Read this article published in the March-April 2013 issue of Infobébés magazine.

They barely speak, and are already loudly expressing their attraction to this or that T-shirt or character. Hello Kitty and Dora are the Dior and Vuitton of our baby-fashion victims. But why? Should we resist?

Your mission for the day? To find a pretty dress for your little Chloé. Without missing a beat, you climb into your car and head for the mall. Confident? Well, not quite. Because the task is not an easy one! Once you’ve reached the children’s clothing department, things get complicated. You yourself have fallen in love with a charming little pink dress with white polka dots. You’re convinced it will fit her like a glove! Unfortunately, your little one doesn’t think so. At the tender age of two, she expresses a keen interest in a dress with a protruding heroine, widely known among toddlers, and which you are far from crazy about. You stand up to her to the point of provoking a major tantrum under the judgmental gaze of your shopping companions. Finally, exhausted from negotiating, you give in and buy her the dress she wanted… No, the attraction for this or that derivative character is not limited to the very young, and can be observed from an early age, much to the chagrin of some parents. To the extent that your little one’s choices are made in spite of him or herself, and in spite of you, under the diktat of marketing laws. What can we say about such success? How can we explain that a little fellow under two years old, whose first words have barely appeared, can already be so sensitive to characters of all kinds?

 

An attractive, easily identifiable character

For us adults, every brand represents a style, a quality, a state of mind to which we adhere. They punctuate our lives and our everyday consumption, whether we’re buying a new blouse or a box of cakes. For our very young children, the situation is quite different. We’re not talking about brands as such, but about licenses, these derivative characters that can be found as cartoon heroes or on a pair of socks or a toothbrush, and which often come from the world of older children. These characters have a function similar to that of brands, in the sense that the toddler’s interest in them is similar to that of adults for these famous brands. It all starts with the introduction of this attractive hero, easily identifiable from near and far, into your little one’s life, at the corner of a toy given by grandma or a billboard on the street corner. The more you come across his image, the more your little one will begin to appreciate him when he’s present, and then to desire him when he’s absent. « My little boy’s attraction to Spiderman began very early, well before he was two, when he’d never even watched the films. He first saw him on a cereal packet. It contained a small toy bearing his likeness, which my son has never parted with. It’s hard to say what was really going on in his little head, or why he kept asking for this character, which I personally find horribly ugly », says Martha, mother of three-year-old Mathéo (via internet). Your child will quickly associate a verbal word with this visual character. And the simpler the phonetic structure, the more memorable and pronounceable it will be for the budding consumer. In short, everything to make them addicts!

 

Friends first!

But remember, while marketers may have power over your little guy, they’re not omnipotent. And that’s just as well! No sales strategy, no matter how well crafted, can compete with these famous friends. Let’s not forget that young children are first and foremost social beings, largely influenced by their peers. You’re sensitive to the clothes your best friend wears? So is he! Have you ever bought the same dress as your colleague? The same goes for him! And that’s why we’re all dressed more or less the same, even though deep down we’re under the delusion that we’ve got our own style. In short, your Apolline will have no trouble identifying the giraffe head on her nursery friend’s sweater in a shopping mall! Assia, a nursery assistant in a group nursery in the Yvelines region of France, reports: « Among the ‘big kids’, but sometimes also among the ‘medium kids’, I noticed that some children took pleasure in showing the professional that they had the same T-shirt as their friends. I remember two little girls who walked through the section, sweaters up and looking serious, to show me that they had the same bodysuit. They looked so proud! If marketers seek to seduce their budding consumers by plastering an attractive character on all their products, part of the child’s choice will therefore depend on those of his or her friends.

 

An asset for the development of its identity

This human dimension of derived characters has a number of benefits for social and identity development. Wearing the same little bunny head on their shoes as their neighbor fuels their similarity. It’s a way for them to become part of the world of toddlers, a social group distinct from that of adults. The character thus contributes to the construction of the identity of those who wear it. Children assert themselves and cultivate their individuality in relation to their parents. The benefit is also social, in the sense that wearing the same T-shirt as another child can encourage the child to make contact with them. This can mark the beginning of sometimes positive and lasting exchanges. Whether we’re blowing out our first candle, or celebrating our sixtieth spring, we’re drawn to what looks like us. Inevitably. « In the early days, I remember having a lot of influence over my little Nathan’s choice of clothes. Just letting him know that I didn’t like this pair of sneakers at all was enough to make him give in. However, when he entered the famous opposition phase, the situation seemed to have reversed. The less I liked a character, the more he loved it, » recalls Estelle, mom of Maxens, aged three and a half (Paris).

