Paper doll websites

May 29, 2005 6:20 PM

My daughter (11) has been visiting paper doll websites. They seem harmless, I guess, but they are also squicking me out a little bit.

Examples here. I guess it is the anime/Bratz styling that gives me pause - I find it kinda pervy. But maybe I have been watching too much hysterical news coverage of child exploitation via the web. If it's basically cartoony and harmless, then I can live with it. Any thoughts/warnings/links to more info?

posted by SashaPT to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

I used to play around with that stuff when I was younger (I guess I'm betraying my age a bit) - right around when chat rooms/forums started allowing avatars. For me, it was just playing dress-up, nothing really sexual about it.

If you could elaborate a bit more on what your concerns are, I could be more helpful.

(PS I applaud your concern in your daughter's online activities. Kudos.)
posted by muddgirl at 6:25 PM on May 29, 2005

They seem innocent enough to me- it might be a good opportunity to talk to your daughter about the revealing clothes those paper dolls are wearing and see if she understands why some people dress that way, and that it's OK if she doesn't.

In my (completely irrelevant, childless) opinion, trying to shield a kid from something he/she will eventually see anyway is futile- it's best to be honest with a kid and help them understand things as they go along. That way they'll learn to trust you and come to you when something really important comes up.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 7:07 PM on May 29, 2005

Are stuff like the Baby Bratz dolls an unfortunate example of how greatly youth is sexualized in our culture? Absolutely. Are there creepy, creepy people perhaps interacting with these programs? It's possible. Is your daughter going to turn into a pervert playing with them? Nah, this stuff is just dress-up and costumes. If you're worried about her feeling pressure to wear more revealing outfits at an age you feel is too young for them, then make sure you sit down with her and have a reasonable talk about what those clothes mean, why some people wear them, and the importance of developing one's own concept of self-respect instead of giving into peer pressure or something.

I also wouldn't try to shield her from this stuff. She's gonna see it. Just teach her what it means. All you can do is make sure she's approaching these topics in a thoughtful manner.
posted by Anonymous at 8:18 PM on May 29, 2005

Salon did an article on the doll(z) phenomena a couple of years back.

Key quote:
"Something of a rarity online, dolling is a computer graphics-oriented culture of women who value positivity, kindness and sharing."

You may have to sit through a daypass ad to see it.
posted by O9scar at 8:44 PM on May 29, 2005

If you would like an alternative to the Bratz dolls, you can download the paper doll program and specific dolls from The Big Kiss Project. I used to play with these when I was younger. From that page, you would need to get the paper doll client, and then download individual doll sets. Warning though, I think they still have some 18+ doll sets there, so keep an eye on what you or your daughter download.
posted by nakedsushi at 8:45 PM on May 29, 2005

Pervy? Not likely. If you check in on what she's looking at, you shouldn't have any trouble with that. There's a few more pervy models, but they're pretty clearly marked. Do be careful on who she talks to, that'd be your biggest concern.

She's an eleven year old girl. The possibility of naked doll cutouts is probably uninteresting to her. She'd be more interested in dressing up dolls, showing them off, and talking with friends about them. Just make sure her friends are safe, and you can rest easy that she's just into what amounts to virtual Barbies.
posted by Saydur at 9:50 PM on May 29, 2005

Not pervy at all.

I used to make these as well (shut up) and basically it is just playing dress-up. It's also a frustrating, yet rewarding, exercise in pixel art. If she's interested in drawing her own, MS Paint works okay, and PSP7 is even better.

It's wonderful you are monitoring her internet fun. As others have said, just discuss your concerns with your daughter.
posted by deborah at 7:14 AM on May 30, 2005

Response by poster: OK, thanks. Phew, I feel better. It's a terrible conundrum, parenting in Teh Internets age - the need to be on guard but not cross the line into crazy.
posted by SashaPT at 7:41 AM on May 30, 2005

She's an eleven year old girl. The possibility of naked doll cutouts is probably uninteresting to her.

Actually, it was right around age eleven that my friends and I were putting naked Barbies and Kens and Skippers on top of each other in their doll beds. Nothing wrong there, either.

These dolls don't strike me as any ickier than Barbie (how icky Barbie is is up for debate). I agree that you're doing a great job by being involved and concerned, but not freaking out.
posted by climalene at 8:08 AM on May 30, 2005

Just make sure that Googling for "Paper Doll" doesn't turn up Louis XIV's incredibly NSFW music video of the same name!
posted by idontlikewords at 9:59 AM on May 30, 2005

My embarrassing first post here was a bunch of links to a bunch of different places to download paper dolls, some of them were really cool. It never occurred to me that they were squicky, to tell you the truth.
posted by iconomy at 10:08 AM on May 30, 2005

These aren't really "paper dolls" - they're "Cartoon Dollz" or just "dollz."

They're just virtual Barbies. My neighbor's 10-yr-old plays with them and she herself dresses perfectly fine for a 10-year-old... there's no slutty element to her clothing.
posted by IndigoRain at 6:59 PM on May 30, 2005