Gwen, the Homeless American Girl
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It’s not often I find myself agreeing with Amanda Peyser, cranky-pants doyenne of the New York Post, but it must be said: Gwen, the new “homeless” doll from American Girl, is at best a head-scratcher and at worst a horribly offensive cultural trainwreck.
I don’t quite agree with Peyser on Gwen being a tool of political indoctrination. But selling a “homeless” doll for $95—without any of that money specifically going to homeless charities—is more than a little obscene. It’s also a bizarre choice for a company that makes its bones selling meticulously crafted clothes, furniture, and trinkets for each of its characters. Not a lot of accessory potential here. (Gwen does come with a “a pink headband that doubles as a belt.” Very thrift-store chic!)
Gwen is actually a sidekick in the American Girl-verse: The main attraction is the limited-edition Chrissa, a fourth-grader who moves to a new town and has to deal with a bunch of bullies. As far as I can tell, Gwen is there mostly to show how open-minded and generous the non-homeless Chrissa is.*
Given the extensive research that went into creating Rebecca Rubin, the Jewish American Girl that debuted this spring, I’m surprised at this gaucheness. On the other hand, AG has finally answered my nine-year-old dreams: Chrissa’s other sidekick is a (presumably) South Asian girl named Sonali, who has long beautiful hair and, thankfully, does not come with a sari.
* Which, incidentally, reminds me of the funniest, most brilliantly subtle bit of undermining I’ve ever read in a profile: In a 2005 Elle feature on Emmy Rossum, the Phantom of the Opera star is quoted as saying, “[My] parents taught me to be a very kind person, to be compassionate. That's something that I have in common with Christine, something I could tap into. At Spence, one of my friends was a girl who was handicapped. And I have a friend who had a craniofacial deformity [like the Phantom].”
Nina Shen Rastogi California native, theater and comics fan, Slate "Green Lantern" columnist
Comments
Marketed as homeless?
By: xxreader | Wed, 09/30/2009 - 13:35
How do you know she's being marketed as homeless? I checked the link to the site and only see the Gwen doll, no reference to homelessness. I even did a key word search. Am I missing something or did they take that down?
I can't get worked up over the doll...
By: Tricia | Wed, 09/30/2009 - 08:54
...but I love this comment from "A frequent customer" on AG's page for Gwen:
Yeah, American Girl, why doesn't the homeless kid have more stuff??
I am not careful about your words .I made a mistake.
By: thanksgiving | Wed, 09/30/2009 - 06:44
What a complacent girl I am!I stand not looking down,but carefuless means that I ...It become my bad habit to stay with them.But now I find it so I will change.
You make me so excited!
maybe?
By: musis.amica | Wed, 09/30/2009 - 01:48
When I was American-Girl target age about 15 years ago, the American Girl books helped me get interested in history. Especially the story about Nellie, Samantha's friend. I never had really thought about child labor in America and even in other parts of the world later. This character might bring the same awareness about homelessness to girls today.
Though that's a defense for the book, not the doll. I agree $95 is ridiculous for a doll and remember the bratty girls in my class completely decked out in AG gear with all the dolls.
And there may be no getting through to some people...I took this off the American Girl Shop Gwen page, from the review section:
"I was rather disappointed by the lack of items for Gwen though. I expected some outfits and a real book for her."
...
I don't know who translate my words in C.
By: thanksgiving | Tue, 09/29/2009 - 23:27
He is not good at translation I thought.Have I aggress your culture?
But if he have some self-serving,That makes him own break. I could just see him and laugh.
Am I homeless? I feel very well all the time!
Are you not real American?Is it a website Chinese goverment comether someone like me?
I don't care what you thought of me.I just do the things I can do.
But now I still trust you.Maybe I could try to translate it myself to you.I believe that you don't gonna became a lier in order to hurt yourself.
Any personal aggression is really futile.You maybe don't know how strong my heart is.I have receive so much personal aggression ,but I just hahaha.
Thank your care of me.My Translation will sand to you or not.
So sorry for my hurting words
By: thanksgiving | Tue, 09/29/2009 - 23:00
If you say:"I don't gonna read your setences because your words makes me feel hurt!"That's
the way I stand.All above my words just mean:"Anything reasonable if it makes you sad or
hurt,it has no use."I cry out the obey thing I stand:your own feeling.If you always walk
with your own feeling my words is a bunk for you.Don't be a sense of worth follower!
Many Chinese snakes told me that the world don't have love.He had many reasons about his
standpoint.His reasons about science and humanity seemed so reasonable.He said love depend
on rich,powerful,better than others(got a foolish job).Only these things let the love
happened,so you must fight for them in order to get "love".So love isn't in this world.Yes
chinese girls love rich man,love seemed depend on....So almost all children trust it and
fight for money all lifelong.But "no love" sounds sad.I taken for a ride by snakes' lie
once. "no love" sounds sad,It let me hurt inside.I have to become pathetic.So I thought it
again.I think that I must defer to humanity.My heart need something!finally I find love but
they who believe the lie ,still fight with their tears hiding in.I gonna to save them
because of my love ( I am sorry for using another way to say it makes you angry).I find the
right way all because of my feeling.
because of a reason throw away your own feeling, you may turn to obey dog or follower.You
would easily be caught by snake.You can't win this war.various reasons could be made by
snakes.But all of them make you unhappy .They stand in dark and wanna let you hurt as them.I
don't want you have a iterance of "reason trust".I stand unaided and united.
many of you born in US,You never heard something like snakes' reason.I am so care that you
have no resistance. Care about your own heart,you will found snakes' reason.The reason in
many different ways let us captivate some time we can't argue right or wrong,sensitive and
lively heart is an useful arm.I think.You'd better have your own.
The way coming back begins in our hearts' calm,Calm makes me flabbiness.bra is more
influencing it makes me less lively and can't think fast,better work over it in graduate
school.The women (realmean) tempted by snake first then spread to men(realmean) .It is the
way I heard from Bible.
You western persons already so clever in 2000 ago.You have seen the snake is. I don't
believe God .I believe human.I don't wonna be fearsome about China because of Bible. God let
me feel reliant and unsafe.I thought somebody in you makes Him for use.then use Him to
....do not mention it.Someone have seen Chinese culture and write it down on Bible said they
are snakes (dragon),but snakes not strong as Bible said.They're so weak all the way. They're
almost followers,once this god once another god.They kill each other like playing games.The
entironment lead them turn to snakes . It is deserted not well to look.So they retaliate
pain back at others and turn so despairing.If happily western songs find them,I believe they
will change.Buildings are also important.Black building is despairing.
Logos said by Jesus is still in point in modern society,I think this logos: love and
service each other will last forever.I believe it made by humans not by God!So I pride of
western persons' wisdom.let's became confident and great-hearted and lively to make heaven
for everyone!
I stand to forbid or decrease Chinese emigration.So many wrong babies will become your
cumbrance.They make you in matters.You feel unhappy with them so detrude them away!Anything
let you feel unconfortable though they said it is love you don't have to keep
it.Unconfortable heart can't work well.I don't wanna go to street in my city too.They let me
feel upset, buildings there also let me upset ,I have to listen to your music when I back
home in order to keep my livingness and happiness.But it cost me much time,these time can
help me do better.Sometimes I feel irascible with uncomfortable heart .Is it right?I don't
think so.But if you feel well please do your own.Don't be broken hearts' follower in any
way.
Livingness makes me brighter and braver,I am glad and advisable to keep it.So I mention it
again:Is bra really obligatory?When I wear it,I become Boeotian!