Doll That Won’t Eat. Bad For Kids? Or Is Outrage Just An Overreaction?

According to this, a Spanish company called Famosa has released a new doll called "Nenuco Won't Eat" which has a magnet in the accompanying spoon that triggers the doll to close its mouth and turn its head away when a child attempts to feed it.

So naturally, there are people who are convinced that the doll encourages anorexia. Because of course.

Here's the doll in action:

And Chris isn't alone.  An eating disorder charity called Beat said, "Research shows young children are becoming aware of body image at a much earlier age.  A doll that refuses food is hardly a good example to them."  And Siobhan Freegard, from a parenting website called Netmums, said, "Anything which encourages young children to think not eating is normal is deeply worrying."

But it was Anita Worcester, from another eating disorder charity called SWEDA, who went full-bore and said, "Promoting what is basically an anorexic doll seems unhealthy."

Famosa responded to these claims saying, "We know that children often don't eat what they are given, but the doll is designed to show them how important it is that they eat properly.  It's about enabling young girls to have the closest experience possible to being a 'real mum.' We are not encouraging children not to eat.  The idea is that the child understands the doll is being mischievous and that the child encourages the doll to eat the food, just as a parent does with their child."

I gotta say, I'm inclined to agree with the doll maker. I mean, it's not like the doll is skinny – it's got the appropriate full baby cheeks and leg rolls.  And I don't know this for certain, because I haven't seen the doll in person, but I'm guessing that after the child is finished pretending that the doll won't eat, they can switch off the mechanism that stops it from eating and pretend-feed it just fine.

I can't believe I am analyzing this.  But I am, because the outrage over this doll seems so completely over the top.  I mean, promoting anorexia?  SERIOUSLY?

Cue people now being outraged that the response from the doll maker is sexist because it refers to the experience of being a "real mum" which excludes fathers from the feeding equation.  And then cue up some more folks being offended that this doll doesn't represent a minority.  We have to anticipate that kind of  nonsense these days, because we live in the Land of the Perpetually Offended.  And if you don't believe me, you should see the facebook comments on the thread of the cat photoshopped in place of a tennis racket post.  The facebook comments are right here.  There were people who got upset because that photo depicted CAT ABUSE, you guys.  This is the level of abject ignorance we're dealing with.

Anyway, curious to know what you think about the doll.  Is it going to be THE REASON that some girls turn into anorexics and bulimics?  Or do people just need to calm the freak down?  Discuss.