For years, baby dolls came with a bottle as standard equipment…sending a non-so-subtle signal about how babies are ‘supposed’ to be fed to little girls who wanted to pretend they were Mommies.
Now that more and more real mommies have shaken off the formula industry marketing and realized the health and bonding benefits of breast feeding, there’s a doll coming to market that shows a baby nursing.
And cue the freak out in….3…2….
My favorite comment? The one about making a toy that simulates labor pains — because who would think of that? And…why would they think of that?
And yes, my wife chose to breastfeed and people who freak about it drive her up the wall.
my mom was an early leader in Le Leche Legue back in the seventies… boobies have a few purposes! more than just playthings… but play can be one…
The price is far more offensive than the concept, although I’m not keen on the concept either. My cousin used to pretend to breastfeed her doll after she saw me breastfeeding my son-that was cute, but to market a doll specifically for that crosses the border into creepy.
I would never argue otherwise.
We Americans are an uptight lot. The freakout over this is like the freakout over Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” a few years ago. God forbid we expose too much of (or even think about) the human body, and what the parts are and do… It may spur a few more conversations about why mommy’s “fatter” up there than I am or daddy is, but awkward questions are part of being a parent, too. And more’n’likely, any parent willing to let his/her daughter have the doll is already considering the answer s/he’ll give.
The price is offensive. The doll isn’t.
I love the idea that giving a little girl a baby doll with a stroller, a bottle, a diaper, a pacifier, a birth certificate (remember cabbage patch dolls?) and all this fun stuff is absolutely fine, but introduce the natural form of feeding said doll, and all of the sudden there’s a labor pain doll? Really? that’s the leap these people make? (honestly, I was scared to click on the video, because I was unaware of the vest the little girl wears to “breastfeed”… THAT would have been a problem.)
anyway, being a parent is all about raising your children, key word, RAISING! not keeping them infantilized, not babying or coddling, raising. They are going to grow up, no matter how many bricks we tie to their heads to keep them our little babies forever.
Little girls (with the exception of tomboys like my daughter) love playing house, dress up, and pretending to be like the ones they worship, their mothers.
And I’m surprised we haven’t heard the “how do I explain this to my child?!” argument that always follows “offensive” toys like this. I always love that argument, as a father of 5, because in this day and age, with video games, youtube, kids movies, and all the other things kids are exposed to, here’s a quick example of questions/statements I’ve heard from my children who are still under 10:
“dad, what does Jizz In My Pants mean?”
“dad, should I grab the molotov or the pipebomb? the zombies chase the pipe bombs, so I’ll grab that!”
“Kick him in the nuts!”
“dad, what does being high mean?”
“mom, dad, are you guys okay? why are you making those weird noises?”
“dad, why does the garage always smell like a skunk?”
“dad, what’s a n****r?”
“dad, why are your eyes always red?”
being a parent is about how you answer those tough questions (though, some of those did get the obligatory “i’ll tell you when you’re older,” lie. and it is a lie. I don’t plan on ever explaining to my son what jizz in my pants means.)
*disclosure, i don’t break any laws to have red eyes and a garage that smells like a skunk. i have a prescription, i promise.*
I showed my wife this, and she immediately started laughing. apparently, as a child, she and her friends pretended to “feed” their baby dolls (through the shirt, of course). and, like me, she’s very glad that there’s a little vest thing the girls wear.
and we agree with the other comments, the only thing offensive is the price.