I am eleven years old and huge American Girl (AG) fan. I want to make a difference just like the new World By Us dolls, and that is why I am writing to you today. There are many things that I love about AG, but there are a few things that I think could be improved. 

My first concern is gender equality. I think that there should be more male Truly Me dolls. Currently, there are four available, but I think that there could definitely be more. Secondly, AG uses the phrase “your girl.” I think that if AG said, “your kid,” it would be much more inclusive. Kids today can wear whatever they want to wear, and play whatever they want to play. My brother has a WellieWishers doll and he’s proud of it. We both think that boys can play with dolls, if that’s what they want to do. 

My second issue is racial representation. Fortunately, AG has really improved with this with the recent release of Makena Williams, Evette Peeters, and Maritza Ochoa. However, AG only has a few Girl of the Year dolls of color: Luciana Vega, Gabriela McBride, and Marisol Luna. I think that American Girl could definitely release a few more Black and Latina GOTY dolls.

Moving on, my third concern is age groupings. The other day I was on the AG website and I found a Doll Finder. I thought it would be fun, so I tried it! But the only question in the Doll Finder was, “How old is your girl?” So I clicked the “8+” button and it took me to the Truly Me dolls. I was really confused. I was expecting a personality test because AG is all about celebrating who you are. Well, I’m more than just my age. I got my first 18” AG doll when I was five. But according to the Doll Finder, AG recommends WellieWishers for five-year-olds. The Wellies didn’t even exist until I was seven! I currently own six WellieWishers including two Camille dolls, because I’m that obsessed. In addition, WellieWisher outfits for kids are only available in sizes up to seven. This is upsetting because  I really, really, want to match with my Wellies but I can’t. 

Lastly, I want to bring attention to the under representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in AG products. I think that there are probably a lot of AG fans who are a part of the Pride community. Recently, AG introduced Kira Bailey’s lesbian aunts. I was really excited to learn this because it is a HUGE step for AG! In a recent catalog photo, AG also added an “Equality” sign behind the World By Us dolls. The letters in the sign had the transgender flag, the bisexual flag, the gay flag, and the pansexual flag. I was so proud of AG that I actually cried! My dream doll would be a Black, bisexual GOTY doll who goes by they/them pronouns. In her story, she’s having a lot of trouble explaining to her friends and family that she’s bisexual. She’s eleven years old and LOVES styling hair at her mom’s salon for Black women.

If AG’s goal is to truly represent American Kids, I think they should look more closely at these issues.

Thank you so much!

—AN