A couple of days ago, while watching my favorite chef competition on TV, a commercial for Sun-Maid Raisins came on. The CGI (computer-generated image) animated version of the Sun-Maid girl states that Sun-Maid Raisins are "nothing but grapes and sunshine!" My first reaction to the ad was, "Wow, she looks a lot like Barbie." Turns out, I'm not the only one who has noticed.

This wasn’t the first time the eternal iconic “spokeswoman” for Sun-Maid Raisins has received a makeover. According to the Sun-Maid website, the trademark has changed three times—in 1923, 1956, and in 1970. Each time she is noticably slimmer. The company explains these re-vamps occurring as necessary in “changing with the times.”

I get it. Sun-Maid wants to be new and hip, not old-fashioned and frumpy. Aunt Jemima, Mrs. Butterworth, the guy on the Brawny paper towels, and Bazooka Joe have changed, so why can’t the little Sun-Maid girl join in on the fun? The only difference is that unlike her counterparts, the Sun-Maid girl looks like she went through an extreme makeover, Hollywood-style, complete with breast implants, liposuction, rhinoplasty, collagen injections, and a face lift, not to mention the subtle yet noticeable to the trained eye hint of make-up she now has on. Is THIS what Sun-Maid meant when they said they were keeping up “with the times”? Is this new version reflective of our society’s current idealistic feminine image?

Now, some people may think I’m getting a little nit-picky or overreacting to what may seem like an insignificant matter. “It’s just a commercial, sheesh.” I’m laying my foot down, though, because the media has taken me to this point. They have changed an icon which has a much younger, more impressionable fan base. They have changed our dear Dora the Explorer. Yes, you read that right. Sweet, lovable, adorable, polite, bilingual, and intelligent Dora has gone through a re-vamp of her own. Though Mattel and Nickelodeon (Viacom) say the younger version will still be available in stores and will still be showing on television, the new version has been created to appeal to girls aged five and up. The new version has longer hair, is skinnier, and wears jewelry, compared to the younger version’s short hair bob, chubbier body, accessorized with a backpack and a watch.

The new Dora has upset many parents, who have written letters and signed petitions to Mattel and Viacom. One MSN article reads, “Can’t a cartoon at least be ageless, or just a cartoon character?” The truth of the matter is, both companies want to create the older, “racier” Dora so that it appeals to kids older than five, thus creating a larger consumer base. It saddens me to think that this is what little girls like my five-year old niece has to look forward to, and no matter how hard we try to not expose her to stuff like this, she’ll be exposed to others who are, so it will ultimately affect her indirectly. I just wish that we could prolong her innocence just a little bit longer, and show her that there is more to greatness and accomplishment than just getting by on her looks. I have always admired the Dora dolls and how un-Barbie-ish they were, up until this point. Such a disappointment.

I do believe the icons could have been made over without being almost oversexualized—especially Dora, whose target audience are impressionable kids, for goodness’ sake! There’s already so much sexual influence out there, so why create more, and why let it spill into the childrens’ arena? I guess it could be worse, though. At least they didn’t give Sun-Maid girl cleavage, or Dora training bra-sized breasts (or any breasts, for that matter). Oops, did I just give out more ideas?

-Karen is a blogger for The Daily Vine. Check out her bio to see where her view comes from.

Sources/Related Links

'Sun-Maid Girl' Makeover Sparks Controversy, Yahoo! Finance News

Sun-Maid.com

Dora's makeover miffs parents, MSN.com