I caught a glimpse earlier of the new Dora the Explorer via one of my favorite blogs. Check it out:

Dora the Explorer

The image shows a departure from the earlier Dora, age 6-ish, to an older Dora, age 10 or so. Claims have been made by all sides that the new Dora is “too sexy”. Frankly, I don’t get it. I think the new Dora is very sensible. Yes, the new Dora is fashion-conscious. Yes, she has dropped the androgynous bowl-cut style ‘do for longer, more feminine looking hair.  Some propose that this more feminine-appearing Dora will become “boy crazy” and dense, which is a very troubling idea.  The fact that Dora’s femininity makes her subject to be ditzy shows, in my opinion, profoundly internalized sexism.  Why should a female have to emulate typically male or androgynous characteristics to be taken seriously?  Why does femininity combined with intelligence trigger defensiveness?

Thoughts on this?