Is Winx Club appropiate for kids?

Winx Fairy Posts : 6

First topic message reminder :

Hi! My name is Michelle and I am a mother of two. I am really concerned about whether kids, especially mine should be watching Winx Club. My youngest daughter, who is 9, is constantly watching it online and on Nickelodeon and I do not like the messages this cartoon tells young girls. The show teaches that you always need to get revenge on people you don't like. Also the girls are so skinny and girls can start to feel that they need to look that way. My 18 year old daughter hasn't been eating and she's been throwing up and has anorexia because she says she wants to be skinny like the Winx. I am very worried about her and my younger daughter. The Winx always have boyfriends and I don't think its appropiate for my daughters to have boyfriends at their age. I srill need to take care of them. Their outfits are also too revealing and trashy and now my 9 year old daughter is going out and chasing after random boys and wearing revealing clothes because the Winx do it. My daughters are growing up too fast.

Sophix Fairy Posts : 686

First of all, hello. I had to edit one of your previous posts because of the words you used, please remember that there are children in this forum, so we like to keep it clean.

In regards to your main question, yes, I do believe Winx Club is appropriate for kids. The show tells the story of 21 year old girls, who just happen to be fairies. They have boyfriends, they live on their own and they choose their own clothing. If children don't understand that, maybe it's up to their parents to tell them about it. I think it would be important for you to sit down with your daughters and talk to them about this. From a health care student's point of view, if one of them does have anorexia, there might be a psychological issue behind that, so it is crucial to find out what it is. As for your 9 year old, you do need to have some control over what kind of clothing she's buying. Maybe start picking her outfits beforehand. I agree with what some people have said though; the clothing was so much more revealing in the past seasons.

However, I've been watching Winx Club since I was 11 and never have I seen a single joke about body weight or unhealthy habits. The show has always tried to convey an educational message. Have a healthy lifestyle, take good care of the environment and vengeance is never the answer (see Season 4, Episodes 24-26). That's what matters, not the shape of the models. They're fictional characters, and that's all they will ever be.

Subject: Re: Is Winx Club appropiate for kids? Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:47 pm

You need to let your kids know that winx club is just someone's imagination. It's made up but its fun to watch. Also Stella didn't say that she would work out right after eating. She said "So I have a healthy appetite, I'll work it off." And Bloom wasn't making fun of Stella's eating habits, she just pointed out that Stella also likes eating lunch not just breakfast.

Also the winx don't wear eyeliner and mascara in their regular form. EVERYONE just have naturally thick eyelashes in the show.The winx only have makeup on in their fairy forms.

Winx Fairy Posts : 6

Kyraii wrote:

ConcernedParentMother wrote:: You don't need to dress sleazy to express yourself, especially not my young daughter. Have you seen how she dresses? My older daughter is already letting her wear mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick at 9 years old and she purposely wears belly shirts and short skirts and shorts to school before I always have to stop her. She always says she wants to look more attractive fore the boys. And you don't know my daughters personally so you can't say what caused their anorexia. Her anorexia started when she first started watching this show. She even told me how much she adores them and wants to look like them. This show may not be the only reason but it sure isn't helping. The animators need to make them more realistic looking. Isn't that what they with Barbie?

Calling it 'sleazy' is just downright insulting to others, whom you're insulting due to appearance alone. If someone is comfortable in that kind of clothing you have no right to insult them anymore than they get to insult you. If someone enjoys wearing short skirts there is no reason for insults just because you dislike their clothing. Definitely should not be teaching your children to discriminate others because their wearing something revealing. I can understand not wanting your daughter to, but your choice of wording shows you have no respect for adults that do so either.
And no, I don't know them personally, but I do know that anorexia isn't something that happens from one thing only. Winx Club may have triggered it, but there was probably already a problem. It's also plausible for her to have already had anorexia by that point as well since a lot of people with it do hide it. I can't explain much about it because I've never actually had anorexia, but someone who's had it could go into more detail about how it certainly doesn't just pop up after one thing with nothing happening before that.
Also I don't think they actually did anything to Barbie, there was someone coming up with a more realistic Barbie but I didn't think anything came of it.