 

Children manipulated and conditioned

Unfortunately, the influence of marketers is far from 100% positive. Today, the manipulation of your little ones is unprecedented. Never before have very young children been seen so much as consumers. These marketing strategies short-circuit your power as a mother. You’re no longer the sole decision-maker. They encourage your child to consume products that are not always suited to his or her development, or even harmful. And they do this with an essentially economic mindset. Ethics be damned! The pretty mouse head on the packet of cakes will make its contents attractive to your Margaut, even if it goes totally against his nutritional needs. Enough to make a scrupulous dietician jump out of his chair! Beyond this admittedly unethical manipulation, marketers immerse your Margaut in a stereotypical universe. For boys, adventure, violence and speed, to discover the world and surpass their limits. For girls, maternity, aesthetics, dreams and social relationships. Some highly feminized effigies, decked out in hot pink and gold sequins, attract little girls in droves, and drive boys away. A distinction that parents cultivate in spite of themselves. While this eccentric gender differentiation contributes to the construction of their sexual identity, it also transmits the sexist values of our society, right from the cradle. Enough to make some parents and feminist associations wince!

 

A real dilemma for parents

Your position as a parent is not the most comfortable, and you’re in the middle of a real dilemma. On the one hand, you do everything you can to satisfy your child’s desires from the very first hour of life. Pleasing him is second nature to you. On the other hand, you feel that your child is far too young to be so dependent on the laws of marketing. All the more so as the fetish characters he demands from you, imperturbable and determined, end up popping out of your eyeballs. « As a young mother, I was full of illusions. I thought I could keep Anaëlle out of this consumer society, at least until kindergarten. Unfortunately, the outside world quickly crept into the family cocoon. And like most little girls her age, she started asking me for Hello Kitty and Dora T-shirts, » says Christelle, mother of three-year-old Anaëlle (Meaux). Without rejecting all your child’s choices out of hand, you can moderate her adherence to these stars. Armed with a good dose of courage, explain the reason for your refusal: « Last time, I gave you the shoes you wanted. It made me happy to please you. Today, you can tell me what you prefer, but it’s my choice ». If no is a source of great frustration, it’s an integral part of his upbringing, and therefore precious to him. And one thing’s for sure: when he’s a teenager, dressed in clothes as improbable as any other, you’ll remember with nostalgia this period when you had the last word!

 

As you can see, the little characters that adorn the world of children are still very much in the news. Whether they seduce or exasperate you, they’ll continue to make your children’s eyes shine for years to come. So it’s up to you to decide how much space you want to give them… for better or for worse!

 

Special partners!

« What if parents could turn their enemies into real allies? With these little heroes in the field, it’s a good idea to give them an educational role. A child is reluctant to brush his teeth? The presence of his favorite teddy bear on his toothpaste can make the ordeal less stressful. Worried about falling asleep? The fetish character adorning his bedside lamp, like the guardian of his dreams, will tend to make him feel more secure. It’s up to parents to give meaning to a consumer society that conditions the mind.

Nicole Voisembert, clinical psychologist, in private practice in Paris.

 

Hello Kitty: the little head worth a billion euros

This oval-headed cat with its ten whiskers is a favorite with children all over the world. There are many reasons for her success: her features are schematized and therefore easily identifiable. Her big pink ribbon on her head satisfies little girls in search of femininity. The absence of her mouth allows them to give her their own emotions. But above all, Hello Kitty is everywhere: sweaters, panties, bedside lamps, candy… Nothing and nobody can escape her!

 

My daughter is unique, and so is her wardrobe

« I find it hard to believe that children as young as three years old should be designing their own wardrobe. Personally, I don’t want my daughter to become a fashion victim, dressed like all the other little girls in her section. Resisting collective tastes is also a way for me to cultivate her originality, my originality, in the eyes of other parents. »

Gaël, father of Nicolas and Matthieu, six months and two years old, by internet.