Miss Bimbo and other stories
This Thursday sees the long-awaited publication by Dr Tanya Byron of her report into the internet and children: how much access should you give? How much should you scrutinise? What is a healthy level of internet use etc. Given today's horror story about a new site massively popular with teenage girls called Miss Bimbo, this report should generate some much needed and welcome debate.
Miss Bimbo, for those who have missed it, is a French website which allows girls to create an online Bimbo of their own delectation, she has virtual money, a wardrobe and gets points for being thin and as babelicious as possible: cue frenzy about bad role models for girls (Miss Bimbo lives to go partying, look cool, be the best looking at night clubs - for which she needs to be on a permanent crash diet - you can even get your online babe plastic surgery if you think your major assets need inflating).
I'm sure the men who conceived it just thought it was harmless fun - but as the ghastly effects of pro-anorexia sites show, young teenage girls are particularly susceptible to anything about body shape and can get unhealthy and dangerous ideas into their heads pretty quickly. It certainly looks pretty irresponsible. I suppose the only thing going for Miss Bimbo is that young girls might practice extreme self denial, body dysmorphia, anorexia, wardrobe/boyfriend obsession so extensively on the web that they lose their appetite for it in real life... somehow, having been a teenage girl myself, I don't think that's going to happen. But they could try out some of their wilder fantasies on there rather than in reality - or perhaps they'll discover how deeply tedious that kind of body/boy/club obsession really is. Hmmm maybe not. That takes at least 15 years of total immersion in my experience!
Wonder what the government in the form of Dr Byron's report is going to do about this? Has your teenager been on it? Had a go yourself? Shall we create an Alpha Mummy Bimbo to do all the things we're too old/knackered/fat to do anymore?