It's not an insult to say if clothing is appropiate or inappropiate. I know adults have a right to wear what they want but that doesn't mean they should. I have taught my kids that they shouldn't judge people based on clothing alone but in real life, clothing is part of people's impression of you. You are expected to wear appropiate clothes at school, at work, and with your family. I don't mean to come off as rude.I also did say that Winx Club may not have been the only cause but it doesn't help when cartoon characters like this are a size 0. It doesn't help my anorexic daughter's self esteem and her disease.

SarahTheGamerEmpress wrote:: Okay, the question was if winx is appropriate for kids. Your 18 years old daughter is not a kid, I suggest you sit down with her and discuss matters between the both of you till you reach an agreement point. As for your 9 years old daughter, you should try to make her understand that it's just an animated show, that it's not real and she shouldn't take it for granted. (:

Winx is appropriate for children yes, that was your question and here is your answer but if you want to find solutions to help your kids to stop doing what you think is wrong then I can tell you we don't have the answer for that. This forum is filled with self-aware members that know what's right and wrong, children and teenagers go through phases, which is totally fine. We may not have the answers for your troubles but someone else does.

You shouldn't take it out on us, this is your family and you should be responsible enough to talk through things with them and help them, a lot of parents know what you're going through maybe you should talk with them about it but we're just a bunch of teenagers and children. You can't expect us to help you with your own issues.. or in this case your children's issues. I'm truly sorry and if you don't find Winx appropriate you could disable the channel right away. Nothing is going to stop you.

Thank you for your response. I try to teach my children through right and wrong and yes teens go through phases which is why Nick should be more sensitive to that. I am not taking it out on you but on Nick. Also, programming today is really bad compared to programming back then. You can just ask anyone from my generation. I really believe kids are missing out. Rarely any show today has any moral value for kids but there are tons with bad jokes and plot. Also being 18 does not make you an adult. I believe that an adult is someone who is capable of taking care of themself and making their own decisions and my 18 year old daughter has proven that she is not yet able to do that as she is suffering from a really bad mental and psychological disorder and she needs my help. She will always be a child to me.

Aeniara wrote:: First of all, hello. I had to edit one of your previous posts because of the words you used, please remember that there are children in this forum, so we like to keep it clean.

In regards to your main question, yes, I do believe Winx Club is appropriate for kids. The show tells the story of 21 year old girls, who just happen to be fairies. They have boyfriends, they live on their own and they choose their own clothing. If children don't understand that, maybe it's up to their parents to tell them about it. I think it would be important for you to sit down with your daughters and talk to them about this. From a health care student's point of view, if one of them does have anorexia, there might be a psychological issue behind that, so it is crucial to find out what it is. As for your 9 year old, you do need to have some control over what kind of clothing she's buying. Maybe start picking her outfits beforehand. I agree with what some people have said though; the clothing was so much more revealing in the past seasons.

However, I've been watching Winx Club since I was 11 and never have I seen a single joke about body weight or unhealthy habits. The show has always tried to convey an educational message. Have a healthy lifestyle, take good care of the environment and vengeance is never the answer (see Season 4, Episodes 24-26). That's what matters, not the shape of the models. They're fictional characters, and that's all they will ever be.

Could you please tell me what bad words I used? The dirtiest word I could find was promiscuous Laughing

. It's nice to hear from a healthcare student You say you have never seen a joke about weight or unhealthy habits. What do you take about what Bloom said to Stella. Don't you think the girls are unrealistically thin too? You have been exposed to the show at a young age, did you ever want to look like the girls? Have you dealt with or learned about young girls with weight issues and if so, what was the cause of their disorders? Was media a factor? I try to tell my children what is realistic and what is not but I can't make them absorb the information on my own. You have to admit, the media has so much more influence on the kids of this generation than parents do. Nick should at least improve a little bit in areas like body issues for adolescents.

rashid29 wrote:: You need to let your kids know that winx club is just someone's imagination. It's made up but its fun to watch. Also Stella didn't say that she would work out right after eating. She said "So I have a healthy appetite, I'll work it off." And Bloom wasn't making fun of Stella's eating habits, she just pointed out that Stella also likes eating lunch not just breakfast.

