Girlies, it’s time to rummage through your storage boxes to find your Barbie, Bratz, or American Girl Doll, because the doll renaissance has officially arrived. Conversations about all things dolls have been slowly re-entering the public psyche since the Barbie movie dominated everyone’s minds last summer. But now that Charli XCX has dubbed this a “Brat Girl Summer”, girls have an excuse to pull out their beloved Bratz dolls.
Brat Girl Summer has been taking over our FYPs since the release of Charli XCX’s sixth album, Brat in June. Neon green, cigarettes, a strappy white top with no bra, and trashiness are the essentials of this trend, Charli XCX explained in an interview with BBC. While that aesthetic is not necessarily what you think of when you think of Bratz dolls, Bratz is certainly a fan of Charli XCX. The official Bratz Instagram commented on Charli XCX’s album release post on Instagram, and they posted dolls inspired by her Brat aesthetic on their story.
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This resurgence of Bratz has been a long time coming, and they’re making way for other dolls, which I’m so here for. (We can’t forget the Sonny Angels, a.k.a. “little boyfriends,” every Gen Z girl seems to carry around.) Here is a breakdown of why there’s an uprising of women embracing the dolls of their childhood, and what this trend means.
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Trends like Brat Girl Summer prove dolls aren’t exclusive to your childhood
For a lot of Gen Z and millennial women, dolls were at the forefront of our childhoods. I took my American Girl Doll everywhere growing up—Kit Kittredge was literally my bestie. Whether it was your Cabbage Patch Doll (major throwback), American Girl Doll, Barbie, Bratz, or even your Strawberry Shortcake Doll, the connection girls have with their dolls is universal. And we all remember that sad moment when we put our dolls on the shelf for the last time or even into the storage box that’s now somewhere in your closet or basement.
We don’t need Margot Robbie (although I believe she’s a real-life Barbie) or Charli XCX to remind us of all our fond memories with our dolls, but it’s the perfect moment to remember that dolls don’t have to be exclusive to our childhoods. 39 percent of Gen Z women consider Barbie dolls to be role models, according to a Harmony Healthcare IT survey. From the massive success of the Barbie movie, it’s not surprising that many women are embracing the significant role dolls took in their lives. Coco Mocoe broke down this trend on her TikTok, where she discussed the doll that perfectly represents different pop culture icons.
The next doll on the docket? Polly Pocket. A live-action Polly Pocket movie is in the works, and people have already been obsessing over all things Polly Pocket-coded, such as mini skirts and chunky platform shoes. “Not only will [Polly Pocket] be in the media zeitgeist, but I can also see an artist like Sabrina Carpenter leaning into this 100 percent—she literally looks like a Polly Pocket,” says Mocoe. Mocoe also suggested that Chappell Roan should go full Strawberry Shortcake aesthetic.
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One user commented, “I fear we may be headed toward American Girl Doll Summer.” Another commented, “I will thrive in a monster high summer.”
The doll renaissance may be healing your inner child
To some, adult women obsessing over their childhood dolls and getting fashion inspiration from their dolls might seem… weird. But normalizing conversations around these toys can actually help heal your inner child. The amount of people connecting online because of their shared interest in a toy is beautiful, and with celebrities and musicians embracing the aesthetic of dolls like Barbie or Bratz, a tiny part of us is healing.
Saba Harouni Lurie—a licensed marriage and family therapist, board certified art therapist, and the owner and founder of Take Root Therapy—weighed in: “While some trends are just trends, sometimes we can meet unspoken needs through trends, consciously or subconsciously.”
With all the stress and responsibilities of adulthood, the women who connect with dolls becoming popular again should just enjoy it. These memories bring us to a simpler time when all we had to worry about was making sure our Barbie DreamHouse was in order. Our dolls will always have a special place in our hearts. “We don’t usually have opportunities to play and be lighthearted, and women may seize these opportunities when they’re available. Some women could definitely be tapping into their inner child or reliving experiences that they miss or may never have experienced in the first place,” said Lurie.
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We cannot forget to have fun and enjoy this youthful bliss. So, throw on your bratty white tank top or your clunky loafers, and meet me in my pink convertible Corvette.