User:ENGL2730-YG/American Girl

Books
The American Girl Doll books have many different variations; each book series shares the journey of one American Girl Doll character. American Girl Dolls were created with the goal of educating young children on history, morals, and life lessons through the stories accompanied with each doll.

The classic American Girl Doll books follow the journey of one of their historical characters and each series follows a standard structure through six books. This structure is: Meet (doll name), (doll name) Learns a Lesson, (doll name’s) Surprise, Happy Birthday (doll name), (doll name) Saves the Day, Changes for (doll name).

Some of the American Girl Dolls also have Best Friend books which are books following the storyline of the best friend of one of the American Girl Dolls – a spinoff to the original series. Examples of these include Nellie's Promise by Valerie Tripp (2004), Very Funny, Elizabeth by Valerie Tripp (2005), and Brave Emily by Valerie Tripp (2006).

Product Reception
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Storyline Reception
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Race and Representation
Critics have discussed the issue of representation in American Girl Doll narratives. Since the first American Girl Doll Story, the company has stated that the “two most significant elements” in the creation of their stories is authentic specificity and universality. In 2016 the Vice President of Marketing for American Girl said that “the doll industry has a very heavy responsibility in reflecting what is true about our society”. While the process of developing a doll story is two to three years in order to check for authenticity, critics pose issues with certain narratives. In the story of the Julie doll, readers are introduced to Hank who is a Vietnam Veteran; Julie and her friends are told to be nice to Hank because he has “seen so many terrible, horrible things.” However, the book does not delve deeper into any details or the effects of the war. Valerie Tripp, author of the American Girl Doll series, says that her goal is to teach children to “challenge assumptions” and to teach them tolerance and compassion towards everyone; she promotes optimism and “cheerful skepticism” rather than “anger, resentment, bitterness, and jealousy.” This ideal is met with criticism for some who have argued that these narratives lead to a lack of recognition of injustices that invalidates the narratives of many, maintaining that all Americans share the same privileges regardless of race or ethnicity.

Feminism and Gender Stereotypes in the Professional World
American Girl Dolls were created to provide young girls with role models that were connected to historical events. American Girl Dolls and their stories are written with the mission of encouraging each child to “follow their inner star.” The author says that, “we take pride and care in helping girls become their very best today, so they’ll grow up to be the women who make a difference tomorrow.” Readers have shared expectations that the stories portrayed in these books will reflect this message of feminism. Readers have also voiced disappointment in the way in which feminism specifically in relation to the professional world is addressed through the books. A critique of readers is that the brand offers empowerment through “girl power” and “self-determination” without addressing the system that leads to gender discrimination and inequalities in the workplace. The books address feminism in the professional world through teamwork, leadership, and talent but critics dislike how the books provide limited resources to work through real life issues females face in the workplace such as imposter syndrome and workplace harassment.

Historical Accuracy

To decide the plot of each American Girl Doll series, Valerie Tripp, the author of the American Girl novels, decides on a time period before writing the story. The books have been praised for teaching children about different time periods. However, some critics point out that this interpretation of the past is superficial and inaccurate. In response to this, authors have pointed out that these books are meant for children and at most are meant to give them an idea of the “chronology of American history,” introduce them to some key events, an understanding of historical change, and give them an understanding that people of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds have often been treated differently.