Bratz Dolls

At some point or another, most people have seen or heard of Bratz dolls. Popularized in the last decade or so, with advertisements centered on the rather cliché passions of woman: shopping, friendship and boys, Bratz has found a strong footing in the toy market. In terms of “selling feminism,” one could argue that this advertisement has opened the floodgates of female sexuality by depicting provocative clothing choices that display confidence and individuality and the embracement of race, in that there are dolls of every skin color. Although, the Bratz advertisement does attempt to sell feminism through the use of difference feminism and postfeminism’s embrace of sexuality as female power, it ultimately reduces the portrayal of difference into

The advertisement’s goal is to sell Bratz dolls, and it campaigns toward its normative audience in using girls of color to “spice” up the brand. However, by ignoring how race and gender intersect, they divide the girls into two contrasting categories: normal and different and this becomes the definition of difference: that which is not consistent with the norm (Zinn and Dill 323). The girls of color now become enhancements to sell hegemonic normativity, and add excitement to the advertisement. This ties into the issue with resorting to stereotypes, or “risk of essentializing” (Williams 10/14/14). In comparing the Caucasian girl to the girls of color represented, there are blatant stereotypes present. The white girl is the epitome of the idealized, American standard of woman; she’s sexy with out being sexual; innocence personified with her bag every so intentionally covering her vagina. However, the girls of color are sassier and open with their body stance suggesting their role is heightening the normative view that is front and center. This advertisement is not actively breaking down stereotypes in fact; it is reinforcing gender and racial