Monday, June 9, 2008

Miss Bimbo the offensive internet materials?

Miss Bimbo Online Game from Google.com

What is Miss Bimbo? Virtual fashion game? Is it appropriate or not?
Online games are getting more. The problem is whether the online games are ethical or unethical? Will it effects the children? According to Kress and van Leeuwen (1997, p.64), texts and images will bring meaning to the documents. In this case, Miss Bimbo online game has interpreted wrongly to the society. It is unethical online game. Why? The Miss Bimbo promotes extreme diets and surgery to the young children. Breast implants, diet pills, face lifts, fashionable nightclub outfits and lingerie can be earn by the children in “Bimbo Dollars” by competing with other children. Not only that, their bimbo will join the beauty contest in order to win by enlarging the breasts and find billionaire boyfriend to bankroll the bimbo (Telegraph 2008). This will lead the children being anorexia and bulimia and eating disorder because they want to be perfect just like Miss Bimbo as their role model (Bird 2008).

Miss Bimbo has its own ethos that has own character which is pretty, fashionable and sexy which actually will reflect the social attitudes (Cronn-Mills 2000, pg 132). The ethos is fashionable. The icon can be most powerful way to spread the ideas of Miss Bimbo. The icon is a pretty lady and fashionable and sexy. The pretty lady has chosen to be the icon and she is the symbol of being pretty, fashionable and coolest bimbo.

Effects on the children and society? How?
According to Schriver (1997, p.440), elder people like parents cannot accept the Miss Bimbo game because it is their belief or ideology and basically will mislead the children. Parents' belief and ideology is part of the context of culture which they cannot accept their children to play Miss Bimbo online game. According to Schriver (1997, p.375), designing the images and texts are important and make sure it will fulfill the audiences and they are able to understand and read. The image of Miss Bimbo shows that Miss Bimbo wearing tight and sexy outfits. This is not the way to inform the children how to be pretty and famous. They should show the appropriate clothing and behaviour of Miss Bimbo. This will affect the behaviour and growth of children. The document designers of Miss Bimbo should change the image and attitude of Miss Bimbo in order to send good messages and lessons to the young children by not eating diet pills, breasts enlargement and face lifting.

My opinion
In my opinion, images and texts should be interpreted in a proper and positive way in order to avoid misleading the young children. The icon of Miss Bimbo should be more representative and not sexy but can be fashionable at the same time. Miss Bimbo game should be target on the elder people or they should change the game lifestyle and method to the appropriate lifestyle. It depends on the society's belief and ideology of context of culture. It is unacceptable for them to accept on Miss Bimbo online game that contains of offensive features to the children especially the girls. Moreover, Miss Bimbo online game should concern the audience, knowledge and beliefs and should apply something meaningful and appropriate to their audiences (Schriver 1997, p.373). The message of Miss Bimbo should be revised depending on the culture and beliefs (Schriver 1997, p,373).


Reference Lists:
Bird, S. 2008, “Miss Bimbo website promotes extreme diets and surgery to 9-years-olds”, The Times, viewed on 8 June 2008 at <http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article3613881.ece?token=null&offset=0>

Cronn-Mills, K. 2000, Technical writing and communication, “A visible ideology: a document series in a women’s clothing company”, Vol. 30(2), South Central Technical College, North Manako, pp.125-141.

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T. 1997, Page to screen: taking literacy into the electronic era, “Chapter 3: Visual and verbal modes of representation in electronically mediated communication: the potentials new forms of text”, Allen & Unwin, New South Wales, pp.53-79.


Shriver, K.A. 1997, Dynamics in document design: creating texts for readers, “Chapter 6: The interplay of words and pictures”, Wiley Computer Publication, New York, pp.364-441.

Telegraph.co.uk 2008, “Parents concerned about Miss Bimbo game”, viewed on 8 June 2008 at <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1582762/Parents-concerned-about-Miss-Bimbo-game.html>

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