Recent studies in the US have suggested that Barbie creates a severely negative impact on young girl’s mental health, and self-esteem. After 48 years, society seems to have decided that Barbie is at the root of women’s self-esteem issues; no longer just a doll that little girls love to play with-she is allegedly causing those innocent little girls mental health issues later on in life! Along come BRATZ-the “epitome of hip” according to news giant CBS-they’re new kids on the block with a hit TV show and music single that little girls just can’t get enough of. They have a “passion for fashion” and enough to attitude to “rock the world over”. If Barbie is causing mental health issues, what effect do you think BRATZ dolls are going to have on our little girls-are the prostitute and stripper industries going to have a boom?? What’s more, Barbie has come under fire for portraying only “one type of beauty” according to Australian morning TV show Mornings With Kerri-Anne, whereas BRATZ don’t just stick to the idea that beauty is equivalent to having blonde hair and blue eyes. They have many different ethnicities with their dolls. True, different ethnicities are a good idea-but the clothing and makeup that the BRATZ dolls wear are unbelievable-teeny tiny miniskirts, huge lips (Botox, anyone?), inch thick eyeliner, heavy mascara…at least Barbie had some class! Basically what they’re trying to say is that 5-12 year olds are playing with these dolls then when they get older they’re mentally wounded; having bad body image and wishing they looked like Barbie. All I have to say is: WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP! Come age 14, 15, 16 girls worship a much more prominent, and real, form: celebrities like Nicole Richie-who is clearly anorexic- even thought they have adults trying to push America Ferrera, Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Hudson on them, claiming that “real women have curves”. This argument has gone on forever: back in the 60s teen girls worshipped Twiggy-they didn’t know she was anorexic, they just thought she was beautiful, and even know when we know well and clear what anorexia is, we still can look back and think Twiggy was stunning. The fact of the matter is, slim is more desirable then curves-it is just how our minds work.  Back to Barbie and BRATZ-if you believe that they are causing young girls bad body image and horrible self-esteem: wouldn’t you rather your daughter trying to be like Barbie than a skanky BRATZ doll? To whoever it was that has spent so much time thinking about this “issue”-little girls just see Barbie and BRATZ as dolls- they love dressing them up and playing with them, and whether you give these little girls Barbie, BRATZ or some other type of doll: there is always going to be something or someone to blame if they grow up and have some sort of body issues! Are they going to complain about Polly Pocket next? Or maybe the boys are going to have a go, and focus their frustrations at spending so much time at the gym on Action Man!