Why I Hate Bratz and Monster High Dolls

UPDATE: FEBRUARY, 2019: Guys, it’s been five years since I wrote this post and I am still getting lots of consistent feedback from all of you on your feelings regarding Bratz and Monster High. I will say, that after five years of research, reading your comments, raising a daughter and learning more, I have since changed my mind about these lines of dolls. I intend to write an entirely new post about it, and will address many of the questions and issues I had previously, and how I feel about them now. Again, I don’t hate Bratz and Monster High anymore, I’ve grown a lot since 2014, so please stop telling me to drink bleach and kill myself. Thanks for reading!

Note: This is another entry for my line of posts about the difficulties of raising little girls. For more, click here and here.

** FILE ** In this undated file photograph released by MGA Entertainment, Bratz dolls are shown. Opening statements in a suit involving the fashion doll line began Tuesday, May 27, 2008. (AP Photo/MGA Entertainment, FILE)

Little girls have a lot working against them when it comes to developing self-esteem and a healthy body image. Unfortunately there are a lot of toys out there that do not encourage girls to love their bodies the way they are, and perpetuate a type of beauty and body shape that is both unrealistic and unattainable. Many of the most popular ones also don’t represent the many different ethnicities and differences between faces and bodies from woman to woman and girl to girl around the globe.

In this post, I would like to focus on two lines of dolls for little girls that have swept the country – Bratz and Monster High. They are two of the most popular toys for little girls, almost surpassing Barbie, who currently still holds the record as the best-selling doll, if just barely.

I should preface this (as I do with all my posts) by saying that I don’t have a problem with dolls in general. Honestly, I don’t. And I am definitely not claiming that I will never buy my daughter these if she expressed sincere interest in owning them later on. This post was written simply to point out and acknowledge a common issue we have with dolls that promote the idea that beauty is of paramount importance in life. What is especially troubling are those that have TV shows and movies centered around the dolls, that bring them to life and propel the characters into a kind of role model for little girls who watch.

I’ll start with some of the reasons I hate Bratz dolls. They seemed to pioneer the idea of representing the “modern girl”, who in the start of the 21st century didn’t relate as well to Barbie as previous generations. What supposedly makes these dolls different are their oversized heads and diva-like makeup, outfits and interests that are supposed to reflect what young girls these days are into.
My problem with Bratz dolls starts with their faces. They all have the same heart-shaped faces, no difference in any of the dolls, regardless of what ethnicity they are supposed to reflect.

They all have huge, upward slanting, heavily lidded eyes with a ton of makeup on. One other thing I noticed is that they all have bedroom eyes; a “come hither” look that suggests they are trying to seduce someone.

Next, notice their tiny noses. People have tiny noses, but compared to the rest of their face, the thing is almost nonexistent. Our culture finds large noses rather unappealing; many strive to make it look as small as possible, whether with makeup tricks or plastic surgery, so it is not surprising that dolls reflect this beauty ideal, but their noses are so small you can barely even see them.
Then we have the lips. If it were a typical woman, she very likely would need to have her lips artificially plumped to be that exact size and shape.
One selling point for Bratz is their multi-ethnicity options, but I noticed little to no difference in the facial features of different Bratz dolls aside from their skin tones. The same shaped eyes, tiny nose and huge, collagen-infused lips. What about other cultures who have features that are more/less pronounced than the women these Bratz dolls reflect? They are selling a very limited idea of beauty here that almost no woman can achieve. Except for the real-life Barbie. Heard of her? Ukranian model Valeria Lukyanova. Here’s a picture:
And here is a great quote from her in GQ on interracial marriages being the cause of people’s obsession with plastic surgery, (which by the way, she’s undergone to get the Barbie look):

