Mom Fears Dora Might Be Going Skank

I used to read cnn.com as a general, lazy way of keeping up with important headlines. Who passed what vote, what political pundit trashed the new President, what the latest scientific scare is... And occasionally, what alligator was found in the microwave, or what star was named after a missing pet dog.

Today, while I was scanning the headlines, one caught my eye. "Mom Fears Dora Might Be Going Skank." Of course I had to watch the video.



Okay. I understand how this could effect previous Dora-viewers and how it might seem confusing to six year olds that their beloved Dora has traded her box shape for shapely legs and longer hair. This is a negative transition because... it's an entirely different person. What I don't quite understand, is why this transition needs to take place. Hasn't Lisa Simpson worn the same dress for twenty years? I mean, how many times can she possibly repeat the sixth grade? Because like any good thing, it works because it hasn't changed.

While I'm not quite understanding the cartoon creator's vision of allowing Dora to change with its viewers, I don't quite agree with the mothers of the blogging community that this new vision is a horribly negative one. Isn't this simply a fact of growing up? They claim they want their daughters to stay as young as they can for as long as they can, but isn't that a little sick? Their kids have to grow up. Their appearance will change, their mind sets will change. And you bet your favorite Dora doll, that these kids will want nothing to do with Dora the Explorer when they realize there are better things to do. Like, oh, playing outside. Gaining knowledge and experience from their caring parents... you know, things like that.

What's ruffled my feathers a bit, is the notion that a thin female icon automatically translates into vanity, sex and general lasciviousness. Haven't we been told to accept the differences in other people, even on a physical level? That a shapely woman doesn't mean she's unhealthy, lazy or unattractive. How can it be said that a thin woman is viewed as oversexualized, vain and promiscuous? Dora grew hair? Somebody give her a condom!

I'll be the first person to admit that our society's viewpoint is oddly skewed when it comes to how a woman should look. Hell, how a person should look. It's not fair and it excludes over 75% of the human race. We're not perfect. No one has ever been perfect and it's a fact we should celebrate. But I have a huge problem with this idea that we can't embrace a cartoon character who's merely grown up. If we aren't wanting to allow this because of the message it's sending our children, what does it say about the parents who are protecting their kids by having them watch television in the first place? Why not plop them down in front of the 6:00 news and give them a real treat for their psyche?

More importantly, we are forgetting the one simple fact. Little girls will eventually stop watching a cartoon character repeat herself over and over again whilst swinging from vines with a talking back pack. Why? Because twelve year old girls only want to french kiss boys and try drugs out of their parents cabinets. All thanks to Dora; the skanky smack queen.