Also the winx don't wear eyeliner and mascara in their regular form. EVERYONE just have naturally thick eyelashes in the show.The winx only have makeup on in their fairy forms.

That quote that Stella said is an example of bulimia. It's normal to constantly working stuff off after you eat. And if Bloom has to point out that Stella likes eating other meals after all, isn't that sending a message that you don't have to eat all your meals? I never mentioned the Winx wearing makeup. I said my youngest daughter puts on too much of it.

Subject: Re: Is Winx Club appropiate for kids? Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:01 am

Hello,
First of all I am happy to see your change of approach in this last reply. You seem really frustrated and worried about your daughters and that is very understandable.But I have to ask first of all I have to ask you to take care of yourself.
I would like to add on to what the others have said.
I think your children need professional help.
It would also help to try and find out why they are reacting this way towards the winx and also why they aren't listening.Speaking from experience, perhaps its a reaction to your approach? These addictions/situations usually manifest from the way they think which is affected by the things they feel, see and experience and what they see other people experience which causes them to react in a certain way to different things.I think your main concern right now is trying to understand and influence the direction that your daughters' actions are moving towards.Find out what they like about the winx, see if their are any more "positive" shows that have the same or similar features, if possible.Try to find a loophole.I would suggest you look for other activities or shows that reinforce what it means to be comfortable in your own skin and that you don't need to be anyone but yourself, among other such influences. Like I've said before a professional would be able to help you with this.Though you would need to be careful, rebellious children have a tendency to become more stubborn or act out if they see you're trying to change them. You know your children, try to find something that works.
If I was unable to help you in any way I am very sorry.

Subject: Re: Is Winx Club appropiate for kids? Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:01 am

Hi there, my name's Alex, and I'm also a fellow fan of the show. I'm twenty, and I have been watching Winx Club since it came to America nearly ten years ago. Overall, I say I have a decent idea on the context of the show. I understand your concerns as well, and they aren't uncommon as you might expect.

Winx Club was owned by 4Kids Entertainment during the earlier years of the show, when it was broadcast on American televisions. The show revolved around the same context you see in the show today, which is owned by Nickelodeon.

4Kids changed a lot about the show to westernize the program, to make it more familiar to our U.S. audience. The humor was filled with witty humor, high school themed references all mixed together with magic. The show under 4Kids' licenses lasted for three seasons. Under their circumstances, their type of humor wasn't too far fetched. During the first three seasons of the show, the Winx Club girls were high school age. They way they came off was expected, drama and what not. But once they got older, their characters were very mature for their age. It impressed me, because 4Kids did supply some good morals. Nick, does the same in some form.

Nick, however, does the exact opposite of 4Kids. Nickelodeon follows the script of the original, Italian version. They even dubbed the fourth season onwards, something 4Kids never did. In Season 4, the show gets milked out. The Winx girls downgrade in their personalities. They don't act their age, and their motives are spread too thin:

They 'suppose' to be guardian fairies
They're the new company of light
They have a pet shop business to run
They want to be a famous band

Sometimes, I wonder if the creator even has a clue on what he wants to do with the girls. They can't be everything.

Also, you mentioned that the girls also seek revenge at times. Yes, this does happen in one episode of Season 3. In the episode "Revenge!" (Nick title) / "Payback" (4Kids title), the Winx set sights for Valtor (the season 3 antagonist) because his actions caused Tecna to sacrifice herself to save the entire magic dimension. The Winx set a pursuit for him for, you guessed it, payback. Now, that response is a natural human emotion. We, as humans, are built for that kind of selfishness. Deny it or not. Plus, the Winx aren't exactly the best role models. They're imperfect, just like us. Only they're fictional beings created by a middle aged Italian man.

