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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Rage against the Girl of the Year

 

Well, I just saw a commercial for the new American Girl movie…for “Saige.”

Now, let me tell you something heartbreaking about Saige.

She’s the new girl at school and she likes to draw…and in a shocking turn of events, her school’s art program is cut, due to budget cuts.

THE HORRORS.

Seriously, there is an hour and a half long movie about a girl saving her art program. How interesting.

I mean, the American girl movies were never exactly high quality, high budget productions, but they were better than that. And besides, we had the books to read. And my American Girls faced trials harder than budget cuts.

Kaya was a Native American with a blind sister.

Felicity was growing up during the Revolutionary War, her best friend was a loyalist.

Josefina lived without a mother.

Kirsten immigrated from Sweden to Minnesota.

Addy, you know, just escaped from slavery.

Samantha a rich girl, befriends a super poor orphan girl.

Kit lived during the Great Depression.

Molly grew up during World War II, and her dad was deployed.

Saige went to a new school and her art classes were cut.

Cry me a river, Saige.

I mean, really?

There are books and a movie about art classes being cut? Sounds thrilling.

And isn’t American Girl’s mission to like, teach and empower girls? And sue me, but I kind of really like the idea of historical girls better. And they’re not out of history. There’s no gold rush doll, no 1950s doll, no eskimo doll, you get the point.

And um, maybe I’m just acting like a grumpy old person, but American Girls used to be a lot cooler. And since American Girl’s mission is “to help girls be the best they can be” well, they’re kind of doing a bad job of that.

Oh, look I’m Addy, and I’m just you know, escaping from slavery with my mom.

And I’m Saige my art classes are cancelled and my horse gets hurt.

Saige, you inspire me.

 I’ve always kind of thought the girl of the year dolls were stupid. Like even when I was 11, I thought it was dumb.

But I guess American Girl is just catering to their customers.

We like relatable things you know. So a girl who’s happiness is so fragile, that when her art program is cut, that crushes her, well, we can relate to her lameness and her insignificant problems. We can’t relate to anyone living in real struggle, because we don’t know really know struggle. So we make up for that by making our insignificant problems into some big deal, when really, it’s just like, hey, I know gas is $50 a tank, but suck it up and get on with your life.

I think we’re all girls of the year sometimes.

Whining about our stupid problems, thinking things are worse than they are.

And at the same time, there is a Kirsten, a refugee looking for a home.

Or a Kit, someone living through their own great depression.

Or a Molly, with a loved on gone.

And we get to decide, we get to be whiny-butt Saiges who need to get a handle on reality, or butt-kicking, prejudice overcoming Samanthas.

Are we going to do something to make a difference?

 

Oh, and just a bit of a disclaimer, I haven’t actually read the book, I just saw the commercial and read the Wiki article. Which was enough for me. And what kid names their horse Picasso? Saige, you little weirdo.

Also, I’m just a tad bit weirded out/ashamed that I just spent however long writing a rant about dolls. Oh, hi yes, my name’s Bekah, I’m a college sophomore and I like to complain about dolls. herrrrrshner.

Eh. Whatever.

1 comment:

Mama Mimi said...

GREAT post! I too remember the original American Girls. They were WAY better.