Traditionally, dolls have been created in order to reflect society image of perfect beauty. Dolls are often the perfect shape, adorned with perfect clothes, and finally painted with perfect makeup. Artist Wendy Tsao has set out to break that standard by taking Bratz dolls and recreating them. Tsao takes Bratz dolls and recreates them to look like famous women, such as J.K. Rowling, Malala Yousafzai, and other prominent women.
Wendy Tsao’s story started when she read a children's book by Jane Goodall and found that she was inspired by the authors writing. Time Magazine reported that Tsao was later exposed to Tree Change Dolls, which is the company that takes old, used dolls and recreates them to look like actual people. She found that she could combine both her inspiration and the idea of Tree Change Dolls into a new amazing project to inspire young girls.
“The dolls we find in toy stores today are often licensed Disney characters or the heroines of Hollywood blockbuster movies that capitalize on the pull of fantasy, fictional characters to young consumers. But there are real-life people who are heroes too, with inspiring stories of courage, intelligence, strength, and uniqueness,” Tsao told Time Magazine.
Too often children are encouraged to buy dolls that reflect society's image of perfection but fail to depict what young women look like in reality and often make girls feel like their own looks are inadequate. Many doll companies have become to move their doll images to be more realistic in an effort to accommodate third wave feminism in a movement towards breaking social standards for how young girls should look and act. Bratz have received quite a bit of scrutiny over the fact that their dolls have more make up out of all other dolls, and they're depicted as rowdy girls, and they are often sexualized. With the Tsao's new rendition of Bratz dolls suddenly the dolls have gone from "perfect" to real.
Tsao has decided that she will eventually sell her dolls on eBay. After the social media hype that has surrounded the dolls, it will be incredibly interesting to see how much the dolls will bid for on the site. The sale of the dolls will not only promote the famous people who they look like, but it will also be a good way to raise awareness for the company Tree Change Dolls. The new image of what these dolls now look like we'll also have a huge effect on the way big companies are creating their products and marketing it to you young children.
For sometime now there has been a huge public outcry to stop creating unnecessary social standards for young girls to branch out to more realistic and modern options for young women. These new dolls but not only reflects the average person but also women who have done amazing things in society are the first stop towards inspiring young girls to be more than just pretty. Tsao's vision is the first step to teaching girls that aspirations are a lot more important than looks, and that the most amazing beauty comes from within.
