Depressing article about how the characters in Candy Land have been given a freakish Bratz makeover. I love how they gave Queen Frostine Michael Jackson's nose. Ugh.
In another study, researchers engaged three-to-five-year-old girls in games of, yes, Candy Land as well as Chutes & Ladders, asking them to choose among three game pieces—a thin one, an average-sized one and a fat one—to represent themselves. While in the past children that age showed little ability to distinguish between average and thin weights, today's wee ones grabbed thin pieces at higher rates not only than fat ones but than those of "normal" weight. When asked by researchers to swap a thin figure for a fat one, the girls not only recoiled but some refused to even touch the chubbier game piece making comments such as, "I hate her, she has a fat stomach," or "She is fat. I don't want to be that one."
I've noticed that the five-year-old girls in my class are already obsessed with fashion and how they look. A lot of them will come to school dressed in high heels, glitter, and make-up (mascara and eye shadow). They're also not shy about pointing out any fat rolls or muffin tops that they notice on the playground. Very depressing.
