03 August 2023 , 06:05
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Kylie Jenner's recent Bratz collaboration is coming under fire for using a skin tone that fans believe is "too dark". This is the brand's first ever celebrity collaboration and features six versions of Kylie, each featuring a different one of her red carpet looks.
Bratz creative director, Jasmin Larian said: "Kylie truly embodies everything Bratz has stood for since its inception 22 years ago – from being disruptive and rebellious to energetic and expressive. Not only will this collaboration expand to Kylie’s millions of fans, but it will also reach the audiences that grew up with Bratz and are excited to relive the Y2K Bratz lifestyle today. We couldn’t be prouder to welcome Kylie into the Bratz family."
Fans, though, aren't quite so optimistic. Instead, they criticized the brand for prioritizing a white woman for their first collaborative project rather than a woman of color.
Fans are comparing the doll to blackface (MGA Entertainment)In a statement, Kylie said: "I have been a fan of Bratz since childhood and I've always wanted my own Bratz doll. I have loved every step of the process this past year in creating these dolls alongside the Bratz team. I'm so excited they are here!"
Kylie's enthusiasm has not swayed the public's opinion. One person on Twitter even said that the dolls were just "Kylie Jenner in blackface". She wasn't the only one who had the same outlook. Some fans even saw the company's move hypocritical to their previous work.
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Kylie is enthusiastic about the launch, but fans are not sold (MGA Entertainment)A fan on Twitter wrote: "Bratz being one of the first toy companies to advertise diverse characters and then choosing Kylie Jenner to be the face of it is insane like all the WOMAN DOES is steal from Black people help me."
It is true that Bratz has previously had a long history of diversity in their toys. Many women of color have expressed that they are able to more closely relate to Bratz dolls than Barbie, who is white. Now, this move seems to be a changeup in Bratz's longstanding position as the diverse doll.
The dolls depict various iconic red carpet looks of Kylie's (MGA Entertainment)
Fans believe that a woman of color would have been a better first collaboration (MGA Entertainment)ABC 2's news anchor, Chandler Foreman, told TODAY: "They were fashionable and they were trendy — but they were also diverse. You have a relatively white doll (Chloe), you have a relatively Hispanic doll (Yasmin), a black girl (Sasha), and they were all friends.”
Kylie's doll, though, appears to have darker complexion than how she actually appears in real life. This inaccurate portrayal of Kylie simply didn't sit right with the Bratz fanbase.