Why do dolls have boobs?

I recall playing with dolls while growing up and I never really paid any attention to their ‘anatomy’. They came in many shapes and sizes, including animal replicas. But the Barbie Doll or its closest resemblance that many girls love stood out. Their long hair, shapely legs, ‘designer’ clothes and shoes can keep girls busy the whole day. Brushing the hair, changing the outfits and enacting real-life scenes with them are just what girls love to do.

But seeing such a doll, undressed next to some girls in Mangochi on a recent trip made me realise that something was wrong. This doll had long legs, an hour glass-shaped body and breasts. For the first time, I questioned the essence of having a play thing with boobs. What’s the prerequisite of these two items on a chest of a doll that is handled by immature people whose bodies do not even portray signs of ever developing similar attributes? Do girls look like that? Who is it meant for, adults?

This also brings to mind the adult themed cartoons and animated movies that flood our screens. The storyline starts with innocence only to end with under aged people falling in love. The director or creator stops at nothing, but to even show these children kissing to cement the storyline, much to the dismay of mature audiences. For the targeted audience, they view this as a mere movie scene because of their immaturity. But for adult, it begs the question on the take-home message being given to the children.

Can five to 10-year-olds appreciate a love scene, let along fall in love? Have storytellers run out of ideas to propagate love to children or should we say love has become the in-thing across age divides?

I believe content creation must tally with targeted age groups, especially for children who do not have the choice of picking anything they want. Those big-breasted dolls have been there for decades with the Barbie Doll, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel, being introduced on March 9 1959. It has set trends for other companies to create similar dolls that have become common on shelves. What difference do the breasts make to children’s play rather than insult the modest of a woman? How come the make version of Barbie, Ken does not show male organs? Is it too late to begin censoring doll manufacturers?

Let’s check the content of the cartoons that keep our children glued to computers and television sets. Never should we assume their innocence before we take time to watch prior or along with our children. Parental guidance should not be overlooked for some of these cartoons simply because we believe in the innocence of animations. I wonder who such cartoons target.