WTF, Barbie? What is this saying to little girls who have noses that aren’t the size of a fingernail? Perhaps that they aren’t conventionally attractive, since there are no dolls in the Bratz line who have different sized or shaped facial features. Beauty is one size fits all.
I almost feel like I don’t need to go into the size and shape of their bodies; they clearly aren’t going for anything realistic with the ridiculous size of those heads, but notice the miniscule torsos and outrageously long legs. Not to mention how thin they are to boot.
That being said, Bratz dolls aren’t currently being sold in stores, as they are being redesigned and released again in 2015. They don’t seem to be selling as well as the early 00’s, and one of the likely reasons is the outrageously successful Monster High dolls that were released in 2010. Since then, they have become a widespread phenomenon. Steve and I were lucky enough to make a trip to Target without the kids, so we were able to browse the doll aisle and check these things out for real.
Here’s a picture:
And another:
They’re different because they’re…not human? The Monster High brand’s official tagline is “Be yourself. Be unique. Be a monster.” Their packages denote which monster they descend from so you can tell what their makeup or clothing represents, because you can’t always tell by looking at them. Take this “Daughter of the Zombies” for example:
I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what monster she descended from. Her physical ancestry is eclipsed by those giant lace-up boots and three feet of bumped blue hair. Adorbs.
In addition, there is a werewolf, skeleton, zombie, mummy, daughter of Frankenstein, Dracula, a Chinese Dragon, a Sea Monster, a Genie and a whole bunch of other shit that I couldn’t even describe to you.  They market the fact that they’re proud of being different and unique. Each doll has a backstory and a “freaky flaw” that they are proud of, like Howleen Wolf. Her freaky flaw? “My hair. Sometimes it does what I want, sometimes it does what it wants and sometimes it does things that make both of us look bad.” Some others include lack of tact, accidentally setting things on fire, being a perfectionist, claustrophobia, social anxiety, clumsiness, and more.
I’m pretty creeped out by these dolls, I’m not going to lie. That being said, I will admit that in my initial research, I found their attempts at differentiating their personalities from that of other dolls was encouraging. It certainly offers girls a lot of choices of what kind of drop-dead gorgeous daughter of whatever monster they want to be. Unfortunately, despite their unique backstories and attempts at differentiating themselves from Bratz and Barbies, they still have many of the same issues I listed above.
First, while they may have different skin tones (Some are blue and green!), they all still have similar facial structures and layouts of their features. Like Bratz dolls, they all have oversized bedroom eyes with a lot of makeup, small noses and big, pouty lips. I don’t have to tell you how uncommon it is to find someone who looks like that outside of Hollywood. Their differences only extend to what is still considered conventionally attractive in our country’s culture.
Next, they are FRIGHTENINGLY skinny. No pun intended. Or maybe? They are all eating disorder-thin. One may argue that being monsters, their bodies should more closely resemble a corpse, but not all “monsters” are skin and bone corpses. For example, a Chinese dragon? You’re telling me the daughter of a Chinese dragon looks like she hasn’t eaten since she was nine? The daughter of a GARGOYLE? I’m not buying it. Regardless of what sort of monster they come from, these dolls still have little girls who idolize them, and being that thin is not a message we should be sending about what’s attractive and acceptable for high school girls.
Again I will mention the ridiculously long legs and disproportionate torso on all of them. Despite which monster they represent, they all have this same shape. This is likely because our country values skinny women more than any other body type, and also because playing with the actual body type of a human-Chinese dragon offspring would be fucking scary. Yes. Both of those things.
Actually, no, I just Googled what a human-dragon hybrid would look like, and it’s pretty awesome. But it doesn’t have long beautiful blue hair and intellectual-looking glasses. So it probably wouldn’t work in the Monster High line.
I also want to talk about the clothes they wear. As a raging feminist, I will fight for the right for women to wear whatever the hell they want, wherever they want without being persecuted. That being said, a lot of these are clothes that would never be allowed on a middle or high school campus. Take this for example:
Or this:

The clothing is revealing, and honestly, the jury is still out on how I feel about revealing clothing for adolescents and teens. Because you know, clothing like this is distracting, and boys/men just can’t help themselves when we dress this way. We are telling little girls that this sort of clothing is what is stylish and attractive, that they should be proud to be unique and wear what they want to wear, and yet at the same time warning them that if they wear it in public they should expect to be ogled, groped or worse for tempting men with provocative dress. Let us not forget these dolls are supposed to be in high school.

Also, let us not forget that no high schooler is playing with Monster High dolls. I’m going to sound like a broken record when I say this, but these dolls are hyper-feminine and over-sexualized for the ages they are supposed to represent and for the ages they are marketed to. I know someone who let their four year-old dress up as one of these characters for Halloween, and if they commercialize and mass produce Monster High costumes in that small of a size, it’s not an isolated incident, so I will never buy this BS that the acceptable age for these dolls is 8 and up. It’s not realistic and it’s pretty insulting.
Lastly, I would just like to point out that while I would love to get on board with the “celebrate diversity” idea Monster High is trying to pitch, being obsessed with shopping, boys, hair and clothes is still a main theme underlying all these “unique” monsters, which makes them no better than Barbie or Bratz. As long as you’re feminine, gorgeous and into boys and clothes, it’s okay to be different! Yay!
Do you know any woman in your life that doesn’t fit all of these characteristics? Well, you won’t find her here. Monster High is just more of the same. Rich, beautiful, [mostly] white girls with diva-like clothing and makeup – that’s what all the little girls in our society get to relate to and admire. And that’s sad. I’m sad now.

76 thoughts on “Why I Hate Bratz and Monster High Dolls

  1. Dolls are just dolls.People are people. you KNOW? 1 if you watch real bratz on the bratz Chanel you know what bratz means. 2 be yourself be Unique what is bad About to be yourself. And watch you saying Big Lips. Thats racism

    1. I find this quite ridiculous. most little girls love these dolls. they don’t look at them and think, oh my, hyper sexualization/objectification, sexy, suggestive eyes, big heads, small noses, oh my, I have to look like that! Most little girls just play with them because they like what they look like. they love their pretty eyes, their big heads, their chic outfits, their long flowing hair that they can play with, curl, dye, and accessorize. Bratz offer so much fun and diversity. I know when i was a little girls bratz and Myscene dolls (which look similar to Bratz) were my favourite dolls to play with. What’s wrong with feeling beautiful, stylish, and feminine? Is there an issue with that? Are they supposed to give them button eyes and noses to make them less “sexy” and glamorous so that little girls’ self esteem doesn’t get hurt? Please. These little girls love the dolls, and they understand that they are just plastic. they’re not real people.

