A partnership that Girl Scouts holds with Mattel, Barbie’s manufacturer, is being criticized by two advocacy groups who believe the wrong message is being advertised.
Two consumer advocacy groups, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and the Center for a New American Dream, are slamming the Girl Scouts patch associated with Barbie, reports The LA Times. Although there is no image of an actual doll, it uses Barbie’s logo. The groups believe there should be no relationship at all between the two.
In August, Girl Scouts and Barbie came out with the new patch for Daisies and Brownies, girls ranging from kindergarten through third grade, that read “Be anything, Do everything” along with the Barbie logo.
“Holding Barbie, the quintessential fashion doll, up as a role model for Girl Scouts simultaneously sexualizes young girls, idealizes an impossible body type and undermines the Girl Scouts' vital mission,” director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Susan Linn said, according to USA Today.
The groups had privately asked Girl Scouts to end the partnership when it was announced last summer, however they continued. As a result, the groups are now taking the matter public.
The groups believe that the patch would turn the girls into “walking advertisements” and that the association with something as commercial as a Barbie doll wouldn’t do any good for the young girls.
According to The Associated Press, the Girl Scouts headquarters think otherwise.
“Our partnership with Mattel focuses on career exploration and teaches girls about inspiring women in a fun way," spokeswoman Kelly Parisi said. "We stand behind this partnership, as it helps us bring to over 2 million Girl Scouts the message that they can do anything.”
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
