I Don't Get Why Gwen Was Controversial?
As the title says, I don't get the controversy.
Was it because it showed people being nice to her even though she was homeless at one point? I mean, that's common courtesy.
Of course, certain people didn't see it that way and complained that it 'taught kids to sympathize with the homeless.' There's a song I like called What It's Like and it has a verse that goes (pardon the wrong pronoun):
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes 'cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues.
Felt that verse worked.
I own and love Gwen and her story, but I agree with some of the controversy. It’s complicated.
I think AG did a good job at educating children in real-life issues while also giving Gwen respect as a character. Her story represents a bad situation that real girls face sometimes, and I think it’s important for children who are not in those situations to understand what other people are going through. I also appreciate the fact that the doll does not reflect the most common negative stereotypes about homeless people. By the end of her story in Chrissa’s books, Gwen gets a nice outfit and some friends who treat her with kindness, achievable goals for all children if the appropriate social supports are in place. Gwen gets a positive ending, showing the kinds of girls who can afford an AG doll what can be achieved if we all pitch in and help each other. Those are wonderful lessons to teach any kid.
However, in spite of that glowing character analysis, I think there are some major unfortunate implications found in charging over $100 for a doll that canonically sleeps in her mom’s car. I think Gwen is a good character to have in children’s literature, but there are valid criticisms to be made about dressing up traumatic circumstances in a cute sundress and flip flops in order to turn a profit for a giant company like Mattel. That was where the bulk of the controversy was found, as I remember it. Like, yeah, most people agreed at the time that AG teaches girls good lessons, like selflessness, empathy, charity, etc. There were some people that I remember on the AG forums way back when who were upset that homelessness was a topic of conversation at all, but most people were just weirded out by the fact that AG essentially paywalled and profited off of stories of real financial hardship that real children experience.
I don’t know. I love my Gwen. I also see why some people were upset enough to write news articles about her. All of this controversy was taking place during an economic recession that made Gwen’s story a true story for so many children.
