Over-sexualisation amongst children is getting more and more controversial. It’s something that I’ve never really noticed, because I personally feel that it was never an issue for me as a child. I’m not a mother, so I can’t pass comment on childhood in this decade either. It’s becoming a huge topic for parents, doctors, psychologists, and nutritionists, as children as young as five are being taken into hospital with eating disorders that have never openly been associated with childhood.
This is how Lottie came to be created. She’s modelled on a nine-year old girl, who wears clothes that mirror her interests: ballet, horse-riding and the great outdoors! She’s flat-chested and she’s your typically normal little girl. One mum posted on a twitter, ‘she’s a doll you can feel good about!’ I guess there’s not much more to say, other than she’s just your average girl. She doesn’t have the flashy smile of Barbie (seen below), or the seductive – and may I add, fairly creepy – eyes that Brats have. She doesn’t have the pointy breasts or the impossibly long legs, but she really is quite cute!
The collection expanded to include different types of dolls, including Snow Queen Lottie, Lottieville Festival Lottie, and Country Garden Lottie. Their clothes have been diverted away from over-using pink and are based more on what a girl of nine would actually wear. Lottie’s stripy tights are really sweet, and definitely something I would have worn when I was her age. She also never wears high-heels and instead has a lovely little collection of dolly shoes, boots, and wellies. Apparently, this also means that she’s not constantly lying flat on her face like Barbie, because her tiny little feet with their tiny little shoes can’t support her giant head and breasts.
The online reviews for Lottie haven’t always agreed with each other; some think she’s the best thing since sliced bread, whilst others believe her to be just another doll with a slightly thicker waste but still with the ridiculous ‘lollypop head’. She’s definitely adorable and most certainly a far more innocent version of the ‘Barbie Beach Doll’, but some mums still think that the boundaries for toys need to be pushed even further. Andrea O’Reilly is a feminist mum living under the online name of ‘Blue Milk’, who feels that the collection are still too anglicised, with ‘little button noses and straight hair’. In a sense she is right; we should be seeing more diversity amongst dolls on the shelf. Why are there no disabled dolls in wheelchairs? Most of Lottie’s personas available to buy are also incredibly middle-class, such as the Ballet Lottie. Pony Flag Race Lottie looks like she belongs in a Jack Wills advert. All the same, the general online consensus is that Lottie is a step in the right direction for feminism and for protecting the well-being of young girls.
Overall, I think that Arklu, the company that created the doll, have really achieved something special with the creation of Lottie. She may not be the feminist’s alternative to other fashion dolls currently on the market, but she’s a breath of fresh air in the toy market. I can’t say that my nine-year-old self would have as much fun dressing her up as I did with my Barbie, but it’s brilliant that her colour coordination doesn’t just stop at pink. I also can’t say that Lottie is going to correct children’s attitudes towards sex and body-image – with the media around, that issue will always be a problem. I wonder if Lottie will ever have a boyfriend created for her… or even a girlfriend! Anyway, I can imagine she’s going to be a very popular choice this Christmas…
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