Who Dreams Up This Crap Anyway?
I thought I’d seen it all with padded bras for six year olds and Girls Gone Wild-inspired hot tub party bus toys and stripper poles being sold in the toy section and unmistakably phallic Dora toys and 1970’s Tab commercials that would make any modern woman retch but alas, it’s a bottomless pit, people.
Time to get your barf bags out again…
The Axe Effect, brought to you by the same people who also bring us those fabulous Evolution of Beauty videos (Dove). Be sure to click the different “Choose a Vixen” options under the girls (dressed in french maid and animal costumes) and take note that this is something you actually download to your computer (PC only) and use your voice to “command” your Vixen. Nice. Just what I want my son to learn about women…
Barbie’s Fashion Fever Shopping Boutique. Only slightly less insulting and stupid than those Teen Talk Barbies from 1994 that exclaimed “Math is tough! I love shopping!” this toy lets you shop ’til you drop with your ATM card and “you never run out of money!” because you know, fiscal responsibility is soooo lame and like, totally not fabulous.
My daughter showed me the vomitrocious Beauty Cuties website where “Beauty is our duty!” and then we sat there and ragged on it together. Ahhh…mother-daughter bonding; I do love it so. Note that the dolls look frighteningly similar to a certain other line of nasty, trashtacular dolls that I love to hate.
And finally, try not to get jealous, you guys, but I followed a strange referral from my blog stats and apparently one of my posts has been linked from this site. (NOT work or kid safe!).
WTF?
Aaaarguhh! Beauty Cuties! Run for your lives! P.S. Aren’t all those types of fashion-beauty-interactive websites for girls all starting to look identical?
On a less commercial level - high heels for two year olds. What, the hell?
I just don’t even want to know about this. I like my blissful ignorance.
Just…BLECH.
Julie
Using My Words
Beauty is our duty, Izzy. Don’t fight it. Resistance is futile……prepare to be assimilated……….
Yeech-thanks for the heads up. I’ll make sure to direct the gift-givers AWAY from that crap for my daughter this year.
And by the way, Tag-you’re it!
I recently went into a store I will refer to as “tarts-r-us” (Libby Lu) that literally made me want to scream “What is wrong with your people!” I took my daughter in there to look for Hanna Montana crap for her Halloween costume, and left vowing to never let her set foot in that place again.
Once again I’m glad I have boys :) I remember when the barbie came out, and a friend of mine (at MIT no less) said, “but math is hard!” Ugh to it all.
Ick. Also, RAAARRRGGGHHHHHHH.
Yes, let’s reinforce horribly skewed gender stereotypes. That’s just what today’s children need! Little girls need to know that appearance is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING in the UNIVERSE, while guys need to know that women should always be their sexy servants, never their equals. Oh NO.
Um, not that this stuff bugs me or anything. I think crap like this is wounding to both boys and girls, women and men. Siiiighhhhhhh.
But I’m glad you and your little girl had fun making fun of that Beauty Cuties crap together. Good for her for having some sense!
I’m really glad my daughter has hit the “I want gift cards for clothes shopping” age and I don’t have to fight over hoochie pre-teen dolls anymore.
I’m afraid -This isn’t helping my parenting confidence.
That Tab commercial is bizarre!
I did not realize that Dove & AXE were under the same company! WTH!?! Makes no sense.
At Wal-Mart the other day I saw little girl’s undies (like an 8 yr old would wear) that had 2 cherries on the front. Just 2 cherries. Um…..
OH.MY.GAWD!!!
I made the HUGE mistake of clicking on the last link. Oh, the nightmares!!!
I just can’t resist the urge, when I am in the toy aisle with my daughter, who is begging and pleading for a Bratz, saying as loudly as I can so all the other mothers who are actually buying Bratz dolls to hear, “I would never buy such an awful and disrespectful toy. We have too much class in our family.” I know I’m bad. I can’t help it.
Grandma?!!
Oh I know!!! I can\’t believe that site is linking here. WHY???????
a girl after my own heart :)
That last site is disturbing, but apropos really. Fast forward into the future and that’s what’s going to happen to all of those little girls who own Bratz dolls.
I feel so sad for our young kids..who is there role models…? None that I would approve and the stuff you just brought to our attention..scary…
Dorothy from grammology
remember to call your grandma
She’s need more now then ever….
holy hell on the last link, iz.
what the f*** ever.
the comment by aprylsantics said it best - fast forward to a grimm and ignorant future.
when did sexism take over our movement?
i’m gonna go hurl now.
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little…but hey, maybe she (chick from the link) really has an interest in your blog. I mean, she IS after all, a normal housewife just like you and me…right?
My daughter is absolutely not allowed to play with bratz…they’re little whores! We barely let her play with barbies, but I had a bunch when I was little, so we gave in…but padded bras?! I don’t know if our kids’ generation will be our future or our downfall.
When will I learn not to click on links that other people have already said are horrifying!?! My eyes! Holy hell!