      It seems that the only people who have an issue with these dolls are insecure mothers who may be projecting their own insecurities rather than their daughters’. If I saw that these dolls were truly affecting my little girl’s self image, I would stop buying them for her. But if I saw that she was happy and loved to play with them, than who am I to go buy her a button nosed doll so that her “confidence” won’t be affected? Here’s a no brainer: the little girls love these dolls BECAUSE of their modernity, chicness, and glamour. Take that away from all the dolls, and then who’s going to buy them? I don’t see many little girls excited to run around with a cloth doll with a button nose. and I find it quite alarming that you find it such an insult for women to be portrayed as feminine, modern, and beautiful. Perhaps some outfits could be altered so that they’re not so short, but then again, they’re just dolls.

      One last thing: the bratz movies are inspiring. They teach friendship, perseverance, and responsibility, as well as encouraging little girls to follow their passion and reach for the stars. If you don’t watch, don’t comment/bash these dolls.

  2. I agree u act like a child….
    Wait kids don't act like u…
    Dolls are made to be played with.
    If the don't look fun what kid would play with them.
    Worry about more important stuff that DOLLS………
    I have brazts,monster high dolls,Barbie,liv dolls,moxie dolls,LaDeDa dolls,Baby dolls,mlp dolls,celebrity dolls, and all the other ones.
    Of course the won't look like a real person…
    Look at Barbie big boobs, giant but.
    I'm a kid but I still play with them.
    If you're to dumb to not tell your kids there just toy and nobody looks like a doll than you're a bad parent and should be in jail.
    And that ugly chick looks nothing like a Barbie.. she looks like thrash. Barbie doesn't have belly piercing and Barbie would weigh way more than that chick..
    U r a stupid little good for nothing rotten apple.
    What u said makes no sense.
    Write about world peace or how black kids get killed just because their black and I bet you're a red neck
    Thank you and Good day

  3. And sorry for my spelling I had to get that out there.
    Ur kids will grow up to be hookers,sults and for what all because of u yes u
    Because u won't let them play with a stinking doll
    Lamo loser white red neck u should be in JAIL FOR LIFE

    1. Even when you disagree with someone you shouldn’t insult people. Help them to see your opinion in a way that won’t make them want to spit fire back at you please. We can ALL state our opinions and try to actually learn. I do not agree with this person to a majority of this article’s extent, but I do see viable points that should be considered. However, a doll is a doll and it is made for people to be entertained by it. I love monster high dolls because they are more unique and better quality than a lot of toys that I have come across. Also I would like to point out that I am a high schooler and own several of these cool dolls.

    2. Anonymous, it’s so great insulting people online when you’re hiding behind anonymity, isn’t it? I disagreed with her post as well, but I did not bash her character or start splurging out racist/bigoted insults. Check yourself please.

  4. So I am disturbed by these dolls and almost all dolls for little girls. My daughter is only two but I'm already worried about bad influences that she will encounter. I am already combating sexism in her little life. Parents need to be aware that toys influence their kids and educate their children. I'm not judging other parents, but I wish I could find realistic role model dolls. Anyway, completely agree with you. Nice to see other women who think like me

    1. A child see’s a toy as a toy, a child see’s breast-feeding just as a mother feeing a baby, you guys are acting like a two year old is going to be wanting to dress like her. To a child she is just wearing clothes, but to you the doll is wearing just a damn bra, you are all for Barbie I get that that’s your opinion but in this whole thing she just talks about how they look alike well so does Barbie. Every Barbie doll looks the damn same except they come in different races which didn’t happen until who came around? Bratz Dolls that’s who, Barbie is a replica of a sex toy in Germany called Lilli. And you don’t hear about people getting plastic surgery to look like a Bratz doll, no you hear about people getting surgery to look like a Barbie doll. And the bad influences your daughter will learn are from you sexualizing everything, and you will probably be buying her clothes, deciding when she can wear make-up, and all that. Bratz stand for unity, friendship, and being different if you watched their videos you will noticed they aren’t anything like barbie. Barbie showed us that we had to look like a certain way to be perfect. Trust me I know that Bratz look like Kylie Jenner, but I bet your kids watch the kardashians. I grew up playing with Bratz I hardly ever where makeup, don’t act like a “slut”, top of my class in high school and college, yeah I were crop tops but it has nothing to do with wanting to be a slut, and the definition of a slut is a person with many sexual partners or a person who is low on cleanliness. so don’t be saying that Bratz are sluts by how they dress or wear their makeup. You prefer barbie who slept with her brother who got her pregnant, your daughter could be possibly playing with a pregnant barbie doll where you can literally take off the belly. Don’t get me wrong I’m a feminist but you guys are using it as an excuse to make people believe that Bratz are terrible, oh and Barbie also has shows, games, and movies just not Bratz. Bratz are you average teenager and Barbie is your typical rich girl who flaunts it in everyones face.

  5. Hello I am ten years old and am a big fan of bratz see the cartoon show and the movies the plot is awesome mostly I never much bothered what their wearing the plot was interesting personally if your daughter ask for a bratz doll do what my parents did they bought me fully clothed bratz dolls one with pants and appropriate ones thank you.

  6. I'm the person who wrote a comment on September 30
    Two words YOU DUMB
    Now lets be real what dolls did u play with when u were my age many years ago lol
    Barbie look at Barbie.
    I just got a my life as doll from Wal-Mart I think that's a good doll for ur little child who wontm't care what kinda doll she has good day

  7. Hello, I am a young adult monster high doll collector. I agree that the monster high doll series is really stupid…..fashion and guys…..running around in 6 inch heels is unrealistic. But I only enjoy the dolls……they are better than Bratz and Barbie (in my opinion)

    And as a little girl, my mom did not call me a princess or buy me pink things. I had a choice . I was a tomboy all my life. I did not care about body image until middle school and dolls did not inspire me to want to be pretty. It was all the slim girls at school. Going through puberty made me bigger than all the other girls. But I learned to love my self.
    I never was attached on dolls as role models, although I do know girls that do.
    But I only see dolls as fantasy and something to put on a shelf and look at…..not to be like them.

    Monster high dolls are too thin but whatever……their fashion looks interesting.

    And its kinda stupid that you were targeting only the dragon mh girl. She was one of the best dolls created in mh series so far.

  8. Me again
    She is not a dragon she is a gorgyle sorry if I didn't spell it right.
    U know those stone things like in the wizard of oz
    Not a dragon.
    Monster high is not boy crazy all girls like boys.
    Good day
    Feel free to say something I check back every Monday

  9. So "person who commented on September 30" everything you have said was rude and rascist. This person cares about what their kids play with. Why get all worked up over it.

  10. Dear Amanda,
    I think you and other women who worry about this kind of disturbing image these dolls have might enjoy this:


    The responses from people are just amazing as they can relate to the new images in the dolls.
    I got so excited that got a second hand one just to try it! 🙂

  11. A while ago I was very ill and depressed.About a year ago I discovered the Monster High Dolls, I found them very unique and poseable.I took up doll photography learned to make my own clothes for them and I am currently learning to repurpose/repaint them.My photos are G rated and I'm quite proud of them.I don't think of them as human dolls so the whole body image thing has never come into play.I guess Im just trying to say that im grateful for the discovery.It has helped me keep up the good fight. Thanks for reading Rhonda

  12. Not all girls like boys. Some girls like girls. Some girls don't like girls or boys. Don't generalize all people. But not all of the Monster High characters are boy crazy- Clawdeen told Draculaura she didn't want a boyfriend when Draculaura tried to set her up with someone. And plenty of characters have no boyfriend, and there's nothing wrong with that.

  13. I know I'm a little late on commenting, but I noticed a few things that I had to point out. I'm going to be a junior in high school this upcoming school year, and I have over 80 Monster High dolls. I have struggled with eating disorders for many years, but I have not once used my dolls as Thinspo. I've never looked at them and thought "I wish I was that thin" or "I wish I looked like her." And I've never met a little girl who plays with these dolls and thinks that way. They are all happy, confident little girls. Next, many high schools in my area don't have dress codes, and I see girls on a daily basis at my school who dress in more revealing clothing than any Monster High doll, and it's not because of DOLLS, it's because of the media. And coming from someone who is familiar with every single Monster High character, I believe there is quite a bit of diversity, and not all of them are conventionally attractive in my opinion. Gigi Grant has a "butt chin," and I've never met anyone who has admitted to finding that attractive. Twyla has HUGE eyes and her head is too big for her short little body, and she looks very tired. When I first saw Ghoulia Yelps, I HATED her and thought she was hideous (however, she has grown on me). But think about it- who would buy an ugly doll?? The company isn't going to waste the money to make a doll that no one will buy. And they are all the same or similar sizes so girls can mix and match they're clothing. If they were all different sizes, that would be very difficult. I also find it interesting that you call yourself a "raging feminist," yet say that men can't control themselves around young girls who dress like this. Wow! If that's what it means to be a raging feminist, count me out! They are HUMANS, not ANIMALS or MONSTERS, and they CAN control themselves. Butts, boobs and legs are NOT sexual organs and were NOT made for sex. Men don't have "instincts" to be distracted by boobs or butts, that's ridiculous and very "un-feministic" of you to say. Lastly, there is one movie in the series that comes to mind when I read your second to last paragraph. Clawdeen Wolf is being pushed to get a boyfriend, and one of her friends sets up "interviews" to see who would be best for her. Clawdeen tells her friend that she doesn't need or want a boyfriend. There are plenty of characters who have no significant other. And the reason all of them like fashion and shopping and clothes is because they are FASHION DOLLS. That's what they were created as, of course they all like clothes and shopping.

    1. Hi Ana. I know I am a bit late commenting on your comment. I hope you have conquered your eating disorder and are excelling in school. I was so impressed by your mature thoughtful response. You obviously have a lot going for you.

    2. Ana, I am so ridiculously late replying to this comment. I’m so sorry for what you’ve gone through, you truly do not deserve it and I hope you are finding peace 3 years later. Your perspective really paints a picture on the importance of Monster High dolls to girls around the country. I am frustrated that I spent so much time writing a post based on the looks of these dolls alone, rather than learning their stories. Thank you for sharing your story, and just know that I am hearing you.

    1. No, thank YOU for reading it! I’m not sure if I still feel exactly the same about these dolls anymore, but people still respond to this post with a lot of emotion, which I truly respect. I don’t mean to just insult the dolls by any means. If they make girls feel good about themselves rather than self-conscious, then I think they are fantastic.

  14. Bruh…bruh….bruh. You make no sense. I found myself agreeing a lot with this article. And, its kinda hard to take you seriously when you use words like "sults", " lamo", and "loser". At least have some decenty to respect the English language. Lol

  15. And lastly, read through all of the monsters listed sometime. It's really interesting. Yes, you see characters you expect, Frankenstein's monster (in the shows very clearly not Frankenstein) vampires, werewolves, zombies…. But then you have ones like the golden hind. When was the last time you thought about the stories of the golden hind? The character bios are filled with literary references and, at least to me, anything that encourages kids to read is a good thing.

    On the other hand, I'm very sorry for the trolling you reviewed and the hostile and incoherent responses you received. While I disagree with your opinion for the reasons stated above, it is, in fact, your opinion.
    And on a different note: this spring Mattel is supposed to be releasing a line of superhero high dolls. These are based off of DC female heroes and villains and designed with young girls in mind. The promotional images show modest versions of their adult comic book costumes, full articulation and, most importantly, body sculpts based off of young female athletes, so the proportions are much more realistic and healthy.

  16. As for the freaky flaws… I'm personally tired of people complaining about Clawdeen's shaving. I have always been hairy. I had a lot of dark hair everywhere. I got teased in grade school and middle school and high school. And yes. I started shaving around the 6th grade. And then got teased for shaving so young. All of my fair haired friends did not have this problem. Even as adults they can go days without shaving and no one will notice. I can't. I have to shave every day, preferably twice if I really want to not look like, well, a werewolf. And it's really nice to see a doll that acknowledges that such things can be a problem. If you don't have a body covered in fast growing dark hair that you get teased for mercilessly, that's fine, but please don't complain when a company lists that as a character's freaky flaw. It's not for you. And it makes the people who do have that problem feel better. Like we aren't alone. And she's not the only one with a freaky flaw that kids can identify with. Ghoulia, for example, has a speech impediment yet is described as being the top student and also pretty, rather than be stereotyped as an idiot due to the speech problem or be weird and plain due to her intelligence. Those are kind of great things to include in a doll line.

    1. How unbelievably late I am replying to this comment. And what a comment I missed! You are absolutely right about the freaky flaws, I had never thought of it like that before. Girls deserve to have representation, and it’s not my place to judge where they get it from. Monster High seems to have done much more for representation than other lines of dolls. Thank you so much for your comment!

  17. While I can understand where you are coming from, I think that, at least in the case of monster high dolls (I've never been fond of Bratz mostly because the whole feet popping off to change shoes things always weirded me out). Yes, at first glance, they are really thin (especially the skeleton), but if you actually examine one of the dolls in person, you realize that they actually included something of a belly, hips and thighs in the doll sculpt, which is highly unusual for a line of fashion dolls (for example, Barbie has no curves besides her very large breasts). Also, they are clearly meant to be cartoonish in appearance, with their larger heads and exaggerated proportions. Furthermore, i can't help but feel that a thin but clearly unrealistic doll is better than a subtly unrealistic (but equally physically impossible) doll, such as, well, Barbie. As for the faces, I didn't learn this until after I had worked on repainting a few, but each doll has a unique facial mold. While from a promotional picture or a glance in the toy isle you might not notice, if you compare the actual dolls side by side you notice that their face shapes are different, some have larger noses, some have cleft chins, some have dimples or high cheekbones or smaller lips.

    You also raised an issue with their clothing, but I think it's worth noting that not all of the dolls actually wear revealing clothing. At least one of the images you referenced comes directly from their Ballet class line. So, yes. Those clothes would not be appropriate for school. A leotard would, however, be fine for ballet class. Also, one reason the skirts/shorts are often short on the dolls is that a number of them actually have tails or fins or vines sticking out at odd places which makes fitting into longer pants difficult. That being said, many DO wear pants and leggings. There is a sport line that features an adorable tennis dress for their ghost that is about what you would expect from a monster themed tennis outfit. The package also refers to the character as being a dominant player, which is kind of a great phrase to see used on a toy for little girls. There is also a baseball playing werewolf in pants that do, in fact cover the knee.

    1. I think I waffle between those feelings for little girls. Adult women I support them wearing what they want to wear 100%. With little girls it is difficult for me because they don’t always understand some of the consequences that come with wearing revealing clothing at that age. Even though the consequences are ridiculous and shouldn’t be there in the first place. Thanks for your comment!

      1. okay, but what is so inappropriate about their clothes? They don’t wear fishnet stockings or show off their chests. many bratz wear dresses and/or pants, capris. Some of the skirts may be short, but really? there’s nothing wrong with wearing a skirt. as long as it is not skimpy, and you need to see the line between fashion and trashy. perhaps some of the clothes are a little over the top, but most are stylish and tasteful. what should they be wearing? Beige and grey bags? Monster high dolls are hardly inappropriate. although I agree some Bratz could be a little questionable with the outfits in SOME cases, Monster High wear cute, chic, feminine dresses most of the time that are slightly above their knees. Last time I checked, that wasn’t the definition of slutty.

        1. Diana, your previous comment has really made me reevaluate my initial judgments on the clothing of the Monster High dolls. I would never want to vilify people for wearing clothing they’re comfortable in, even if the clothing doesn’t fit within my own modesty standards. I certainly don’t expect them to wear beige and grey bags, so you’ve really given me something to think about.

  18. To me i dont find monster high a feminist doll. Hey boys like monsters and girls dont like monsters back then but now since the dolla are made as monsters then we're beating the fact that we can play with toys that boys usually likes. Barbie is a feminist doll cause she kiss ass and goodie two shoes little miss perfect. Bratz isnt feminist because they talk about rebellion and not like the cleaning up goodie goodie type like barbie. But i hate feminists like you have to spoiled what girls have to do. Girls are human beings and they can do what they want.

  19. I second that. I'm truly appalled by most of these comments. You would have to be a moron to have read your article and interpreted it as "if you buy this doll your child will be horrible". Goodness people! The doll's an example of society's sexualization of children. You just need to look a girl Halloween costumes for sale to know that's true.

  20. As a person who use to work at a Toys R Us (especially during Christmas season), I would have to agree about the misunderstanding of the way the Monster High dolls looked. I didn't understand it and personally, I thought they were strange and odd looking BUT I did look further into them and they aren't that bad. If you go by the overall message, both BRATZ and Monster High dolls tell girls to be themselves in their own unique way and embrace your flaws or "Freaky Flaws". If you go by their design, it is unrealistic but you are forgetting that they are toys. You don't see little boys feeling insecure over Thor and Iron Man's six pack or the unrealistic Martial Arts of the Power Rangers. You teach your child how to view themselves. But at the end of the day, they are just toys. Toys that are going to be played with til they're out grown or broken. Kids are smarter than you think and it is going to take more than a doll to alter the way a child views him or herself.



  23. I'm 10 and I like bratz dolls and I was wondering why people don't like them I found this blog.and I don't think that little girls try to look like a bratz doll. I have the 2001 bratz dolls and I think that the are better then the 2015 because the are a bit fatter like there not fat but just more big the the new ones I still like the new ones though. Anyway my mom lets me play with them and she doesn't think that they are inappropriate good day byeeeee

  24. Bratz teach people that it is better to be yourself, not caring about what anyone else says they are not sluts n whores because of them I can be happy from being different.

  25. I hate Bratz and Monster High’s because I think they’re ugly.

    Bratz have too big of lips, really really small noses, and large heads that look retarded.
    Monster High’s have ugly cheek bones and are anorexic looking.

    I love My Scene dolls though because they are cute and aren’t trying to look seductive like Bratz and aren’t overly skinny with cheek bones like MH’s. MY SCENES RULE! Sad ugly bratz made them disappear.

  26. “I’m a raging feminist.”
    Yeah, okay. Such a feminist way of thinking.
    Boys can help themselves. Hell, I can sit liver – my dog’s absolute favorite food ever – in front of her. But if I tell her no, she won’t take it. Even though she is staring at it and licking her lips, maybe whining a little, she won’t eat it if I tell her no.
    If I can teach my dog that no means no, we can teach boys that.
    Boys who act that way will be held accountable for their actions, not dismissed because of what’s between their legs and their poor decision to use the wrong head.

    1. You are 100% right, and the “Because you know, clothing like this is distracting, and boys/men just can’t help themselves when we dress this way.” quote was not meant to be serious, but sarcasm. Boys absolutely can help themselves and should, there is literally no excuse for them to lose their head at the sight of a woman’s body. I promise I am totally on board with you. BOYS AND MEN SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS! Thank you for commenting!

