Hi.
I want to first start off by saying that this entire American Girl journey has been amazing- and I'll never forget the amazingness of every comment and e-mail from a reader, but y'all, I I'm moving on.
I don't really like American Girl anymore. I haven't sat down with my dolls in a while and I haven't had any interest to continue Take the Stage or do my dolls' hair. I don't like the American Girl company.
I will never forget any of the readers I've met online, but I honestly believe that I can't continue with this blog. I love my dolls, but not in the same way. I will treasure them forever, but not in the same way.
I'm moving on from this blog.
I'm sorry if I disappointed any of you, please don't be mad, I'm honored that I'm the one who inspired you to create blogs, but it's not like I'm stopping blogging altogether! I will be posting more often on Rhymes With Fargo and I look forward to seeing you there.
Goodbye,
Gabby
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Why I Haven't Posted
Hello.
Before you ask, I visited San Antonio and Corpus Christi for Spring Break and it was a whole lot of fun! (Pictures will be up soon!) But, that's not the real reason behind this post. The real reason to talk about why I haven't posted and how a super-mega rich company has something to do with it.
Let's start with the company that I mentioned above. It was American Girl and it has a quite a lot to do with the opinions expressed in this post.
American Girl has changed.
This is fact- not an opinion- and I'm sure American Girl would not deny it, but it's changed, and in my opinion for the worse. When I look on American Girl Wikia and read about older AG products, I realize how much more effort was put into making the products real- and making them out of the highest quality materials possible. Dolls used to be made in Germany instead of a huge plant in China and a doll skirt and shirt didn't used to cost $28. A set filled with paper and small plastic products is marketed off at $26, even though it probably costs around $3 to make. It just makes me mad that products made in China (not even AMERICAN!) are sold at such a high- even though their quality just seems to go down. Now, I'm not saying every AG piece isn't worth the splurge, I'm just saying the majority is. Do you really want to spend $58 on a doll dining set? Which doesn't include a table?
But, honestly the thing I'm really upset about is definitely the Historical line. This line is by far my favorite, but it also is the thing that is really buggin' me.
Historicals used to be- in my opinion- about showing girls what history was really like, even if it wasn't all fancy frills and glassware, but instead the hand me down dress and tin. It taught girls what history really was (hardwork and determination).
Now, just look. Look at American Girl Historical's line and tell me that it not only accurately represents history, but also represents the doll. Just take Kit for example. Kit is described as a hardworking girl who hates pink and frills, but instead likes reporting- and reporting the truth. And look what AG comes out with to represent and a girl who's family didn't have a load of money and a girl who really didn't like pink? A frilly summer dress and a pink nightie. Why? TO SELL!!! Not to represent and era when most Americans lived in poverty, but to sell. To sell to girls who like pink and frills. TO SELL!!! It's all marketing, while her books portray Kit as a hard-working girl who's family doesn't have a lot of money (or a lot of pink and frilly clothes), the product, unfortunately don't portray Kit this way, they show her as a pink-and-frills loving girl whose family has plenty of money.
But why? For money. It's all about the money. And, that makes me upset. And, that makes me not want to post. Because, how can I post about dolls and products that I love, when I strongly dislike the company that makes them?
~Gabby
Before you ask, I visited San Antonio and Corpus Christi for Spring Break and it was a whole lot of fun! (Pictures will be up soon!) But, that's not the real reason behind this post. The real reason to talk about why I haven't posted and how a super-mega rich company has something to do with it.
Let's start with the company that I mentioned above. It was American Girl and it has a quite a lot to do with the opinions expressed in this post.
American Girl has changed.
This is fact- not an opinion- and I'm sure American Girl would not deny it, but it's changed, and in my opinion for the worse. When I look on American Girl Wikia and read about older AG products, I realize how much more effort was put into making the products real- and making them out of the highest quality materials possible. Dolls used to be made in Germany instead of a huge plant in China and a doll skirt and shirt didn't used to cost $28. A set filled with paper and small plastic products is marketed off at $26, even though it probably costs around $3 to make. It just makes me mad that products made in China (not even AMERICAN!) are sold at such a high- even though their quality just seems to go down. Now, I'm not saying every AG piece isn't worth the splurge, I'm just saying the majority is. Do you really want to spend $58 on a doll dining set? Which doesn't include a table?
But, honestly the thing I'm really upset about is definitely the Historical line. This line is by far my favorite, but it also is the thing that is really buggin' me.
Historicals used to be- in my opinion- about showing girls what history was really like, even if it wasn't all fancy frills and glassware, but instead the hand me down dress and tin. It taught girls what history really was (hardwork and determination).
Now, just look. Look at American Girl Historical's line and tell me that it not only accurately represents history, but also represents the doll. Just take Kit for example. Kit is described as a hardworking girl who hates pink and frills, but instead likes reporting- and reporting the truth. And look what AG comes out with to represent and a girl who's family didn't have a load of money and a girl who really didn't like pink? A frilly summer dress and a pink nightie. Why? TO SELL!!! Not to represent and era when most Americans lived in poverty, but to sell. To sell to girls who like pink and frills. TO SELL!!! It's all marketing, while her books portray Kit as a hard-working girl who's family doesn't have a lot of money (or a lot of pink and frilly clothes), the product, unfortunately don't portray Kit this way, they show her as a pink-and-frills loving girl whose family has plenty of money.
But why? For money. It's all about the money. And, that makes me upset. And, that makes me not want to post. Because, how can I post about dolls and products that I love, when I strongly dislike the company that makes them?
~Gabby
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Guess Where I'm Going?
Hey girls! For spring break I'm visiting a fun destination- and I'd like you all to guess!
Okay, so I'm visiting one state and two cities. I've posted some hints below to help you guess the cities. Have fun!
City #1
-you can "sea the world" here
-enjoy a trip down a river
-"REMEMBER THE _ _ _ _ _!"
City #2
-on an island
-means "Body of Christ"
-USS Lexington
Enjoy and happy guessing!
~Gabby
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