Anorexia and Hi Glam dolls - revisiting a thought

Sometimes you can’t win for trying. While I am often passionate about my views, I am honest enough to admit my ignorance on some subjects. But having a view that is not popular on a topical issue can often lead to unique response from the internet.

Let’s look at my comments on the anorexic looking Hi-Glam dolls.

“But these Hi-Glam dolls are different. Yes they have various races covered. No they don’t represent women as anything more important than objects to be looked at because of how they dress. Yes it’s good they are dressed more substantially than a music video hoochie. But they are all anorexic. Seriously, they are proportioned like twigs.”

Now I do know a few throughout the internet agreed with my assessment. But when you are in a pool so big, sometimes you run into those that have a different view. And since I keep an eye out for where my posts are mentioned I do notice.

Thus I ran into these responses from girls (or women I have no idea) that love the dolls and dislike my thoughts.

Girl 1 : Cruel. It's the parent that chooses the dolls they give their little girls most of the time. XP to all those who don't understand crap 'bout the toy industry. espeically the doll market.
Note: It's best not to show me those articles cause it makes me wanna murder sumthing...

Girl 2: He did say "I don’t know much about dolls".

Girl 1: yeah, so why still insult them???

Girl or Guy 3: i need more anorexic dolls.

I like hi glam. they are a BIT essentric, but I do think barbie could benefit from slightly longer legs and a smaller waist. I mean, she IS a doll. why not make her perfect?

the 2nd article was gay and i stoped reading it after the second sentence, which said "i love anime" and they listed the silly violent cartoons they liked.

Now the poor spelling aside I find this interesting. My concern is the effect that these dolls are having on the young girls they are marketed to. It’s the same concern that has enveloped the high fashion modeling industry. It’s why Italy, England and Spain have all placed bans or made comments on the weight of models in their country.

But the above comments seem unable to understand my comments. Which I thought were obvious. Yet one wants to resort to violence over speaking honestly about the dolls, and another seems almost envious of their death-like looks.

Now I will bypass the fact that anime is a well respected art form loved by tens of millions. But the comment “article was gay” says a lot about the writer. I may be too old to know the latest slang that is out, but what is that supposed to mean? Obviously it’s an insult, but I generally enjoy a bit more in my insults. Perhaps a bit of depth and points of correction or disagreement.

But I digress.

Barbie is far from perfect, but her proportions were changed because she was so unrealistic. To be unable to accept the shape of a Barbie doll today as positive versus the Hi-Glam is to say that Marylyn Monroe was less sexy and attractive than Mary Kate Olsen or Jack Skellington.

Since it seems some did not understand my point before I will be blunt, direct and simple. I’ve lived across a good part of the globe, seen women of every race and ethnicity. I know guys in every country I’ve lived in, and between the thousands of people I have known in my life, not one has ever found an anorexic woman attractive. There is simply nothing to like or admire about someone that is scarcely more than a skeleton. It’s not appealing to anyone, it’s ugly in the most sick manner.

So I don’t know anything about dolls. But I do understand that anything that suggests a girl or woman should weigh as much as a softball and look like a corpse is unhealthy and wrong. It’s America and others don’t have to agree, but I will make my thoughts known.

If only one girl or woman decides to eat a hamburger and let it stay in her stomach then I’m pleased I wrote these posts. And if anyone disagrees they can go to hell.

What are dolls telling young girls - 8.19.2007.1

Ok, I saw something on the Cartoon Network and it upset me. I’m not talking about the Naruto marathon. I love anime, and Naruto is up there with Rurouni Kenshin, Cyborg 009, and Dragonball Z. Still there is a bit that isn’t as good as some of those others.

But let me not wax on about anime. Either you get it or not. The point is that there have been several commercials throughout the marathon. One particular commercial was far more disturbing to me than all the others. It’s not the endless Pokemon games, nor the super sugar bomb pop cereals. It’s a doll.

I want to specifically point out the Hi-Glam dolls. They are similar to the various, and idiotic, Bratz dolls. But these are worse. Basically they are a bunch of pipe cleaners with hair. I don’t know much about dolls, since my sisters out grew them decades ago. But I do notice the difference.

Barbie has had arguments about her proportions since the feminist movements in the 70’s. They finally changed her figure to more realistic proportions, on the basis that little girls would feel better about their own proportions. How the proportions on a doll can affect anyone I don’t know, but that is the argument. Then came the fact that there were no Black, Asian or Hispanic dolls.

After years, finally Barbie got some friends with color and other dolls were made featuring various cultures as well. That argument I can understand. I remember back when I was a child and my sister threw her doll she got for Christmas because it looked nothing like her and was of zero interest. So I can see that.

But these Hi-Glam dolls are different. Yes they have various races covered. No they don’t represent women as anything more important than objects to be looked at because of how they dress. Yes it’s good they are dressed more substantially than a music video hoochie. But they are all anorexic. Seriously, they are proportioned like twigs.

It has to be an obvious negative if I can see this. These dolls look like a female version of Jack Skeleton. The connection to reality on any level is abysmal. I wonder where are the calls from feminists to get these dolls changed. They just don’t look healthy.

While I think anyone who might be influenced by a doll has self-esteem issues, the fact is they do affect the young girls’ self-image. That coupled with the desire for Hollywood to promote women that are about as curvaceous as adolescent boys and it just can’t be good. Why is it so strange for doll makes to create a doll that looks like a real woman? Why must every doll be a size -2, and supermodels are a size 0. Where is the reality in that? What guy actually likes that?

We should promote dolls and women that look like our mothers, wives and girlfriends. I mean who is on the arm of Jay-Z, or Denzel Washington? Look at virtually all the successful marriages of entertainers, celebrities, politicians, heads of state, and business and you will not find a woman that is under a size 10. I don’t think it’s just me.

As everyone freaks out how heavy our kids are, is it any better to ignore things that emphasize an even less healthy life by being malnourished and barely more than a sack of bones? Can any man truly say they are interested in a woman without curves and barely enough skin to cover her bones? Can any woman say they really think that clothes look better when they drape on them like clothes on a hanger as opposed to a mannequin?

How long will it take before some doll manufacturer realizes the .0002 cents it costs to add a bit more plastic to make a realistic looking doll will be healthier and probably sell better. Or am I just not getting it since I’m a man and older at that?

This is what I think, what do you think?