Feministing had a great visual representation yesterday of the changes over time in beloved childhood characters.  I couldn’t think of any other characters to expand on, but I thought that the sexualization of these characters when it comes to costumes was worth noting.

Strawberry Shortcake

And so it begins.  It’s not like Strawberry Shortcake was lacking in the cuteness department, however her raggedy look apparently just didn’t cut it in these modern times.  Everything about her was neatened up, and her vibrant reds were subdued into girly pinks.  She became taller and thinner with flowing hair, big eyelashes, and modern clothes.  However, her traditional look is maintained in the adult costume (nothing like a sexy apron to compliment that too-short-for-your-stockings skirt, eh ladies?), which hypersexualizes the cartoon cutie.  Because costumes aren’t for playing with your identity, they’re for playing sexy.

Rainbow Brite

Unlike her traditional counterpart, Rainbow Brite is a girl from the future (check out her sweet moon-boots!).  However, just like Strawberry, Rainbow has gone through “the transformation.”  Her legs got longer, face got older, hair was made to flow more gracefully, and her waist was narrowed.  And, of course, in costume form her skirt was shortened even further, her wand became a phallic symbol to hold near the face with and moon-boots were traded for tall socks and stilettos.  This is not the future I hope to visit.  For more on Rainbow Brite’s makeover, check out this post at Feministe.

Dora the Explorer

Dora’s recent makeover caused quite a controversy among parents and feminists.  Dora was a cute kid, but it seems like a transition into adolescence is a good way to begin discussions with kids about body changes and all that good stuff.  However, why that means that Dora would change from her typical exploration ensemble into a dressy top and leggings with long flowing hair, earings, and other typically girly accessories is beyond me.  Dora as an adverturesome explorer even in adolescence could have been a nice change from the status quo.  Dora herself is a relatively new character and her makeover is even newer, which might explain why she hasn’t become an adult costume yet, but here is an image of a children’s Dora costume.  I guess the tummy thing is cute?  I don’t know, it kind of weirds me out.

Barbie

That classic dame, Barbie.  Who knows what body image worldwide would be like without her lovely plastic form for self-comparison and evaluation.  However, even classic Barbie can’t measure up to what her descendants have become.  Modern Barbies have gotten taller, thinner, and tanner (not to mention more flexible) than the original.  Today’s runway models, as illustrated in the picture on the right, don’t even stand a chance when trying to match Barbie’s body, but in their defense even models need internal organs.

So what’s the deal?  Are these caricatures of what it means to be a woman, adolescent girl, and child?  Clearly the original Strawberry, Rainbow, and Dora weren’t exactly drawn to proportion, but there was a childlike innocence to them.  Their makeovers brought them into adolescence, changing their body types and what we think about them.  But these childlike images apparently scream for sexualization, as illustrated in each of the adult versions of the characters.  Why is it that our society so often seems to want to make girls into adults and adult women back into girls?

Are there any other beloved childhood characters that you have observed changes in over the past few decades?