Another revenge theme comes from the Earth fairies, and even Aisha. Queen Morgana and the Earth fairies wants revenge on both the Wizards that trapped them, and the humans (for not believing in them!). It's definitely a messy turnaround. Aisha grows revenge for the wizards because Nabu sacrifices himself to save the fairies (both Winx and Earth fairies) from the Wizards' attack.

Aisha, and Nebula, both surrender their desire for vengeance. It's all a live and learn thing. Bloom even shows enlightenment to Nebula when Bloom says that she can be redeemed. A little spark of religion there. Razz

Again, good morals.

But their actions for revenge weren't passive. Head Mistress Faragonda notes, painfully, that seeking revenge wasn't a smart or good idea. At least somebody on the show had to say it.

The boyfriend thing also is a hit or miss. Musa and Riven's relationship is so bump, like a roller coaster. Musa is generally the problem, too, thinking she can put herself about Riven. It disgusts me, too, believe me. This happens in Season 4, where it's painfully shown. She. is. a. control freak. That only proves my point that Season 4 downgraded their character personalities. But as I call it, the girls aren't exactly the best role models.

I can type forever, but I'll stop there. Season 5 and 6 of the show get mediocre, and its just a rinse and repeat cycle. More relationship drama here and there, which is unneeded.

In the end, I would say it's up to you whether you think the show is appropriate to watch or not. Perhaps I said something that either encouraged you about the show. Or if it just made it stronger for you to oppose the show. Believe me, I won't be upset either way. Winx Club is a horribly flawed show.

Subject: Re: Is Winx Club appropiate for kids? Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:59 am

I have to agree with Chris, Lily and Sarah on this one.

And about the makeup thing, I think it's okay to wear some. If it makes your daughters confident,then thats good! My mom lets me wear clear mascara, eyeshadow and lipgloss. I like to because it makes me feel pretty.

Believix Fairy Posts : 312 Age : 25

ConcernedParentMother wrote:: It's not an insult to say if clothing is appropiate or inappropiate. I know adults have a right to wear what they want but that doesn't mean they should. I have taught my kids that they shouldn't judge people based on clothing alone but in real life, clothing is part of people's impression of you. You are expected to wear appropiate clothes at school, at work, and with your family. I don't mean to come off as rude.I also did say that Winx Club may not have been the only cause but it doesn't help when cartoon characters like this are a size 0. It doesn't help my anorexic daughter's self esteem and her disease.

You called it sleazy. That's an insult. What's wrong with skimpy clothing? I understand that you don't intend to be rude but you're basically insulting a huge group of people for no real reason. I don't think you get to decide what's appropriate for everyone.
I do understand that Winx Club is highly harmful though, it definitately sounds like it worsened things. Like everyone else has said, I do recommend professional help, but I don't know if you're in a position where it's available. Are you able to keep your daughter away from the show at all? Another thing is that make sure your daughter knows she can come and talk to you and go to you for support. It's highly important that she's aware that she can trust you.

Subject: Re: Is Winx Club appropiate for kids? Wed Apr 09, 2014 3:01 am

Hi.
I'm also a winx fan since i was 4. I know the ups and downs of the show. Winx has growing mature each season. Rainbow used real celebs for inspiration for winx. Search on youtube the first concept video for winx. I don't worry about winx on weight, clothes, makeup, and the villians. My dream is to become an animator for Rainbow S.r.l. My mom taught me that winx is not REAL. As everyone saying that its competely fictional like Twlight, Hunger Games, and such books and movies. My little sister that is 8 years has a abnormal way to dressing herself like your nine year old. Mom and I teach what to wear better what she wears. I come from a christan family that are strict on boyfriends. Musa and Riven's relationship is really bad for kids(my con) but i got friends that are obsessed with different anime series. Some like straight relationships. And the one likes both. Rainbow make concept arts for all the seasons like Sirenix. Sirenix was supposed to be gothic, evilish look but they changed it to the current version. It's appropiate for kids. Your 18 year old has a mental issue to be really skinny. Talk to her why she wants to be skinny like the winx. If gives true why and talk to her dos and don'ts on winx. I had this chat with mom on the topic my technology addiction and she helped me to raise my grades. They show good messages like your friends are to help you and earth is to live on, not make a wasteland, believe in your self and set your goals and accomplished those goals. Ignino Straffi wanted to make this show a big success after their series, Tommy & Oscar. I'm have no disorders, dieases, and mental issues. I'm healthy and tall for my age. Just talk to them and watch what they are doing.
Thanks,
Kimberly

