Famous toy brand American Girl sparked controversy this holiday season over a recently published guidebook for “tweens” that promotes gender questioning and gives girls, struggling with body image, information about transitioning and puberty-blocking drugs.
The 96-page book, “A Smart Girls’ Guide: Body Image” with the subtitle “how to love yourself, live life to the fullest, and celebrate all kinds of bodies,” targets girls aged 10 and up.
About a third of the way into the book is a section entitled “gender joy,” which discusses gender issues in detail, but not graphically.
The text defines terms such as gender expression (“the way you show your gender to the world through clothes and behaviors”) and gender identity (“the way you feel inside”) as well as three categories of gender identity: cisgender (“feeling comfortable in the sex the doctor assigned at birth”), transgender (when “that assigned sex doesn’t match who they know they are inside”) and nonbinary (“some people don’t feel like a girl or boy inside”).
For readers who find themselves questioning their gender but haven’t yet gone through puberty, the book advises seeking help from a “specially trained doctor” who “might offer medicine to delay your body’s changes, giving you more time to think about your gender identity.” For readers past puberty, the book reassures them that doctors still help. “Studies show that transgender and nonbinary kids who get help from doctors have much better mental health than those who don’t,” it reads.
The text then points to a list of transgender organizations at the back of the book for readers to check out “if you don’t have an adult you can trust.”
“Body Image” follows the same basic format as the other American Girl books in its “Smart Girl’s Guide” series. It includes informational sections, quizzes, craft and activity ideas, and testimonials by fictional “American girls.” The book description on the American Girl website provides its purpose: “this book is a feel-good reminder that all bodies are worthy of love and respect.”
Other than gender questioning, topics broached include body positivity, the dark side of the beauty standard, racism within the entertainment industry, consent regarding touch, how to detox from social media, fat shaming, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, health, and making the world a better place.
“Body Image” uses its “Real Girl Runway” testimonials to illustrate some of the issues it discusses throughout. One such testimonial about disability features Jordan, a brown girl with a “limb difference” who decides to “celebrate her difference by inventing a prosthetic”—an artificial arm—that “shoots glitter.”
Another depicts the concept of intersectionality with 10-year-old Ivy, who is deaf, transgender, and Jewish. The character defines the term to mean “every single part that’s in me, from my toes to my head, makes me me.”
Though the book was published in February 2022, recent awareness arose when Daily Mail published a report about its questionable contents on Dec. 6, inciting outrage and concern across conservative news and social media platforms that the iconic and wholesome American Girl franchise, known for promoting self-esteem to young girls, is now pushing transgender ideology.
Daily Wire’s Megan Basham accused American Girl of embracing trans activism, charging that it’s using “girls’ love of dolls as a Trojan horse to teach them to destroy their bodies.”
Manhattan Press Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline Toboroff quipped, “Maybe American Girl should rename itself American Girls don’t matter.”
Scores of customers went to social media to register their complaints. One wrote, “I am beyond angry and disgusted. I just purchased a doll and accessories for a Christmas gift. Because the gift exchange is in 3 days, I need to keep it … it will be the last purchase from them.” Another said, “I am sick how much money I gave to this company. I recommended their Care and Keeping of you book to clients.”
Others posted their sentiments in reviews on Amazon. “I’m done with American Doll. Guiding 8 year olds on how to seek out PUBERTY BLOCKERS WITHOUT THEIR PARENTS KNOWLEDGE?!?!” one read.“Every girl has body image issues. It doesn’t mean they are transgender! This is CHILD ABUSE.”
But other Amazon reviewers applauded the progressive-minded doll company.
“I got this book for my daughter and she has absolutely loved it! There are so many good lessons to learn here about self-love.”
Another bemoaned the negative influence of the entertainment industry and social media on young girls’ body images, then wrote, “I wish I had something like this when I was still young and impressionable.”
Mattel, the parent company of American Girl, prides itself on its equitable, diverse, and inclusive approach to the toy industry. “At Mattel, our purpose is to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential,” Mattel’s website states. “One of the best ways we can contribute to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive future is through the toys we design.”
Meanwhile, the doll company defended its product in the face of some customer backlash. In a statement made to TMZ, it said, “We value the views and feedback of our customers and acknowledge the perspectives on this issue. The content in this book, geared for kids 10+, was developed in partnership with medical and adolescent care professionals and consistently emphasizes the importance of having conversations and discussing any feelings with parents or trusted adults.”
“We are committed to delivering content that leaves our readers feeling informed, confident, and positive about themselves,” American Girl concluded.
According to Mel Hammond, the author of “Body Image,” some of the medical and adolescent care professionals that American Girl referred to include author and disability advocate Dr. Rebekah Tausig and Dr. Carly Guss, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and attending physician at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, specializing in LGBTQ and adolescent health.
Guss’s recent November 2022 publication with the Journal of the American Medical Association was entitled, “Pubertal Blockade and Subsequent Gender-Affirming Therapy.”
Hammond, a content development editor at American Girl since 2019, is a three-time author of American Girl books. Her titles include “Love the Earth,” “Pets,” and the currently controversial “Body Image.”
NTD reached out to Hammond for comment. She did not respond by publication time.
