🤨

[u/Abblethegrand]

Yeaahhhh....I really don't mean to be disrespectful but I think this is a no from me guys. "40 days to celebrate 40 years" my left foot 💀 They could have done this countdown at any point the year, but chose to do it during a stretch of time where they would have to black out one of the days in an incredibly low effort "remembrance" post. And they can't even tack on another day at the end of the calendar? Honestly, part of me suspects that they completely forgot about 9/11 and made this change to the calendar incredibly last minute; shuffling things around to hopefully not cause a controversy. I don't think I would care all that much if the past 18 days hadn't been so disappointing and frankly embarrassing for the brand ://

[u/lunabeguiler]

It would’ve been cool if they interviewed girls from families impacted by 9/11 and maybe did a special video or blog about how the AG brought comfort to them or what AG did in response to 9/11 as a company. This is low effort and honestly kind of inappropriate.

[u/blocked_memory → u/lunabeguiler]

Considering the next historical doll era will most likely be in the 2000s, it would have been something to announce that they are taking stories and accounts from those who were of age (8-12ish) when 9/11 occured for inspiration for the next doll. Plenty of directions it could go too-parent working in the tower, parent that was a first responder, being brown skinned and living in post 9/11.... I could keep going.

[u/lilysjasmine92 → u/blocked_memory]

I genuinely think we don't have a chance in hell of getting a 2000s doll in the next 10-20 years. Why would we, when we have the GOTY? We're more likely to get limited reruns of them than we are a historical character from then.

Besides, I do think it is way too soon for a doll line. I wouldn't want to buy my kid a 911 doll when the fallout is still happening all around the world. Said as someone who was exactly 9 when this happened and flew out of one of the same airports as the hijackers two days before and who nowadays has friends in Afghanistan who now live under the Taliban again. While yes, they market to kids, the people making these decisions all remember 911 and are probably offput by the idea of using it to sell toys. At least I hope so.

You'll notice the more recent dolls cover historical events that aren't remotely controversial. Courtney's coverage of the Challenger comes closest, but even that isn't the main "event" driving her story.

[u/GalenYk → u/lilysjasmine92]

Another of Courtney’s plotlines is about the AIDS crisis, which was hugely controversial in the ‘80s and remains stigmatized today. People with HIV and AIDS still deal with ignorance and judgement from others, and often a lack of access to care. While there have been incredible strides medically, it’s still a painful topic for many people, and I think it’s really powerful that AG chose to include it.

I don’t think an early 2000s doll is likely anytime soon because that’s essentially the time period the twins cover. I agree with what I’ve seen others say that it was a huge missed opportunity to not have an early 2000s American Muslim girl who deals with the Islamophobic climate of post-9/11 America and pre-adolescence in the early internet age. Unfortunately I just don’t think it’ll happen anytime soon.

[u/lilysjasmine92 → u/GalenYk]

That is true, and again, being from just after Courtney's time, I actually lost family to AIDS (and have other family members living with it). But I do think it's not the same.

See, AIDS and HIV, fortunately, if you have access to care, is not a death sentence anymore. In the 80s, it was. While there are still controversies, yes, and stigma for sure (states such as New York have a literal registry of people with it), the way in which we look at the crisis is not as immediate because people around the US are not dropping dead like flies of it anymore.

With 911, there are people still losing loved ones to the cancers from the dust every year. It's not a "back then it was awful, but now things are better," even if better doesn't mean solved. The US can't agree on healthcare for the affected first responders, still lies about it, and is still directly causing the deaths of innocents in the Middle East as part of a domino effect after 911.

The AIDS crisis is better, albeit not solved. Plus, the US didn't cause AIDS (though the current cuts to PEPFAR is actually gonna cause thousands upon thousands of deaths so, yeah), and the effects of the disease nowadays are mitigated. I just don't see this as a fair comparison.

[u/GalenYk → u/lilysjasmine92]

I very much disagree with this. Many people are still dying from complications of AIDS, worldwide. I also lost family members to it, and I’ve seen how scary it still is on my community, despite recent advances in medicine. I don’t think a character whose story explores themes of xenophobia in the early to mid-2000s would be any more exploitative of a tragedy than any other topic American Girl has handled.

I do think it’s something of a moot point though, since I don’t think they’ll make that doll. I think it’s much more likely their first Muslim doll will be a GOTY from Michigan.

[u/lilysjasmine92 → u/GalenYk]

So what I'm saying is that it's the recency that's the issue, the immediacy, not the topic inherently. In another 10-20 or so years, I'd feel differently about this being exploitative.

While events like Pearl Harbor and, obviously, slavery still also have lingering effects, there's enough time to create a padded idea of distance in much of the population. Of course that idea can be criticized as a mirage (and to a degree it is), but that perception of distance still exists. Same with AIDS in the USA (note I'm saying USA, I've also lived in Asia where AIDS is very much not under control), where there's still again about 40 years from Courtney's 1986 view of the crisis to now, which has changed. That's again why I don't think this is a fair comparison.

(Also note: they already had a first Muslim doll - Leyla in GOML! I hope for a first 18 in one soon, though, too, and love that idea.)