Barbie and Barbiecore are influencing fashion in 2022 thanks to the anticipation for the live-action Margot Robbie movie and the impact of pink fever, which has affected many celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Nicola Peltz Beckham. The Bratz are a group of dolls that are prepared to grab Mattel’s scepter for style icon of the year from the toy, just like they did at the turn of the millennium.Who better than them, with their platform shoes, baby t-shirts, tight skirts, butterfly tops, and cargo pants, represents the nostalgia for Y2K style that Generation Z has been inspiring designers and celebrities lately? With the adult world’s opposition to purchasing them due to their promotion of a sensual and pop star look, we have the fulfillment of an adolescent yearning in the modern world. As they were among the first to flaunt the Miu Miu set, the Chet Lo popcorn effect skirts, and go crazy for Heaven by Marc Jacobs Kiki Boots, we are confident that Yasmin, Chloe, Sasha, and Jade, the Bratz OG, would like Blumarine’s girlie creations today.
The Bratz were unmistakably different from any toys the toy industry was accustomed to when they first hit the stores in 2001. Unlike Barbie, Carter Bryant’s dolls were anything from traditional.The dolls made by Carter Bryant were not traditional like Barbie. The Bratz were a response to Barbie’s ideal of perfection, with bodies of purposefully unreal proportions, big heads, long flowing leaves, wide almond mouths and eyes, tiny noses and thin bodies, long legs and large feet.In addition to having a bolder wardrobe than Mattel’s relatives, the dolls were also inspired by late-’90s pop artists like Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, Christina Aguilera, Avril Lavigne, and the Pussycat Dolls for their fashion choices.
This combination of various elements reeked of the typical Y2K aesthetic madness, where cargo pants, cropped shirts, plaid miniskirts, low-waisted jeans, fur-lined coats, tank tops, baby tees, knee boots, caps, sunglasses, vertiginous platform shoes, body chains, and flashy earrings cohabit. Many parents thought the toys’ appearance was too “mature” and decided against giving them to their kids since they were too sensual to be toys for kids. This combination of various elements reeked of the typical Y2K aesthetic madness, where cargo pants, cropped shirts, plaid miniskirts, low-waisted jeans, fur-lined coats, tank tops, baby tees, knee boots, caps, sunglasses, vertiginous platform shoes, body chains, and flashy earrings cohabit. Many parents thought they were too “mature” and sensual to be children’s clothing because of their appearance.
Since the Gen Z discovered the appeal of Y2K fashion and after the #BratzChallenge, which asked Bratz fans to recreate the characters’ looks in real life, expanded the boundaries of beauty, there have been many creator profiles on TikTok that perfectly replicate the looks of Yasmin, Chloe, Sasha, and Jade. Why would you dress like a thirty-year-old toy? The nostalgia effect plays a significant part, but after recording this collective emotion, it appears that there are just two fundamental causes of this Bratz obsession. The first is that kids who dressed up like these bizarre-looking dolls when they were little can now because they have grown up. Similar to how many young celebrities, like Kylie Jenner, Olivia Rodrigo, Emma Chamberlain, Iris Law, Cindy Kimberly, and Chloe Cherry, have admittedly been influenced by the Bratz wardrobe for their looks.The second reason is because the Bratz, with their excessive and at the same time cool aesthetic, are a statement that cries out passion for a fashion that follows trends as a form of expression: “Every time I see myself in the mirror wearing a Bratz-inspired dress, I feel that I am showing the world who I am, how good I feel in my skin. It’s a way to gain confidence and self-love.” The tiktoker @isiifernandeez is convinced of this. There is something better than playing with the dolls we loved as children and thus elevating our personal style and self confidence
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