I had a lively discussion last night with a group of strangers + friends over margaritas + queso about the virtues and vices of American Girl dolls.
Opponents argued that the historical characters we grew up with, all white except for ex-slave Addy, failed to represent the diversity of American life.
Proponents, namely me, argued that the dolls came from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, that Felicity was my introduction to civil disobedience (she showed support for the American revolutionaries *and class* by politely declining a cup of tea), and that one girl of color was better than none.
Additionally, the dolls had realistic girl bodies (flat chested with plump limbs and childish faces) and were the single strongest competitor to Barbie dolls, which taught us little beyond high heels, hair and cruising in the convertible with Ken. (Pink is the color of girls. Get in the backseat, Skipper!) American Girl dolls came with their own storybooks; they taught American history; encouraged reading, imagination and storytelling; and advocated American values like independence, loyalty and, most importantly, rabid consumerism: When a new catalog came to my house it would distract me for hours as I scanned for anything new in the collection -- a badminton set for Felicity? a real-girl-sized colonial dress? A WHOLE NEW DOLL???? -- and my Christmas wish lists for years were monopolized by catalog numbers from the Pleasant Company.
As an only child, the American Girl dolls were my playmates, but as a bookworm, I devoured every issue of American Girl Magazine the day I got it. The issues came replete with craft ideas, advice columns, and articles from girl readers. They encouraged honesty, kindness and friendship, and even turned me into a proto-feminist by offering advice on how to stand up to a gym teacher who would only let the boys play football. This was radical stuff to a young white girl growing up in North Carolina and attending a prep school where I was consistently one of the only kids in class whose mom worked, who lived in an apartment, and whose parents were divorced.
Granted, the Pleasant Company didn't offer any dolls who were South Asian immigrants or who had two gay dads, but this was the nineties, people!
2 comments:
Oh my god don't even get me started on American Girl dolls. Those are probably why I majored in American Studies... so actually I don't know if they're good or bad.
Josefina isn't white, so that's two non-white dolls! Or is she supposed to be Spanish colonial? Awkward.
This post just took me back about 15 years...I miss my Felicity doll. Also being an only child with working parents, my dolls were like my best friends!
And American Girl Magazine had some pretty sweet recipes in it too--its probably the reason why I can cook anything at all to this day.
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