Beyond Barbie: Mattel's Monster of an Assault on Girls

A new study ads heft to the argument that girls are entering puberty earlier than ever before. No one knows why more girls than ever are developing breasts at seven or eight—some scientists attribute it to childhood obesity, others cite environmental factors. Whatever the reason, there’s cause for concern. How do girls so young deal with feelings heightened by hormonal surges, changes in their bodies, and how people think about them in their bodies?

What these seven year olds need is support from their families and communities to help them understand and cope with the unsettling changes occurring in their bodies. What they don’t need are anorexic junior dominatrix dolls for girls as young as six. Oops, I mean the Monster High brand (“Freaky Just Got Fabulous”), Mattel’s latest multi-platform assault on children.

Come to think of it, what girl does need these dolls? Or the Monster High clothing, toys, accessories, video games, movies, TV specials, virtual worlds, and books for “young readers.”

All girls are vulnerable to harm from sexualized images, but girls in the throes of early sexual maturity are especially vulnerable. Companies like Mattel that market sexualized this and that to girls often justify their campaigns and products by pointing to early physical maturation as one more sign that “Kids are getting older younger.” But, as I’ve said before, “Breast buds do not a woman make.” Girls’ bodies may be maturing, but there’s no evidence that their judgment is keeping pace.

The market strategy of sexualizing little girls has become so usual these days—from Hannah Montana, to the Bratz (which are coming back), My Scene Barbies, Twilight Kids Meals, and endless other products, it’s easy to feel jaded about Monster High. But that’s a mistake. According to the Wall Street Journal, Mattel is aiming for nothing less than an “entertainment juggernaut.”

By foisting fashionistas on little girls and providing them with the trappings of maturity—sexualized toys, clothing, and media—we deprive them of middle childhood. That’s the glorious time between preschool and adolescence that’s should be a time of great creative flowering for girls—because they’ve mastered basic skills and aren’t hampered by the self-consciousness of teenagers.

But we’re making it harder and harder for girls to have a middle childhood. We should be doing everything we can to identify and rectify whatever is launching seven-year-old girls into puberty. We also need to talk with them honestly and carefully about their bodily changes and what they mean. But sex education is different than the sex sold in commercial culture. Given the hormonal upheaval many girls are going through at ever younger ages, shouldn’t we be even more careful than ever about protecting them from sexualization?

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Et Tu, Bronx Zoo?

When I was growing up, the Bronx Zoo was just about my favorite place in the world. So it was painful to get this email from a CCFC supporter:

In case you haven't heard about this:

The Bronx Zoo now has a Dora exhibit. I am devastated. It was, until this, one of the last commercial-free places I could take my kids. Now, all they want to do is see Dora. So sad.

The exhibit? A video, of course. Sorry, I mean a multi-sensory experience:

Dora, Diego and Boots need your help to protect the animals of the rainforest from Swiper’s out-of-control Robot Butterfly! ¡Vámonos! The Robot Butterfly is swiping the water and plants that the animals need. Join your adventurous amigos on Nickelodeon’s high-speed, eye-popping chase from the tropical rainforest to the icy Arctic. Let’s catch that Robot Butterfly and protect the rainforest!

Dora and Diego’s 4-D Adventure combines a high-definition 3-D film with effects such as wind, mist, scents and dramatic lighting to take you on an immersive multi-sensory journey.

There’s so much wrong here. There is, as the emailer points out, the intrusion of Nickelodeon’s media empire into what was once wonderful, commercial-free space. There’s the fact that Dora seems to be taking over virtually every cultural institution for young kids; New York preschoolers can also catch the ubiquitous Explorer and her sidekick Diego at the Children’s Museum. There’s the disconcerting image of preschool children, who already average 32 hours a week with screen media, spending their zoo time watching movies instead of engaging with exhibits that feature living creatures. And there’s the disconnect between using Dora, Nick’s reigning queen of branded merchandising, to promote environmental stewardship.

But what gets me the most about the Bronx Zoo’s Dora exhibit is that it is so unnecessary. If the goal of the exhibit is to teach children about conservation, I’m guessing five minutes with an adorable endangered species will have more of a lasting impact than Nickelodeon’s cartoon preaching. And if the goal is to get kids excited about going to the zoo, isn’t the zoo exciting enough?

Kids love animals. And they love zoos. They especially love awesome zoos like the Bronx Zoo. They don’t need Dora as an enticement to get them in the door. They don’t need screen time to keep them entertained when there are real lions and tigers and bears roaming around. They don’t need to watch an animated monkey named Boots when they can see the real thing at the Monkey House. And if it’s a multi-dimensional, multisensory experience kids are after, the last time I checked that’s what zoos – and the world – already have to offer.

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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

McDonald’s Violent ‘Happy Meal’ Toy Promotion the Latest Target of Parents, Health Advocates – This piece covers advocacy groups’ actions challenging McDonald’s for its Happy Meal toy marketing, including CCFC’s recent campaign around the company’s violent toy promotions. The author ties these actions to the broader question of whether it’s time for Congress restore the FTC’s authority to regulate advertising aimed at children. http://www.fleshandstone.net/healthandsciencenews/2100.html

How Disney Magic and the Corporate Media Shape Youth Identity in the Digital Age – An in-depth article by Henry Giroux and Grace Pollock, this piece looks at the Disney marketing mega-machine and details the sophisticated ways in which “Disney is actually engaged in the commercial carpet bombing of children and teens.”  The authors conclude that the commodification of childhood is both damaging for children, and a grave danger to democratic society. http://www.truth-out.org/how-disney-magic-and-corporate-media-shape-youth-identity-digital-age62008

