Can I get a Hallelujah?
By now most of you know that I am not a big fan of Bratz dolls (those mega-popular little dolls with the disproportionately gigantic heads). In fact, I’m not a fan at all. Which is why I was elated when I heard that Scholastic (the company that sponsors book sales at schools nationwide) recently banned Bratz from its book clubs and fairs.
If your child is a Bratz collector you might not have had the same reaction I did. In fact, you may have interpreted Scholastic’s announcement in an entirely different way. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to read the public statement here’s a recap:
In regards to their decision to eliminate Bratz books and other products (e.g. “Bratz Design Your Own Purse” and Bratz computer games) from schools, the folks at Scholastic had this to say:
“Our goal has been and continues to be to provide quality, affordable books that meet the wide range of reading levels and interests of today’s students and help every child develop a love of reading, so we change the offerings on a regular basis.”
The statement ended with this revealing note:
“We listen respectfully to the views of the CCFC constituents who forwarded far fewer than 5,000 CCFC-scripted e-mails, as well as the views of the many parents who wrote asking us not to discontinue offering Bratz books because they are the only books they can get their daughters to read.”
The CCFC that Scholastic referred to is the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (a national coalition of professionals and parents), which has run a nearly 2-year long campaign, in which the group reported that its members “flooded the company with more than 5,000 e-mails urging them to stop selling books such as Lil’ Bratz Dancin Divas” because in their opinion, the Bratz brand is “highly sexualized” and shouldn’t be promoted in classrooms.
From what I can gather the CCFC has made banning Bratz in schools somewhat of a pet project and they and Scholastic have a bit of a hate-hate relationship. Prior to the announcement of an all out Bratz ban Scholastic maintained that the Bratz books were “necessary for reluctant readers” because the subject material was so embraced by young girls who shared a “passion for fashion” like their plastic counterparts. The CCFC, which was reportedly appalled by Scholastic’s initial argument, shot back saying those “design your own purse” Bratz products that Scholastic sold at their book fairs could hardly be considered an item with any type of literary merit.
Warring groups aside the bottom line is that parents (and their children) will no longer be seeing Bratz books or products at school book fairs or in future Scholastic book orders.
What’s your reaction to the news?
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