A few weeks ago, the new American Girl catalogue arrived in the mail. After a quick trip down memory lane with Molly and Addy and their historically correct sisters, I tossed the catalogue on the recycling pile and promptly forgot about it.
My daughter used to love American Girl dolls. When she was seven she had a brief fling with Kit, a girl growing up in Cincinnati during the Great Depression. Despite her reduced circumstances, Kit had a lovely wardrobe and bedroom set, an historical flaw that always puzzled me. Fortunately, my daughter came to her senses and soon traded Kit for a soccer ball.
Frankly, I never much liked American Girl dolls. They're hugely expensive, They also come with an endless supply of clothes and accessories like riding outfits and tea sets so you're constantly on the hook. But my biggest objection with the realistic-looking dolls--beyond the fact that they reminded me of the sadistic Chuckie-was their "stories." They all struck me as hopelessly scripted and dull, lacking in narrative ambiguity. Perhaps that's why the dolls have been sacred with Christian conservatives?
But now, in a bizarre turn of events, two Christian groups have declared war on American Girl. And I find myself coming squarely down on the side of Kit and her embattled sisters.
The Mississippi-based American Family Association is urging its members to boycott the popular toymaker. Another Chicago group called The Pro-Life Action League is rallying its troops to write letters to American Girl and its parent company, Mattel, venting their outrage. In the latest salvo in the war on the dolls, a Catholic grade school in Wisconsin scrapped an American Girl fashion show.
What are the company's sins? Is it launching a 1978 doll named Heather, whose bra-burning mother wanted to abort her?
No, but it's just that dumb.
American Girl is being attacked because of its affiliation with Girls Inc., a national organization whose mission is "inspiring girls to be strong, smart, and bold." The group serves thousands of poor girls of color through a variety of programs from drug abuse prevention to economic literacy. Girls Inc. also believes that girls and women should be sexually literate and informed. So it supports not only abstinence but freedom of choice. It also supports girls of different sexual orientations.
American Girl has been raising money for Girls Inc. through sales of its "I CAN" bracelets on its website. The wristbands come with a pledge girls can print out that reads in part, "I can reach for the stars, lend a hand to others, and be a good friend."
You'd think the sales from the bracelets were going toward sex ed classes or lesbian literature. But they're going to fund programs for girls to build math and science skills, develop leadership ability and encourage athletic skills and team spirit.
Pretty sick stuff.
There is something sick going on, but it's not that. It's the vicious attacks being waged on Girls Inc., American Girl and anyone who defends them by a small band of conservative activists. Irate Christians have called Girls Inc everything from "apologists for homosexuality" to "boosters of abortion."
Even Democratic Sen. Barack Obama got slammed after speaking at a Girls Inc. luncheon. Declared a posting by someone named Diago: "Obama defends Pro-abortion, Pro-Lesbian American Girl Dolls."
Forgive me, but that's not very Christian-like now. Well, is it?
But there's another issue here. Some of the Christian mothers most upset with American Girl have been collecting the patriotic dolls since their daughters were toddlers. And now they feel betrayed. Lamented one mom to "three real American girls" in a letter to the company: "Toys that were meant to enhance their femininity and girlhood are now shrouded with the despicable choice of an organization American Girl has aligned itself with."
What are these women afraid of? I think they're afraid of their daughters being exposed to other points of view. But mostly what I think they're afraid of is their daughters growing up.
Go ahead. Boycott the dolls. Flood American Girl and Girls Inc with as many letters and emails as you like. (You go girl! as we say in my house.) Write to the CEOs of Coca Cola and Wal-Mart and CBS and the hundreds of other mainstream American corporations that are sponsors of Girls Inc. Get it off your chest.
But instead of throwing Addy and Kit and Samantha in the trash, let me offer a suggestion.
Take those dolls down to the nearest Salvation Army or homeless shelter where they'll do some good. Or better yet-stop judging an organization that offers thousands of less fortunate girls a shot at educational opportunities and experiences you take for granted. Then take your little daughters to a local Girls Inc. center. See for yourself what the organization is all about. Talk to some of the real girls there.
Maybe that would be the best historical lesson of all.