Baffled by Bratz & Biffles
Besides the letter “L”—what’s the difference between a BFFL (best friend for life) and a BFF (best friend forever)?
When Nathalia Ramos, 15, the actress who plays Yasmin (one of the Mattel dolls that is brought to life in Bratz, the movie) was interviewed by a reporter from the Washington Post she said:
There are biffles and BFFs…A biffle (as in BFFL, or best friend for life) is a fun friend that you phone. A BFF is a best friend forever that you love.
Whether close friendships are for life or forever (let’s not nitpick), the story line of the movie is banal; it’s about four friends of different cultural backgrounds and interests who drift apart during high school, as best friends often do, and come together again (which is less likely to happen).
One critic disses the film (that opened last summer and will be released as a DVD over Thanksgiving) as an “excruciatingly inane high-
While the overarching theme of this PG movie is the feel-good and exceedingly important topic of friendship, it’s unfortunate that the film perpetuates myths and stereotypes about young women—casting them as shallow, obsessed
with guys, and materialistic—and that it is targeted towards younger girls who are looking for role models.
What miffs me most is that the film helps perpetuate the myth of BFF for another generation.
Category: KEEPING FRIENDS