Addictive Internet Use Tied to Depression in Teens – A new Australian study shows that teens who are addicted to the internet are more than twice as likely to develop depression than those who are not.  The researchers conclude that the internet is isolating and alienating, disrupting time teens spend with friends and other activities beneficial to their mental health. http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/641735.html

Behind Disney's Digital Shopping Spree – Bloomberg Businessweek explains that Disney’s recent purchase of Playdom and other social gaming media platforms is a move to further integrate its brand and characters into the fabric of people’s everyday digital lives.  An example of how Disney plans to leverage the gaming site for the promotion of its release of Cars 2 next year is a preview of marketing schemes to come.  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_32/b4190035402934.htm

ScuttlePad: A Social Network Just For Kids – The founder and CEO of this new social networking website for children calls the site a training ground, explaining, “"We teach kids how to walk across the street, but we're not teaching them how to be effective social media players."  A major part of the lesson seems to be that kids should be online social networking earlier, instead of playing, being outdoors, spending time with family, or doing other developmentally beneficial activities. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/scuttlepad_a_social_network_just_for_kids.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29

Teen 'Haulers' Become a Fashion Force – The L.A. Times covers retail chains’ use of ‘hauls,’ or videos of teens showing off their new purchases, as a major back-to-school marketing tool.  The article points to the teen girls’ “bubbly charm, attractive looks and somewhat ditzy personalities” as the heart of haul videos, and a JCPenny executive adds that they’re better at driving sales than traditional ads because “they’re more organic.” http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-teen-haulers-20100801,0,3376763.story Read more!

Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

Taking a Bite out of Fast Food – Officials and health experts in Thailand turn to CCFC Steering Committee member Michele Simon’s book Appetite for Profit for guidance in confronting the country’s rising levels of childhood obesity. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/188756/taking-a-bite-out-of-fast-food; Michele Simon blogs about it here: http://appetiteforprofit.blogspot.com/2010/08/bangkok-post-covers-release-of-appetite.html

It’s Great to be Ken – Toy Story 3 is helping to rehabilitate the popularity (and sales potential) of the Ken doll, which Mattel plans to capitalize on further with a marketing blitz next year as the doll turns 50. http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2010/07/29/its_great_to_be_ken/

Online Ad Industry Assesses Latest Call for 'Do Not Track' List – As behavioral marketing becomes standard practice, the ad industry says a federally mandated ‘do not track’ registry akin to the ‘do not call’ registry would have a “devastating effect” for online marketers, who depend on surreptitiously tracking people’s online activities for advertising purposes.  (Editorial note: the noise the industry is making about the proposed ‘do not track’ registry is clearly intended to ward of any actual regulation of behavioral marketing practices.)  http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=145161

10 Cool Tech Toys for Kids – More like “10 Toys That Take Away from Children’s Creative Play”: http://mashable.com/2010/08/01/10-cool-tech-toys-for-kids-pics/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29

Geolocation Grows Despite Privacy Concerns – 2 in 5 mobile owners use location-based services like Foursquare, which marketers use to draw consumers into stores, despite rising privacy concerns that loom around such practices. http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007840

Is Your Detergent Stalking You? – Brazil: Unilever implants a GPS tracking devise into its Omo detergent (which accounts for 50% of Brazil’s detergent sales) as part of its new “win-a-Unilever-sponsored-day-playing-outside” ad campaign, allowing its promotions agency to track and follow shoppers home.  "We believe in using new technology for promotional marketing," said an executive. http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=145183
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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

Junk Food Advertising Needs Watershed Ban – After a ban on junk food advertising during children’s programming in the UK has failed to significantly decrease children’s exposure to such ads, health groups call on regulators to implement a ban on all junk food advertising before 9pm.  Child health advocates say this is necessary in order to combat the increasingly clever ways in which marketers target children. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7910946/Junk-food-advertising-needs-watershed-ban.html

U Going 2 the Bratz Party? IDK If They're So Popular – MGA Entertainment, after an ongoing court battle with Mattel, regains rights to the scantily clad line of Bratz dolls.  With the win, MGA hopes to resurrect the sexualized dolls among so-called “tween” girls, with “a new twist on the core fashion play that made Bratz a hit.”  Major retail chains will begin carrying 13 new Bratz products in the next few weeks and 10 new Bratz characters in the fall. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704700404575391620974490234.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTWhatsNews

Sweetwater Opens Campuses to Corporate Ads – South County, California school districts are opening up their schools to ads from McDonald’s, Nike and other corporations.  CCFC’s Josh Golin tells the San Diego Union-Tribune why selling a captive student audience to advertisers is not a good solution for tight school budgets.  (Note: Article inaccurately states that CCFC is part of Judge Baker Children’s Center.)  http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/01/you-deserve-a-break-today-at-school/

Disney Buys Playdom in $763 Million Deal, Becoming Hollywood Leader in Social Games – Disney buys Playdom, one of the largest social gaming platforms, to profit from the sale of virtual goods and extend its brand even further, setting its eyes on “casual gamers” and players of all ages.  New York Times registration required. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/technology/28disney.html?_r=3

Ratings Watch: Disney Channel Sees Most-Watched July Ever – The Disney Channel, the number one network watched by children ages 6 to 14, had its most-watched month ever this July with 2.1 million viewers.  This is Disney’s second most-watched month on record—great news for Disney, depressing news for advocates of screen-free playtime. http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/news/20100728/disneyratings.htm

Burger King to Launch Kids' Breakfast Meal – While McDonald’s is catching all the heat for its use of toys to market unhealthy food to children, Burger King slips in and begins selling children’s breakfast kids meals…which come with a toy, of course. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/22/business/la-fi-burger-king-20100722 Read more!