Gah!! My eyes!! How the hell did your blog get linked there???
I need to shower now. I feel dirty.
WTf indeed! Gah! That was totally yucky. I coudlnt’ even bring myself to be curious enough to try and figure out where you were linked from.
The Axe commercials are bad enough, but god, talk about stupid and insulting to have that on their website. Aiming at the kids who play online games, maybe? Lots of them are offensive enough. Not that I in principal object to something that might make teenage boys smell better, but still.
Oh gosh, math isn’t tough. Raising girls is clearly what’s difficult in this culture. I didn’t realize what was ahead for me, with 2 girls and all. I have been warned.
I just read somewhere that all Bratz dolls and Fashion Fever Barbies and Beauty Cuties are dripping in dangerous lead paint.
I swear to gol, I read that somewhere.
Thank GOD that phase has passed for Em, although she had her share of Barbies and Disney Princesses. What I really hated were those Bratz Babies. Honestly. Lets sexualize infants. Thats an AWESOME idea.
make it stop! why are most parents totally clueless about the impact of this stuff? i never feel as completely helpless and enraged as when I read stuff like this. Izzy, why do you always do that to me?
OK, I did laugh when the ‘vixen’ asked, “Should I spank bottom more?” But, OMG, what ever happened to ‘I am woman, hear me roar’ and all of that? It makes me crazy when girls think that acting like sluts is a sign of power. Uh, no, you are just acting like a slut.
OK, I shouldn’t have clicked on that last link. It makes me wonder which generation is the most f-ed up.
I saw those AXE commercials (and others) –my god they are …..words fail me. Kind of grotesque, is barely scratching it, sluttish and a bit whore-ish.
And those Beauty Cuties? Yeow. Cousins of Bratz? I almost puked my tea out when I saw those. Yum!
BTW, TAB is full of lead paint, too.
Oh my god! So, did you ever figure out where your link is? I am thinking may be it is the name Izzy that got you noticed:)
In the forest no one can hear Bossy scream.
Izzy - What did I do? That last link was just so wrong. I’m not going to be able to sleep for a long time.
I usually enjoy a trip through the bizarre underbelly of our consumer culture, but… wow! Is “we must, we must, we must increase our bust!” coming back into vogue for grade schoolers again too? Yikes.
I’m super jealous of the mature girdle fetish link thingy, however.
Now I want to carry a big spatula with me everywhere I go and ask strangers “should I spank bottom more?”
I clicked on the last link.
ick…shudder…
Tell me I did not just click on that last link. Why oh why did I do it?!
(fingers in ears) LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
I need to find a magical land to fly away to where girls wear pinafores and dungarees and play with rocks and sticks with the boys and singing sweet, simple songs about the joys of swings and throwing stones in rivers and where they never, ever, see a thong.
Someone please let me know what that link was. I so do not want to click it.
Izzy, please tell me if (and/or how) I can have the code for the U Comment I Follow button. I have removed my no follow tags.
WOOOOOOOOOOAAH remind me never to click any links on ur blog ever again lol. Wow. Damn. Did u find where the link was on the site?? ew omg that is so wrong.
ugh they’re making little girls into whores and adult women into little girls (e.g pubic wax, sorry for any mental images conjured haha) and you know the scariest thing? THERE ARE MOTHERS OUT THERE WHO BUY THIS STUFF OR THEY WOULDN’T SELL IT. Letting your lil girl wear that should be a hanging offence.
My Mum never let us have barbies/bratz. She played the “promoting unhealthy body image”card. And ya know what- I’m VERY grateful.
How refreshing! I hope my daughter turns out to be a critical thinker like you and big ups to your mom for being so progressive.
followed that link. Oh. Dear. God. I did NOT need to see that.
I’m betting your linked from that site for the google juice or some such.
Bratz and the like make me want to home school.
I totally thought of you last week when I had an opportunity to sample (and reject) some new Bratz candy of some sort. Yikes.
Although I have to disagree on the Axe work. I find it totally tongue in cheek and hilarious and appropriate for the audience. (says the ad chick.)
meanwhile that website? Made me suddenly feel pretty good about my body. And not having grown up in a trailer.
Gulp. I should have heeded your warning. I need a shower and some cartoons now.
SA
AHHHHH
Love your blog! Please help a fellow mom out and fill this out survey!!!
Thanks!
http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2276FCL592Q
Wow, I can’t believe that stuff! Oh, I hate Bratz dolls too.
..that axe effect stuff….are you f*’in’ kidding me?
“Beauty is our duty”? GAG.
Vomitrocious is my new favorite word. Thanks!
I blogged about child bras here:
http://amidoingokay.blogspot.com/2007/09/over-shoulder-pebble-holders. html
I like you blog. I found from my friend Stef’s, The Z files.
OMG! I’m just blinded by the last site….
I’m still shaking my head over the TAB commercial-”don’t you want to be in good shape? He wants you to be in good shape”-un freaking believable!