Guest

Winx Club however, does have some positive themes in the show like:
Believing in yourself
Girl Power
Friendship
Trying new things
Expressing yourself
Conquering your fears
Confidence
>.<
Also the winx are currently 21 years old in the show.

Sophix Fairy Posts : 686

ConcernedParentMother wrote:

Aeniara wrote:: First of all, hello. I had to edit one of your previous posts because of the words you used, please remember that there are children in this forum, so we like to keep it clean.

In regards to your main question, yes, I do believe Winx Club is appropriate for kids. The show tells the story of 21 year old girls, who just happen to be fairies. They have boyfriends, they live on their own and they choose their own clothing. If children don't understand that, maybe it's up to their parents to tell them about it. I think it would be important for you to sit down with your daughters and talk to them about this. From a health care student's point of view, if one of them does have anorexia, there might be a psychological issue behind that, so it is crucial to find out what it is. As for your 9 year old, you do need to have some control over what kind of clothing she's buying. Maybe start picking her outfits beforehand. I agree with what some people have said though; the clothing was so much more revealing in the past seasons.

However, I've been watching Winx Club since I was 11 and never have I seen a single joke about body weight or unhealthy habits. The show has always tried to convey an educational message. Have a healthy lifestyle, take good care of the environment and vengeance is never the answer (see Season 4, Episodes 24-26). That's what matters, not the shape of the models. They're fictional characters, and that's all they will ever be.

Could you please tell me what bad words I used? The dirtiest word I could find was promiscuous Laughing

. It's nice to hear from a healthcare student You say you have never seen a joke about weight or unhealthy habits. What do you take about what Bloom said to Stella. Don't you think the girls are unrealistically thin too? You have been exposed to the show at a young age, did you ever want to look like the girls? Have you dealt with or learned about young girls with weight issues and if so, what was the cause of their disorders? Was media a factor? I try to tell my children what is realistic and what is not but I can't make them absorb the information on my own. You have to admit, the media has so much more influence on the kids of this generation than parents do. Nick should at least improve a little bit in areas like body issues for adolescents.

I'm not going to say the exact word for obvious reasons. It was a slightly inappropriate designation for "chest".

I didn't take what Bloom said to Stella like a joke. In fact, Stella said she'd work it off if she ate a healthy breakfast. I think that's promoting healthy life habits. They're not exactly starving themselves, they even created a giant pizza in episode 614 (this episode hasn't aired in the US yet).

Yes, I do believe the girls are unrealistically thin, but that's the character design they adopted. Several cartoons have unrealistic designs, here are a few examples:

Spoiler:

Back in my time, we had more trouble with how thin Barbie looked, but then this picture came out:

Spoiler:

I apologize for not having pictures of recent stuff, I really don't know any on-going cartoons for girls.

It's all about children's ability to realize that's not how a girl's body looks like. If they don't have that ability, it's up to their parents to explain it for them. My parents have never had the "this is just a cartoon" talk with me, but I have always enjoyed a nice, full plate, so there's that.

I have dealt with girls of a really young age (7-8 years old) with anorexia, and the most common excuses they had were "I want to look like Taylor Swift/Miley Cyrus/etc.". In this case, yes, media has a very important role because they're looking at real girls, these people exist in the real world, unlike cartoons.
As for teenage girls (14-18 years old), it's a whole different story. What usually leads them to develop serious problems is bullying. Girls can be mean, and they will lead others into believing they are fat. The necessity of fitting in gets so strong that they will starve themselves just to lose a few pounds.

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