Who Likes B ratz? The Impact of Girls’ Age and Gender Role Orientation on Preferences for B arbie Versus B ratz

Why did B ratz dolls appeal to young girls? To answer this question, sixty I sraeli girls, 6–11 years old, completed B oldizar's (1989) Children's Sex Role Inventory ( CSRI ) and were later asked how many B arbies and B ratz dolls they have. After being shown pictures of a B arbie and a B ratz doll, they were asked as to their preference, justified their preference, and explained why girls in general like the dolls. Feminine girls indicated having a larger number of dolls of both types and all girls reported having more B arbies; yet nearly all girls reported preferring to play with B ratz. Feminine girls were least likely to offer positive descriptors of B ratz dolls. The dolls’ beauty was more often cited as reasons for younger girls’ liking both dolls, and such explanations were independent of girls’ gender role orientation. Gender role orientation did not impact any of the categories of preference justification for B arbie, but it did impact justifications for liking Bratz, with androgynous and undifferentiated girls more often citing B ratz's clothes as justifications for liking the doll. The data indicate that B ratz's appearance and clothing appealed primarily to girls with nontraditional gender role orientations.