American Girl doesn’t mind the backlash they’re receiving to their book on body image and transitioning.
As you may have heard, the popular doll company released a book as a guide for kids 10 and older to “to love yourself, live life to the fullest, and celebrate all kinds of bodies.” The 96-page book features the brand’s first steps in addressing gender identity and self expression. The company spokesperson, Julie Parks, told USA Today on Friday the book features “everything you need to know about developing a healthy body image,” and has lots of crafts, tips, and “real-girl stories.” The guide is a big reminder that “all bodies are worthy of love and respect” — but transphobes were not happy with these sentiments, particularly the page that reads:
“If you haven’t gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body’s changes, giving you more time to think about your gender identity.”
AG has faced major backlash online, being bombarded with negative reviews because of their decision to release the book. And seriously, the comments come across more disgusting than truly concerned, some of them going as far as calling to “boycott American Girl” for wanting children to know they should love themselves! Julie addressed this ridiculous retaliation to the outlet:
“As far as we are aware, no other American Girl book has received similar criticism. Our Smart Girl’s Guides are known for supporting young people and their families through a variety of complex adolescent topics. In these pages, you’ll see all kinds of bodies: big bodies and small bodies, bodies with disabilities, bodies of different races and ethnicities, and bodies with different gender identities and expressions. That’s because each and every body is unique and deserves respect.”
But of course, transphobia is rampant and for whatever reason some people believe the transgender community doesn’t deserve basic human decency. It’s sickening and shows a complete lack of understanding or even willingness TO understand.
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The good news, though, is the doll maker isn’t backing down from where they stand. Speaking to TMZ, American Girl is doubling down on their belief to show love to EVERY child:
“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.”
Doesn’t look like the book is going anywhere anytime soon — and it shouldn’t have to! Having access to and being committed to spreading information about important topics like these is crucial to normalizing something that should’ve very well already been normalized. It’s good to see AG taking a step in the right direction and standing their ground. But it’s interesting, isn’t it? How the same people who go hard for their idea of free speech never go hard for the free speech of people who disagree with them? Hmm…
Reactions, Perezcious readers?
[Image via YouTube/Team Coco]
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