tener a todos las Bratz! Tia, me la compras?” (I need Phoebe and Roxxi to finish my Bratz collections. Tia, can you buy it to me?) she then pleaded to my mom.

Little 5-year-olds want to wear make-up, paint their hair with ridiculous colors and dress like child prostitutes just because the overly played Bratz dolls commercials are putting the stupid idea that make-up and sexy clothes are essential to be accepted in to the girls’ minds. 

According to market research firm Experian, 43 percent of 6 to 9-year-old girls are already using lip-gloss; 38 percent use hairstyling products, and 12 percent use other cosmetics. These girls fill their faces with color chemicals until they look like drag queens, just as the girls in the Bratz doll’s commercials do.

I am almost seventeen and do not wear make-up unless I go out. If I could survive society without wearing make-up for fifteen years, I’m sure a 6-year-old can have friends and still look pretty without filling her face with rainbow-like crap**.

Now, it is true that the Bratz dolls commercials do not present much sexuality when compared to some MTV shows or commercials. However, the Bratz commercials are worrisome because they are targeted to 4-year-old girls, while MTV shows are targeted to 15-year-olds and above.

Since kids under 7-years-old cannot tell the difference between entertainment and a commercial trying to sell them something, they might view the buggy-eyed trollop’s commercials as part of Dora the Explorer or some other pointless ‘educational’ kids’ show. They might view their cheap red-and-black lingerie as appropriate clothes and think that dancing around a pole and kissing guys at the age of five is something enlightening.

The Bratz Dolls commercials have been running since 2001, when the dolls were first invented, until today. However, each day, the commercials are being more sexualized.

Each day, more 6-year-old girls wear the clothes and make-up of a 16-year-old. Each day, more girls view the clothes worn in the Bratz commercials as fashionable; and want to wear it as well. Each day, more American teenagers are having sexual intercourse.

But you may be wondering, what can we do to prevent kids to be exposed to this.  We cannot ban kids from watching TV.

Parents might feel incapable of protecting their children from all the media, but without the financial aid, a kid cannot purchase any of the heavily advertised products.

If you don’t buy that Bratz doll that appears on the commercial, your child can’t have it.

Your child may cry, tell you “I hate you!” or be even left out among their friends. But talk to other parents, I’m sure they feel the same as you about the Bratz dolls and its commercials.

I told my mother to not buy the Bratz dolls for Francesca, her goddaughter. She bought her the Toy Story 3 Memory Game instead. At first, she was a little bit disappointed; but eventually, she forgot about the Bratz and was still happy.

So, come on parents and other caring persons, don’t buy these outrageous toys that appear on TV commercials. By buying those, you are only harming youth.

Eventually, if people don’t buy the overly sexualizing products, firms will stop producing them and they will stop advertising them in commercials.

Help kids enjoy their childhood. Vote against the excessively sexualizing dolls commercials with your wallet!