Dora The Exposed

Have you guys heard about the new Dora? She's all grown up and in middle school! She doesn't have a new show but a new doll is coming out sometime in October.

The company is trying to appeal to girls much like my Birdie, who adored Dora since they were still dripping in amniotic fluid. Now these girls are growing up and Dora is not as appealing to them. Because it seems like they move out of the Dora phase and right into the Barbie/Brat world.

The new doll will be able to be plugged into a computer. There, the girls can do online adventures with Dora and her group of friends. The girls can also change Dora's outfit, hair and jewelry and when the changes are made online, the physical doll will change as well.

There is MAJOR backlash in regards to the new and improved Dora, spurred on by the release of a silhouette . Parents and child psychologists accuse the company of turning an innocent young role model into a "fashion-focused generic stereotype."

Representatives from Mattel say that the new doll will wear a flowery tunic with leggings and sandals, saying, "she looks like a tweenager. She dresses very modestly" and adds that the silhouette is not an accurate representation of the new doll.

I think some of these people have been wearing their talking backpacks a little too tightly and it's starting to cut off the blood circulation to their brains!

First, lets look at the obvious...the silhouette. Yes, it's different than the short, cropped-haired girl we're used to. And yes, she does seem to be wearing a very short skirt but it's not like she's got heaving breasts, a belly shirt and tight pants that emphasize her camel toe and bandunkadunk. And don't forget, Dora is Hispanic! Hispanic girls are raised to be good girls, but sexy girls! I'm joking...a little. All I'm saying is that culturally, Mexican girls grow up seeing their mothers wear low cut shirts, tight pants and high heeled shoes. To the laundromat. And church.

Secondly, it's a little early to be strapping Dora to the stake and burning her alive. The doll hasn't even been released yet so this could all be a mute point if she ends up wearing an adorable little outfit. What would be so wrong about Dora growing up and wearing appropriate clothing while she does charity work and works on community service projects in her online adventures?

Thirdly, as far as the "fashioned-focused" online activities. I don't think that Mattel had the intention of creating a doll that was into high fashion or obsessed with clothes. I think they had a doll in mind that was able to do what their target audience likes: to change clothes. Period. And if you have a daughter that age you know that that is what every girl ages 5-8 likes to do. Birdie can spend hours dressing up her dolls (and herself) and it has nothing to do with the fact that she is fashion conscious but more to do with the fact that she likes having choices. She likes to express herself and having the power to pick her own outfits, as humiliating for her mother as they may be.

I'm going to take the wait and see approach. If the doll is wearing appropriate clothing- and see this is where I get all flustered because Birdie has like a GAZILLION Barbies and all of them have perky breasts and tight dresses and high heels and I never once considered that inappropriate. Because it's pretend and ultimately WE-WE as parents are responsible for what our girls wear and how they feel about themselves.

Girls learn what they live and if they have a mother who is constantly obsessed with what they wear and how they look and how fat they are or how skinny they are or how their hair looks, well THAT is going to mold them into the looks obsessed, self-conscious monsters we are trying to avoid much more than a Dora doll with a short skirt. I'm so tired of people trying to pawn off their parental responsibilities to everyone but themselves.

Yes, we are overloaded with media and our children are exposed to much more than we were as kids but that doesn't make our responsibility any less. I still control what my children watch, what they play with and what they do on the computer. I talk to them about what is acceptable and what is not and most of all, I try to set an example. To love myself and see myself as beautiful. Because if Birdie sees me looking at myself in mirror saying, "wow, I think I look terrific", she will do the same for herself, no matter what she's wearing!