@AmaraEmme

1 year ago

American Girl was groundbreaking for their dedication to historical accuracy of material culture (including the material culture of people who weren’t rich), how they introduce kids to some of the horrors of history in an age-appropriate way, and how they focused on a more racially and culturally diverse set of characters than any doll series before it. As a kid, I knew I was holding something special when my Addy’s drinking gourd was made of real gourd, when my friend’s Kaya had real abalone in her hair, or when my sister’s Josefina’s accessories were made of real leather. Real cotton, wool, wood, feathers. Working metal whistles. Work dresses, not just ballgowns. AG captured the everyday reality of regular preteen girls, instead of telling the same story of an older rich teen who never had to do menial work. And it did so in a tactile, immersive way. Ofc the irony is that the products were unaffordable for most girls, and there were some historical inaccuracies, but overall I appreciate the scholarly foundation of the series. There’s a cool article on the academic committee behind Addy that had to decide how to introduce rich preteen girls to slavery and racism, what type of slave to make Addy, how much trauma to give her, how dark to make her skin, how textured to make her hair, etc.

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