Yesterday, I ventured into the world of the unknown.
I went to an American Girl Doll store.
I have now reached a new level of mothering a young girl.
I am conflicted with this store for obvious reasons. Anyone charging $95 for a doll has no idea what real American girls can afford or their parents. But the store was packed. People (mostly women) buying multiple dolls. Hundreds of dollars on dolls? I had entered a whole new level of status symbol.
The concept is interesting. Pick a time period in American history and create a doll to represent that era. Then create accessories, outfits, pets, best-friends, story books everything that these young consumer driven kids want. And these women were buying them ... huge boxes of kitchen sets or bedroom sets. It was a sea of red and pink.
I think it is very important for young, impressionable girls to understand American history and how they and we got to this point. I am not fully against the concept of these dolls. But they are so out of reach for most of the girls in this country. And there are only three dolls of color out of the thirteen era dolls. I don't think I saw one person of color in the store yesterday, and I am not surprised.
So what exactly are they teaching girls? I guess that is what I am trying to figure out. This is a new thing for Carolyn to be doing. Her Grandmother (my in-laws) got her a Bitty Baby when she was a toddler and this summer got Carolyn the Elizabeth doll. It seams they do have a very nice story about the particular era they are from, so I look forward to talking with Carolyn about that and expanding it with my feminist lens.
But they are a status symbols among young girls and I do not think that is a good thing to be teaching. So I am conflicted. We ended up with the Kit doll, from 1934 so we get to talk about the depression and men losing their jobs. I guess Carolyn can relate that to present day, except women are also losing their jobs now, interesting twist.
Bobby and I got out of the store alive and unharmed with our over-sized red bag with our precious doll tucked safely inside. I am entering this with my eyes wide open. And like everything else, I will see it through my experience and how I want Carolyn to grow up. I guess the only American girl I want is the song ... which is now stuck in my head.
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