As I've said, Wild Thing's birthday was a roaring success. However, we
did have one present that I insisted we return to the store.
Wild Thing received a Bratz doll for her birthday. This was conflicting for her because she didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings, but she knows we are not allowed to watch Bratz cartoons or own Bratz paraphenalia.
Seeing that the present was wrapped in Bratz wrapping paper, I whispered to her to smile big and give the little girl a hug and thank her for the present and we'd talk about it later. Wild Thing obeyed and thus was her first foray into the realm of the condoned white lie.
The particular doll we received was a "sleepover" Bratz that came dressed as (according to one of my friends) Strawberry Shortcake meets Paris Hilton. I think she nailed it don't you? (Insert inappropriate Bratz joke here.) The extra outfit was a pair of boy underwear and a tank top. Who thinks up this garbage? And, really, who lets their kids play with this stuff?
The cartoons portray girls as catty, gossip-y, and stereotypically judgmental. The dolls and clothes (especially the Rock Angelz version) portray the girls as, at best, slutty. None of these are lessons I want Wild Thing to learn. Granted, Bratz aren't the only place she can learn these things, but they are something I can choose not expose her to.
