draftsman 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2009 Good evening, Among the most popular toys for young girls nowadays are dolls called Winx. Similar to Barbies. As one can see http://www.winxigre.org/winx-make-up.php these dolls are build completely unproportionately - their legs are almost 2/3 of their whole body, they are very slim, tall, supposedly good looking with perfect figure, heavy make-up, they can wear only high-heels, have an abundance of clothes etc. It's no secret that toy manufacturers invest millions in "profiling" children, in creating ways of "hooking them" (since children tend to love kitsch ), knowing that the easiest way to seal the deal is by getting the child to pressure the parents to buy him or her something . Once the product-doll is sold, the girls are given the image of an unrealistic womanhood, with lots of subliminal "commercial" messages, aimed to transform them in avid consumers. I wouldn't be surprised, if there is a connection between playing with such dolls in early childhood and developing eating disorders like bulimia in adolescence or later on . No to say that all toys-dolls are inappropriate. Many are very nice and can help the child to develop some beneficial characteristics, like caretaking etc . The question would be: what if a child gets acquainted with such "perversely commerciall" dolls either through friends or through gifts from other people - and likes it - should one just take the toys away, although the child might not be able to understand such act as beneficial (due to attachment ), or is it an exaggeration to think that playing with such dolls can be psychologically damageful in the long term ? Thank You . Best regards, Draftsman Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael John Smith 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2009 When I was a child boys were sometimes given a boy-doll called action man to play with. This was a kind of soldier with all kinds of weapons. So you see the businessmen and businesswomen have been trying to hook kids to their products for quite some time (I am now 54). Many people of around my age will also remember the sweet of all sweets - the cigarette made from chewing gum - now there's a nice one in the businessman's arsenal. Note, however, the lack of handicapped dolls on the market (a bit like television really, not many handicapped people or overweight people around). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites