Wednesday, January 29, 2020 // The Statement 2B Managing Statement Editor Magdalena Mihaylova Deputy Editors Emily Stillman Marisa Wright Associate Editor Reece Meyhoefer Designers Liz Bigham Kate Glad Copy Editors Madison Gagne Sadia Jiban Photo Editor Keemya Esmael Editor in Chief Elizabeth Lawrence Managing Editor Erin White G rowing up in the late 2000s, the best six days of the year were when my American Girl Magazine arrived in the mail. When I saw it on the counter under a stack of bills and advertisements, I ran up to my room and carefully opened the table of contents like it was precious candy. There was always a free poster, a craft, a quiz, an advice col- umn and a featured reader smiling on the cover. Many issues included interviews with the cover girls, who earned their face in print by volunteering at a commu- nity garden, starting a jewelry business or organizing a clothing drive. I dreamt of being published in the magazine and entered writing and photo contests to do so, having photoshoots with my stuffed animals and trying to fit the vocabulary word “tchotchke” into a short story. I even started a business making collars for Web- kinz stuffed animals in hopes I’d become a success story in the next issue. Unsurprisingly, I spent more money on my business cards and bracelet beads than I made in actual revenue. Yet even though I never found my face on the cover or my story in the magazine, I set a foundation for my future pursuits in photography, writing and entrepreneurship. The maga- zine undeniably shaped who I am today. When I got older, I tried reading Girls’ Life, Teen Vogue and even Tiger Beat, which stressed me out with its loud colors and celebrity gossip. I read these maga- zines for a few years, but I never cherished the moments spent with their pages like I did with American Girl Magazine. I guess I just didn’t care about which $90 hand- bag matches which $200 cheetah-printed boots or if Maybelline mascara is less clumpy than CoverGirl — I didn’t even wear makeup or care about clothes until I got to college. I recently discovered that American Girl Magazine stopped production in 2019. I had carelessly thrown out my issues around the time of high school graduation, but still searched my room in hopes of finding them. After no luck, I bought four 2009 issues on eBay. I mourned the loss of the magazine not because I wanted to try its recipe for “fruit pizza” again, but because it represented a world where regular girls — not celebri- ties — graced the cover of a mainstream magazine. It’s difficult to find anything similar to American Girl Magazine today, or even a magazine targeted at young girls whose covers don’t advertise “does your crush like you?” but rather “plan a spooky party.” Though the magazine is gone, the American Girl brand still thrives through their popular dolls. The franchise began producing dolls in the 1980s, years before the magazine began in 1992, and are now accompanied by books that gave each character a backstory. The dolls and their stories have been applauded for their diverse narratives that encompass how the average young girl lived during a spe- cific time period, which is a demographic often left out of textbooks and elementary school classes. Historical characters included Addy, an African-American girl who escaped slavery; Kaya, a girl from the Nez Perce tribe living before white colonization; and Josefina, a Mexican girl living in Santa Fe while it was still Mexican territory. Recent dolls emphasize today’s diversity more than historical narratives, exempli- fied by Joss, the 2020 doll of the year who is a surfer with a hearing aid. Customiz- able “Truly Me” dolls are also available with various skin tones, boy and girl gen- ders and accessories such as an insulin pump. I had two historical dolls of my own, Kirsten and Elizabeth, and loved their books so much that I went on to also read the other dolls’ stories. Much like the magazine, the books teach girls to be clev- er and powerful without focusing on the presence of men. But owning the dolls is undeniably a privilege, with the doll and book alone costing upwards of $100, while the magazine was more accessible at $20 for an annual subscription. American Girl Magazine was important not only for its accessibility but because it was a separate entity from the products. It wasn’t just another platform advertis- ing the dolls, but a way to bridge the gap between the dolls’ historical narratives and modern narratives of girls doing good work today. This is arguably needed more than ever in an age where young girls are more vulnerable to toxic pressures than ever before. As someone born between millennials and Generation Z, my childhood was influ- enced by the digital world, but not defined by it. Today, girls from eight to 12 years old spend around six hours a day with enter- tainment media — and while my child- hood entertainment meant Webkinz and Club Penguin, today it means Instagram and TikTok, where girls as young as 15 put on makeup and tight clothing and perform for followers. What other options do they have? If a young girl wants to read a girls-oriented magazine, she must choose one with a photoshopped celebrity on the cover often littered with tips about how to be appeal- ing to men. If she wants to make a DIY craft, she will probably seek out a You- Tube influencer to teach her, persuaded by their “authenticity” when they are like- ly also performing for social capital. Of course, there is still good work happening for girls’ empowerment online: Teen Vogue now publishes politi- cal articles in addition to content about fashion and makeup, and Barbie releases animated vlogs covering feminist topics such as girls’ tendency to apologize more than boys. Competitors of American Girl are now trying to fill in the gaps in the digital world. Plus, American Girl still produces informational content — many will remember the books “The Care and Keep- ing of You” which teaches girls about their growing bodies and “A Smart Girl’s Guide to Boys” which, despite becoming a meme (as a conversation starter, it rec- ommends “I wish they’d teach us more about Vikings”), encourages curiosity and equality in relationships. More recently, the company released another guide to the digital world about how to safely navi- gate the Internet. Yet, there is something deeply person- al about a physical magazine that I wish girls today could experience. There was a sense that you were the only one read- ing the issue and it was made for you spe- cifically. It was sent to your house. You owned it and the information in it. That medium, in and of itself, was empower- ing. It is natural that American Girl is changing as American girls are changing. But while the instant gratification of the Internet can jumpstart imagination with information, young girls also don’t get downtime in between ideas. Consump- tion becomes more appealing than action: When girls can stay in that media environ- ment forever, they never have to sit back and work with what they’re given before the next issue arrives. I am anxiously waiting for my own cop- ies to arrive from eBay. When they do, I’ll probably run to my room and pore over every word. Maybe it will feel more pre- cious than before, knowing once the print issues are gone, all traces will be lost. But even though the magazine faded away before it could reach the girls of today and tomorrow, I know they will be clever enough to grow in the digital world. In fact, if they are anything like the American girls throughout the rest of his- tory, I know they already are. American girl needed American Girl Magazine BY HANNAH BRAUER, STATEMENT COLUMNIST American statement THE MICHIGAN DAILY | JANUARY 29, 2020 Girls