This thing with Monster High Dolls

Oh Gosh, facepalm!

"Too thin! Too sexy! Stereotypes! Wrong themes! Scary! Awful!"

It is many years since the first set of Monster High Dolls came to Sweden. It was a double sided happening and even I had some thoughts about those thin and odd looking dolls, as I grew up with Barbie and Sindy. But slowly I fell in love with them. My youngest daughter found herself and her inner soul in these dolls - especially Draculaura. She could play and become one of them - Barbie, Moxie, Bratz and those "kinder" (may I call them so?) dolls were never her style. This was even the time when we as parents and near relatives saw the theatrical side of her. She has been at the theatre for many seasons now. And enjoying her time!

The Monster High Dolls have taken the world with storm - and it feels like I have heard the most opinions. The mildest being that the dolls are ridiculous - can not stand, talk or behave like humans. Well, they are not humans. The word monster should give a hint. I would love to put a "duh" in that sentence. These dolls look different than other fashions dolls, but I feel that there is a good role model for my younger girl - especially when she played with the dolls. Now they stand nicely on the book shelf and making my fingers itchy! Can I please repaint them? When the younger girl had a big interest in these dolls, I let her have it. This was not the same thing as letting her get pierced or buy the same looking clothes as the dolls. The older daughter had a thing for Bratz dolls and the critics were loud even then. My mother never liked the Bratz doll and thought it was wrong of me to buy one for my daughter.

As we say here at home - you see and hear what you want to see and hear. I think that this suits the opinions of the dolls. I see a doll - something a kid can play with and make an imaginary world around. Then I see a clean plate for my somehow growing artistic side. I can buy one doll, repaint, remake and dress up to something new.

As a parent, I think that I have an important role in my daughters life when it comes to toys and dolls as role models. I can understand if parents feel that dolls in general can give a wrong picture how we should look and act. But at the same time the companies have an important role too, when they make these dolls and toys. But if there is a market, there is a market. I am one to keep this market going - as an adult I buy these dolls and re-do them. Not because I think they look "wrong" in the beginning, but because it is an easy way to learn face ups etc. 

To be a parent is never easy with all these role models and opinions, that I can tell you. I can understand that dolls like Monster High, Barbie, Bratz and so on make it a lot harder. But there is even other things that make it harder - school, friends, TV, social media....

PS: I have seen this type of discussion even among Ball Jointed Dolls, nudity, those darker dolls and what the companies really sell, according to some peoples thoughts.