The third doll brand, subject to this study is Bratz. As evidenced from the four commercials assessed in the course of this study, Bratz deploys a slightly different mode of advertising, which involves marketing adult entertainment to kids. Social psychologists have argued that this strategy is very effective within the realm of modern-day material culture. Adult entertainment, which often involves depiction of violence, sex, strong language and obscenity, has become very popular among children
. For Bratz, one of the most popular commercials involves cowgirls in Texas fighting crime modelled along the risque film group Charlie's Angels. The use of guns to depict violence is central to this commercial, which has since increased the brand's digital reach through pervasive advertising on TV and in the internet. In a similar commercial, Bratz acquired the rights to use the soundtrack of the Pussycat Dolls in a 2004 release of the Pussycat Doll as part of their brand. The commercial goes 'don'chu wish your doll was hot like me?' along with the hit single by the same name. The brand received endorsement from the Pussycat Dolls, which boosted sales tremendously.
Contemporary Issues
As cultural materialism sinks deeper and deeper in the political economy of capitalism, commentators have raised a number of issues as scholars debate the issue of child consumerism. For instance, the use of adult entertainment to market child products has raised eyebrows in academic inquiry as a section of paediatricians and child psychologists denounce the move claiming that it is premature for children. Even as stakeholders continue to lobby Congress to establish certain limits on child marketing in bid to protect the children, such moves have been futile within the framework of the 'free speech' clause of the first amendment
Other concerns raised by psychologists include the superficial nature of the modern society when it comes to issues of image and personality. The dolls manufactured by these companies often impose the ideal that looking, dressing and acting in a particular way are ideal. The belief that thinness, for instance, is fashionable is shallow and superficial. Insistence on good looks often messes up with the psychology of children so that they develop low self-esteem and identity crises, which often lasts a lifetime. In a series of surveys, psychologists attribute the high rates of suicides amongst teenagers in the United States to identity crisis and esteem issues. The message that some of these dolls communicate to our children does more harm than good
Conclusion
In light of the preceding discussion, it is evident that there is a material culture of consumption amongst children and youth in the modern age. As social psychologists reveal, this material culture reveals a buy-and-consume modality amongst children. A wide range of psychological studies have focused in the United States of America with special focus on how advertising drives consumerism and material culture so that children, adolescents and young adults are currently experiencing materialism in their consumer trends with an unprecedented levels of involvement. In bid to capture the elusive child market, doll manufacturers have capitalized on the unprecedented influence of the mass media and the internet to boost their quest to dominate various market segments. They use adult entertainment, celebrity endorsement and popular culture while commercializing their brands. Even as concerns emerge about the adversities of cultural materialism and consumerism especially regarding the psychological damage of personality and self-esteem, the 'free speech' clause establishes a Chinese wall that shields pervasive advertising.
Anschutz and Rutger, C.M.E. Engels. "The Effects of Playing with Thin Dolls on Body Image and Food Intake in Young Girls" U.S. National Library of Medicine
Dullea, Georgia. "Teenagers Inner Sanctums" New York Times, 9 January 1992.
Eglinton, Kristen Ali Youth Identities, Localities, and Visual Material Culture: Making Selves, Making Worlds New York: Springer, 2013
Jean Baudrillard, Consumer Society, in "Consumer Society in American History: A Reader," Lawrence Glickman, ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornel University Press, 1999, 33-56
John Kenneth Galbraith, The Dependence Effect, in "The Consumer Society Reader," Juliet B. Schor and Douglas Holt, eds., New York: New Press, 2000
Klass, Perri M.D "How Advertising Targets Our Children" New York Times, February 11, 2013
Meyers, Laurie. "Dangerous dolls? Psychologists push back against market forces and products that sexualize young girls." American Psychological Association September 2006, Vol 37, No. 8
Pretty in Pink. DVD. Directed by Howard Deutch, 1986. Los Angeles, CA: Paramount Home Video, 2006.
Thomas Hine, Introduction: What Makes People Shop? In "I Want That! How We All Became Shoppers" New York: HarpurCollins, 2002
Toy Story 3, Directed by Lee Unkrick, 2010. Hollywood, CA: Disney Pixar, 2010.
Thomas Hine, Introduction: What Makes People Shop? In "I Want That! How We All Became Shoppers" New York: HarpurCollins, 2002
John Kenneth Galbraith, The Dependence Effect, in "The Consumer Society Reader," Juliet B. Schor and Douglas Holt, eds., New York: New Press, 2000
Thomas Hine, Introduction: What Makes People Shop? In "I Want That! How We All Became Shoppers" New York: HarpurCollins, 2002
John Kenneth Galbraith, The Dependence Effect, in "The Consumer Society Reader," Juliet B. Schor and Douglas Holt, eds., New York: New Press, 2000
Klass, Perri M.D "How Advertising Targets Our Children" New York Times, February 11, 2013
Doeschka, J. Anschutz and Rutger, C.M.E. Engels. "The Effects of Playing with Thin Dolls on Body Image and Food Intake in Young Girls" U.S. National Library of Medicine
Jean Baudrillard, Consumer Society, in "Consumer Society in American History: A Reader," Lawrence Glickman, ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornel University Press, 1999, 33-56
Meyers, Laurie. "Dangerous dolls? Psychologists push back against market forces and products that sexualize young girls." American Psychological Association September 2006, Vol 37, No. 8
Jean Baudrillard, Consumer Society, in "Consumer Society in American History: A Reader," Lawrence Glickman, ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornel University Press, 1999, 33-56
Eglinton, Kristen Ali Youth Identities, Localities, and Visual Material Culture: Making Selves, Making Worlds New York: Springer, 2013
Meyers, Laurie. "Dangerous dolls? Psychologists push back against market forces and products that sexualize young girls." American Psychological Association September 2006, Vol 37, No. 8
Klass, Perri M.D "How Advertising Targets Our Children" New York Times, February 11, 2013
Meyers, Laurie. "Dangerous dolls? Psychologists push back against market forces and products that sexualize young girls." American Psychological Association September 2006, Vol 37, No. 8
Eglinton, Kristen Ali Youth Identities, Localities, and Visual Material Culture: Making Selves, Making Worlds New York: Springer, 2013
Doeschka, J. Anschutz and Rutger, C.M.E. Engels. "The Effects of Playing with Thin Dolls on Body Image and Food Intake in Young Girls" U.S. National Library of Medicine
