They denounce the YouTube channel 'Las Ratitas' for promoting gender stereotypes

Gisele and Claudia are two six and seven year old Catalan sisters. its YouTube channel, 'Las Ratitas', where they appear makeup, cooking or taking care of a baby, among other games, has more than 11 million followers.

Now, the Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya (CAC), the former defender of the Minor of the Community of Madrid, Javier Urra and the Save The Children association They have asked the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office in Barcelona to investigate this channel of professional videos aimed at minors "for reproducing gender stereotypes".

Makeup, discos and party

That is the main content of the video "Las ratitas make up and go to the disco to dance", published on December 20, 2018 on the YouTube channel of the two sisters and which already has more than 38 million views.

It was precisely the annual report of Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya (CAC) on the advertisements of toys issued during the Christmas campaign and that for the first time includes YouTube, which warned about this video in particular.

As a result of this, Save the Children and the former defender of the child of the Community of Madrid, Javier Urra, decided to ask the Barcelona Children's Prosecutor's Office to start "an ex officio performance" against the channel 'Las Ratitas', managed by the parents of the little ones, arguing that it is "an instrumentalization of children" that reproduce gender stereotypes.

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The role of your parents youtubers

Behind this 'childish' channel, are Mireia Martínez and Lluis Itart, the parents of Gisele and Claudia.

Javier Urra, psychologist, defines them as "irresponsible parents or parents who have other interests", something supported by Emilié Rivas, responsible for childhood policies in Catalonia of Save the Children, by ensuring that "Childhood sells, so putting a girl and disguising her as a woman seems a guarantee of success."

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Also alert of the fingerprint left by girls "without them being aware". Because 'Itiarte Vlogs' also appear on his parents' channel, although in more familiar scenes and with fewer subscribers.

But neither is the paternal channel controversial free, since they are accused of ridiculing sexist violence and using it to get visitors with the video 'The coup of Luis to Mireia'.

The image of Mireia is used with the black eye and with the title they play that her husband has beaten her, although they say in the video it is an accident that happened in the pool next to the girls.

Increase in female stereotypes

Consell de l'Audiovisual de Catalunya's report studies the use of gender stereotypes through toys, but its conclusions can be extrapolated to the Internet, since it also includes YouTube channels for the first time.

The president of the CAC, Roger Loppacher, has lamented that:

"Although there is a tendency to reduce the global number of stereotypes, we see that in the case of female stereotypes they not only do not follow this trend, but even increase."

And he adds that:

"We also see with concern the appearance of promotional toy channels on YouTube, which have massive audiences and that reproduce all kinds of stereotypes bluntly."

For that reason, he has appealed to "Be more active and belligerent in denouncing the presence of stereotypes, both on traditional television and on YouTube."

Although I am totally against certain gender stereotypes being defended through toys and I love the initiatives that tend to eliminate them, it is also true that we must respect our children's games and let them acquire the roles they want at all times .

In fact, in the case of Gisele and Claudia, I am not so concerned that they make 'very feminine' games, such as that they are used by their parents for economic benefits, or that they gain more audience with controversial videos, when they are still too small for discern that manipulation.

But let everyone who thinks what they want and educate their children how they want or can. At least that is my intention.

Photos | Captures Canal Las Ratitas