Let’s go back to the good ol’ days when toys were the key to our heart. Two words: Bratz Dolls. Ring a bell? As a child, being gifted a Bratz Doll made you the coolest kid on the block. Following their first release in 2001, Bratz became known as the most influential fashion doll for young girls everywhere.
Well they’re back and my inner child is screaming. Today, Bratz Dolls have made a huge comeback on social media with the #BratzChallenge. This time not for fashion, but instead for their makeup. Truth be told, I am not living for it.
Using makeup to change your physical appearance is not okay. It distorts the definition of beauty by inviting humans to look like a doll. Accepting this challenge is mimicking unachievable beauty without the help of apps like Facetune to enhance our facial features.
Sadly, our society as a whole struggles to understand or accept a single definition of what beauty means. Challenges like these send a negative message to young girls who feel the pressure of conforming or are judged based on what they look like.
Is it entirely wrong? No. In a sense, using makeup to transform into a plastic doll can be a form of art. What is wrong is taking #BratzChallenge to another level by physically pretending to be someone else.
People also have the audacity to mimic custom dolls, which are intended to make others with certain conditions feel included, like Vitiligo. Why do people believe it is okay to use mimic to health conditions? It is disrespectful and quite frankly an embarrassment.
The #BratzChallenge fails to represent what makeup is actually intended to do. Makeup is supposed to be a boost of confidence to those who choose to use it correctly.
Janette Estrada can be reached at [email protected] or @Jane_11e on Twitter
Dude Orion.... this writer needs help // Feb 14, 2019 at 11:46 am
1.) Why is there a stock image of a bratz doll – it’s BARELY relevant to the article when the Bratz Challenge consists ENTIRELY of photos; none of which made the article lol
2.) “What is wrong is taking #BratzChallenge to another level by physically pretending to be someone else.”
Ok, so tell that to every actor in Hollywood?
3.) Furthermore – that’s NOT what the Bratz Challenge is about. Clearly, no one on social media as far as I have seen, has claimed actually be the living embodiment of a bratz doll. The challenge is obviously meant to show off an individual’s makeup skills through a shared common interest (bratz).. As the millennials say, “it’s not that deep bro”.
4.) “Using makeup to change your physical appearance is not okay. It distorts the definition of beauty by inviting humans to look like a doll”
I get that the article is an option, ok? I’m not completely braindead. It’s in the opinion section and the whole point of the article is to read some random dude’s opinion. But jeez! I’d like to hope an opinion published on a CSU college newspaper is a little more articulated than this.
Makeup is a great confidence booster for many people. Who is to say altering one’s face is disingenuous when we purposively choose our clothes, accessories, hairstyle, etc,. ? People create identities, we are not born with them. Despite the writer’s gendered mind, makeup is used for many purposes besides matching the conventional norm. Would you say a punk’s dark eyeliner is a lie ? Would you say the way a trans person uses makeup to present their gender identity is “not okay”? And if that is okay, why is a women trying to fit the conventional standard of looking like a “doll”, the standard many demand but chastise when actually achieved, any less ok?
6.) TLDR I feel like this article could of used a lot of work b4 it was published sorry