Monster High: TV Shows That Don't Educate
Today’s parents are, in general, much more aware of and involved in the education of their children than in previous years. They pay attention to emotional intelligence, building self-esteem, and educational values. However, these noble parenting purposes can be overshadowed by the influence of various television shows that convey inappropriate messages. For example, the popular series Monster High.
If you have a young girl at home, you probably know what show we’re talking about, as this program has especially penetrated young female audiences. Despite the fact that their plots and arguments deal with more adult themes, the truth is that many girls love it.
If you want to discover why this is one of the least recommended programs for your children, be sure to read the following article.
The origin and purpose of Monster High
Monster High is a fictional web series, animated and created in 2010 as a marketing strategy. Its purpose was to promote and advertise a new brand image and to publicize the new dolls of the Mattel company.
In other words, we’re not dealing with a program designed for educational purposes or specially designed for infants, but rather with a commercial strategy.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only program that’s been designed for these purposes, but it’s something you should consider in order to understand its background.
With the arrival of Monster High on television, a real media phenomenon was born. The great pull generated in young girls served to sell the dolls and also an endless number of articles, toys, and school supplies associated with that brand.
Although the books from which the characters originated were aimed at a more adolescent audience, in this case, the target audience was girls under 12 years of age.
Besides the issue of choosing an animated series designed for this purpose, what’s truly relevant has to do with what we discover upon analyzing the plot and the values that Monster High transmits to little ones. Let’s see what this is about.
Monster High and its messages to childhood
If you still don’t know what Monster High is about, we’ll tell you all about it below. The plot centers on a highschool attended by the children of the most well-known monsters (Frankenstein, Count Dracula, werewolves, and more). In particular, it follows the daily adventures of a group of teenage girls who are obsessed with fashion and their relationships with other high school boys.
Now, why do we insist on the fact that its educational value is so low? Here are some of the main problems with this program.
False diversity
At first sight, the series is presented as an example of diversity as it includes characters from different monster families with seemingly different characteristics. However, in reality, all the protagonists present a normative and very homogeneous appearance among themselves, with slender and developed bodies and with a look that’s not very appropriate for pre-pubescent girls.
Finally, the program transmits the idea that, no matter where you come from and whatever you are, you have to fit in with the established standards.
The obsession with one’s image
The girls in the series not only love fashion, but consider it essential in order to fit in or to achieve a certain status in the group. The emphasis they place on makeup, clothing, and ultimately, their image is very clear.
In addition, they present physical appearance as a source of social benefit to gain acceptance and success.
The hypersexualization of childhood
In general, a hypersexualized image of childhood is conveyed that teaches girls to dress and act like adults. Even to abide by the doctrines set by fashion as soon as possible.
Appearance and romantic relationships are presented in a superficial way, which can harm the young children who follow the program.
A conscious choice
Television programs have a great influence on the way children understand the world. Therefore, as parents, we have to be very careful about the content that we offer to our children, especially during their first years of life.
Exposure kids to inappropriate programs that promote childhood hypersexualization has serious repercussions. On the one hand, they can contribute to the development of low self-esteem, eating disorders, or anxiety problems. On the other hand, it limits the spontaneity, freedom, and autonomy of childhood in order to begin to subjugate them to the dictatorship of one’s image.
Therefore, this content aimed at a young audience shouldn’t be exposed to children, and much less, without supervision or adult accompaniment. It’s must better to choose educational programs that are developed according to the values that you want to transmit to your children.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Cottais, C., & Louvette, M. (2021). Los peligros de la hipersexualización de las niñas: una infancia robada. Generations for Rights Over the World.
- American Psychological Association. (2007). Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualisation of Girls. Apa.org. [online] Disponible en: https://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report-summary.pdf
