The American Girl: Playing with the Wrong Dollie?

This essay explores the American Girl Just Like You doll through a variety of feminist lenses. It was inspired by my experiences chaperoning my friend Grace (aged eleven) to the American Girl Store in New York City, and returning to the store to shop for my own doll. I returned to the store because...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Metaphilosophy 2016-10, Vol.47 (4-5), p.571-584
Main Author: Davion, Victoria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Girl doll
Claudia Card
Dolls
ethnicity
female body image
Feminism
Philosophy
race
SYMPOSIUM ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF CLAUDIA CARD
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Summary:This essay explores the American Girl Just Like You doll through a variety of feminist lenses. It was inspired by my experiences chaperoning my friend Grace (aged eleven) to the American Girl Store in New York City, and returning to the store to shop for my own doll. I returned to the store because I was not sure why I was so extremely disturbed by this doll. The doll is not emaciated, not overtly sexy, and marketed along with outfits that supposedly send girls the message that they can achieve their goals. She comes in a variety of skin, eye, and hair colors, and the line is therefore marketed as racially and ethnically sensitive. I argue that although the Just Like You line appears to be empowering and racially sensitive on a superficial level, an in-depth feminist analysis indicates that it is not. In fact, the Just Like You line is highly problematic from a feminist perspective.
ISSN:0026-1068
1467-9973
DOI:10.1111/meta.12219