  27. These are my honest thoughts:
    by the way I have never played with Bratz Dolls because they were always too inappropriate

    Brattz’s lips are too plumped up
    Ike Kylie Jenner

    Barbie’s boobs are too large and so are her legs

    And Monster High dolls are:

    Anorexic looking
    Eyes are too big
    Their clothes are too revealing making an influence of tring to get boys’ attention in some way
    About near 5 of the dolls I know that have came out are dressed too inappropriate and stripper-like
    All of the dolls are considered different even though none of them really have imperfections. They all HAVE to look good.
    None have any face imperfections like acne or breakouts or diseases
    All seem healthy and perfect as long as they have a “freaky flaw”
    Some of the girls are too stereotypical with being
    *obsession of boys
    *wanting to look good
    The brand Mattel overall (or the Monster High makers) made Monster High too inappropriate and their body shape is just too questionable and what they wear is not suitable for teenagers although none of their parents really regard the fact their teens are dressing like they’re going to go to a club
    The Monster High movies deleted scenes have highly inappropriate scenes and dirty jokes that never came out

    I really hope that I helped any of you wondering if Monster High and other dolls were okay enough

  28. Monster High has been going on since 2008 with their release of “Signature Wave One” Line, and ever since the dolls have hit the market, Monster High has almost always made the dolls look stripper-like on purpose and now that the reboot has come, Monster High’s dolls don’t seem anything Inaproppriate now, I can say, but I do know one set from the reboot that is definetly questionable, even though Monster High now tries to produce dolls that don’t look as inappropriate as before
    In my opinion Monster High just teaches children around the world to be yourself, be unique, and be just an average happy person that can live life even if they have their “freaky flaws” in ways that “don’t particularly matter.”
    Although how Monster High Dolls are built are not particularly suited for children to influence them to dress the way they are dressed.

    I hope this helped many if you Monster Highers out there. Just wanting to let others know that Monster High aren’t all pretty and perfect with imperfections that “don’t matter.”

    1. You people need to get a real life. I just stumbled on this so I was like “ok, let’s see ur views on the subject”. But now, this stuff is getting stupid. Yeah yeah, yada yada, they’re unrealistic. Sure. But aren’t they all? If you don’t have the guts to tell ur kids that a doll or fictional character does not define who they should be and to be happy of their “imperfections”, then maybe them dolls are braver than you. Plus, ur a feminist. Once I read that I was like “OH KAY THAT MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE”.
      I see a third of where ur coming from, but if there is any advice I’d give to a kid that for some reason wants a role model to look up to, id tell them about Lara Croft. The one from the old Tomb Raider games, not the rebooted one. She is awesome, and someone that I look up to to this day. Sure yeah, she has an almost unrealistic body, but she is super strong and has great drive and determination. And if kids take an interest in her, if anything it will make them want to work out and make themselves a healthy person. They would do this for the right reasons, for their own health and hoping for their own future full of adventure, NOT trying to achieve that body image. That’s just a bonus! I have that strength now, and that body too. I’m here now telling you that SOME fictional people, SOME, can give you enough drive to do something for the wellbeing of yourself. I’m not talking about surgery, starving, or any of that “I feel bad about myself” stuff. I’m talking about inspiration. AND THATS what you should consider before assuming, “Oh my god they want to fit in!”. I get it, some kids aren’t right minded, and they get their feelings hurt easily, but if you think that they have some insecurities (which they probably do) then talk with them if getting them a doll like that will keep u up at night. Im glad you like to express your opinions, but there is a better way to approach the “situation” without being an asshole.

      1. Thanks for the comment, Deez. I agree with you on many points regarding inspiration for young girls. Regardless of how they look, we should be encouraging them to look up to people they admire. I just recently finished playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, are you familiar? I played as Kassandra and I think she’s a real badass. Girls are lucky to have role models like that, and of course Lara Croft, to look up to throughout the generations. Looks shouldn’t matter at all.

  29. Just saying in the first picture you showed of monster high they are “Ghouls Night Out” dolls which means they’re NOT in school at the time. And dance class most of them had tutus some had pants ( howleen ). But I do agree they could have given them some leggings or tights with their tutus.

  30. I know I’m late but… well, I’m 30 and I find these Bratz doll so ugly lol I never gave a damn about MH dolls, until I saw people making ooak dolls with them on youtube, and I finally paid attention to them. I found them really cute and interesting! Oh, and each one of them have slight different face mold (people that are familiar with doll repaint will agree with this).

    When I a was a little girl I always enjoyed “dark” things, such as witches, myths and horror movies. I bet if these dolls existed when I was a kid growing in mid ’90s I would love them 😀 I’m planning on make a really small collection with a few Draculauras and Frankies.

    When I was a kid, I never wanted to look like my dolls. But I always wanted a black Barbie (I’m latina), only because I found them the most beautiful and rare (it was very difficult to find them in the stores where I lived), and I remember my favorite Barbie doll was one with long brown hair and olive skin, not because I related to her, but because for me she was “unique” hehe.

    If I had a daughter (despite I don’t want children of my own), if she wanted these dolls I would buy it and also play with her haha. In my country, at mid ’90s the media influences where even worse… many girls watched Sailor Moon with her thin figure and mini skirt, with her cat Luna (and even her mother!) bullying her all the time because she was “fat”, we had the skinny Barbie doll and a super tanned skin and platinum hair, etc etc, but I grew up very fine, so I don’t think these dolls are a big problem.

    Regarding they clothes, they were released in several collection, there’s the “slumber party” series, the “beach” series, “party” and so on.

    *Sorry for grammar, English is not my 1st language.

  31. Am I the only one who likes dolls for their hair and how innocent they look? Other than that I’m mostly a lego and shopkin fan…
    I also like ever after high… a LOT more than monster high, and Bratz look very unnatural, like a plastic surgery fail… at least they teach us something. Never trust plastic surgery

  32. I get your point about Monster High being skinny. They are. Very. But can I put in a good word for them as a doll customizer?

    I can understand why you’d think their faces look the same from just seeing them in the boxes, but they are in fact very different. Monster High is the only fashion doll company I know of that had a unique mold for every single character. Ghoulia, daughter of zombies, has a pointy chin and high cheekbones, while Draculaura, daughter of vampires, has a heart-shaped face with plump cheeks. Eye shape, nose shape, even lip shape are different on each doll, and the only white skinned female character is a ghost who is literally white with transparent hands and feet. The same sized bodies (which are indeed too skinny, in my opinion) are to allow clothes sharing between the dolls, although there were three body variations to represent different stages in maturity, known as the Little Sister, Regular, and Big Sister bodies.

    It’s your right to dislike them if you wish, but I have never seen a fashion doll line with the amount of diversity Monster High offered, and I feel it’s doing them an injustice to argue that they were all the same.

    1. What a fantastic point, Rachel, and I love that you offered a different perspective as a doll customizer. I truly value diversity and if Monster High is a line that offers that then I am on board!

  33. Its hilarious that you called yourself a rahing feminist and then immediately said “because you know, clothing like this is distracting, and boys/men just can’t help themselves when we dress this way.” If they can’t help themselves they should be locked up away from society. Good thing that’s not actually the case whatsoever. Only men who don’t respect women rape. It’s in the values not the desire. This is a dangerous and extremely unfeminist myth. I share an apt with my straight male best friend and we both walk around in underwear or without clothes from time to time and guess what? Yes he can “help himself” and he wouldn’t expect anything different. He’s never crossed the line because he views me as a human like I view him. Men who rape don’t view women as humans. Acting like they “can’t help it” and saying things like that actively gives them license to objectify us. It doesn’t matter how much you desire to kill someone, there is no excuse for doing it. Why do you view rape differently? Perhaps you don’t fully humanize yourself or your daughters.

    1. Lisa, you are so right! I think I didn’t make my meaning clear enough when I said that skin is distracting in my post. It was meant to be sarcastic, merely parroting what society has told women in order to control their bodies. Men can, and absolutely should help themselves. There is no excuse for forcing yourself on someone. Men are 100% responsible for their actions! Thank you for commenting so I could clarify.

  34. Im not trying to be mean but you are trying to say that because we show a little shoulder we are telling the boys to come get us, if we show our belly or legs we are sluts, a slut is a woman who has many casual sexual partners, a woman with low standards of cleanliness. This is what older generations were taught to believe at school, if girls show any skin it distracts the boys, it makes them have naughty thoughts about these girls. Now a days girls wear whatever they want at school definitely middle school and high school, and its because the parents buy their clothes, they see whats hot in the social media and they copy it not because of dolls.

    1. You are absolutely right, and I should have made my meaning more plain. The tidbit I wrote on skin distracting boys at school and them being not being able to help themselves was meant to be sarcastic, just parroting a complaint I’ve heard often from people in schools and society at large who try to control women’s bodies.

  35. They are just dolls. There are bigger problems in this world. For example that men can’t help themselves when we have reveling clothing! And mothers who teach their dauhters that rape is women’s problem because men cant help themselves when we….and so on. Hell, no. It’s men’s problem. Men’s problem. Not a problem of women’s clothing, style or anything. It’s not women’s problem that some men can’t keep in in their pants. And mothers with your approach are happily contributing to it.

  36. I just want to point out that I am probably late to this post but I have some important things to say.
    Not all kids are into your basic Barbie doll, we need something interesting to catch our attention. Monster High and Bratz are both different and unique and yes although the hands and feet could easily be vacuumed up and thrown out as long as it makes the kids happy we should be happy.
    I do think that parents should ask their kids about the dolls and ask them what they like about the dolls but the reason why I love Bratz is because it is hip and what teens would wear in real life unlike Barbie who wears so much pink.
    The toy business is rough at the moment due to parents giving their kids phones when they should be encouraging playtime and imagination.
    I suggest to anyone that is an adult to give these dolls a chance and to let their kids experiment. If they like the dolls good but if they don’t than that is okay too.

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