Every time I take a break from my blog, I seem to get various signs to get back to it. So I am recommitting to write a new blog once a week. Who knew people actually really like what I write?
Sometimes when you write a blog, a strange phenomenon occurs. You begin to notice trends. I bookmark articles, pictures, etc. when I come across something that may pertain to my blog. I started writing this particular blog on a totally different subject, but I couldn't get pass the infiltration of beauty and sex in little girls' toys and cartoons. The list became so long, I decided it deserved an entire blog.
It's something a man won't understand. From the time we're little, we are trained to be beautiful. It's rare that someone compliments a little girl by saying, "You're so smart." It's usually more along the lines of "You're so pretty." Little boys are "cute" but that's not what counts. What counts for a boy is his size and strength.
So let's put it all together. Sometimes it takes putting it in one place for a person to say, "Wow, that's a lot. Never thought about it."
We all know that Barbie is ridiculous. This is a link to a series of computer graphics to compare Barbie to a real person:
http://shine.yahoo.com/photos/barbie-vs-real-women-artist-slideshow/
Now we have the Bratz dolls with big heads, LOTS of makeup, dyed hair, and somewhat inappropriate clothing...
Babe? I realize it's a "funny" take on Bebe, but guess what? It's not funny.
And Disney got in hot water again when they tried to sexualize Merida from Brave. And by sexualize, I mean they shrunk her waist which in turn enlarged the appearance of her chest and hips. They also dipped her neckline, enlarged her lips, and gave her bedroom eyes.. So much for a rugged tomboy...
When I was little I was obsessed with The Little Mermaid. (Side note: It's about to come out again in theaters, and it's like I'm eight years old again.) However, I was always painfully aware of Ariel's skinny size. She has a ridiculously small waist and great perky seashell boobies. Unfortunately, Ariel is apparently hot property, so I can't seem to download a basic picture of her. Who knew? So if you have a hard time remembering what she looks like: 1) shame on you, 2) we can't be friends, and 3) click the link below:
http://movies.disney.com/the-little-mermaid
But perhaps this artistic (purposefully grotesque) version would be more accurate:
http://hachiyuki.deviantart.com/art/Ariel-251165603
Now, listen, I LOVE me some Disney princesses. I was a big girly girl growing up and still love to dress up. But I am fully aware that when I used to swim in the pool pretending to be Ariel, I used to try to stretch out my body so I would be skinny like her. For others that are not as self aware, the realization of where this obsession begins might help us to teach our daughters the difference between reality and fantasy. And we should get our little boys on that band wagon as well.
Ole honest Abe can't tell a lie, but whether the following quote came from Kate Winslet or not (one of my personal favorites actresses), it's still a beautiful sentiment:
No comments:
Post a Comment