Since 1986, the American Girl franchise has done a fine job promoting equality among different ethnicities. American Girl creates dolls from a variety of backgrounds and from different periods of American history. Buyers can also purchase dolls that look like them.
The company’s goal is to help girls realize their full potential. While each doll obtains a unique skill, girls are generally viewing these dolls as role models and realizing some dreams and ambitions of their own.
American Girl has succeeded in conveying a message to girls that they can be anything they want to be, regardless of skin color or the fact that they are girls.
Considering the strides females have made to gain equality, the message that American Girl supports is relevant and important to girls everywhere.
American Girl originally produced dolls from different eras of American history, but due a significant amount of requests, later included characters from contemporary life.
There was only one final piece missing in this equation – the boys.
For the first time in 31 years, American Girl released its first boy doll: Logan Everett.
Logan’s character is part of a new series of contemporary. He plays the drums in his friend Tenney Grant’s band in Nashville.With the high demand for more contemporary characters, it only made sense to create a boy doll.
Similar to how girls were not allowed to have jobs outside of the home, boys were taught to never play with dolls. They were taught that dolls symbolized females and that they should not resemble females in any way.
Luckily, times have changed. Although the world will always be filled with unaccepting people, the LGBTQ community has made themselves heard in society. They have come a long way in gaining acceptance and letting their voices be heard.
ISU Senior and Women’s & Gender Studies Minor, Alyssa Ortiz, said “I think that releasing a boy doll is a great first step in allowing kids to make decisions based on their own preference, and not based on gendering. Toys are made to either gear at boys or girls, so having a male doll makes that stigma go away.”
Ortiz added “In order to create equality, I believe we must see both males and females coexisting and seeing that happen for a big company like American Girl is huge!”
In today’s society, gender equality is an issue being talked about and being fought for. It is common to see a public restroom in which males and females both have access to.
Like all American Girl dolls, Logan is going for $115. He also has an additional drum set accessory (his unique skill), which is another $68.