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Triple Woke Fail...

Mothers Slam American Girl Book Advising on Puberty Blockers
By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
December 9, 2022 Updated: December 11, 2022

Scathing reviews are pouring into the American Girl website and
Amazon, and social media users are blasting the popular doll brand for
a 2022 book that advises young girls on pronouns, switching genders,
and using puberty blockers.

Part of the criticism surrounds circumventing unsupportive parents.

Others, however, have applauded the book for providing guidance on the
topics, sending it to No. 1 on Amazon in the category of Popular
Adolescent Psychology.

“A Smart Girl’s Guide: Body Image: How to Love Yourself, Live Life to
the Fullest, and Celebrate All Kinds of Bodies” rapidly drew attention
from around the world after a Dec. 6 report in the London-based Daily
Mail.
Epoch Times Photo American Girl’s new “Body Image” book for young
girls has sparked controversy. (Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch
Times)

The $12.99 book was released in February without fanfare.

Amazon users suggest it’s written for ages 8–11; American Girl
recommends it for girls in 4th grade through 6th grade.

The 96-page paperback by Mel Hammond depicts girls with different body
types and skin colors on the cover. It further signals inclusiveness
by showing a girl in a wheelchair and another with blue hair.

Hammond also wrote, “Love the Earth: Understanding Climate Change,
Speaking Up for Solutions and Living an Earth-Friendly Life” for
American Girl.

The 36-year-old company is best known for its lifelike dolls that can
be customized by skin tone, eye color, and hair color and style.

The 18-inch dolls that stand on their own often are purchased to look
like a child’s twin.
Epoch Times Photo A girl with her doll peeking out of her backpack
watches as a street entertainer dances during a road side show on Oct.
9, 2015 in New York. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images)

The company sells an expansive line of matching clothing for child and
doll, and a library of books for girls on a wide variety of topics. It
was purchased by toy giant Mattel—the owner of the Barbie brand of
toys—in 1998 for a reported $700 million.

Early in “Body Image,” the author assures young girls that many
different body types exist.

Halfway through the book, the Gender Joy chapter takes a hard-left turn.

It prominently features an illustration of an androgynous child
wearing pronoun buttons in front of a transgender flag. The chapter
defines terms like transgender and nonbinary, and suggests ways girls
can express their gender through haircuts and clothing.

“When a baby is born, a doctor looks at the baby’s body parts to
assign its sex—whether the baby is female or male,” the chapter
explains. “But for some, that assigned sex doesn’t match who they know
they are inside.”

Being transgender is not an illness or something to be ashamed of, the
author reassures. The text advises girls to talk with a trusted adult,
such as a parent or counselor, if they are questioning their gender
identity.
Epoch Times Photo The American Girl book “Body Image” has ignited
fiery debate over whether its content for young girls, which explains
transgender and nonbinary identities, is inappropriate. (Darlene
McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

“That person can connect you with a specially trained doctor, who can
help you and your family decide what’s best for your body,” the book
explains. And girls might want to experiment with wearing clothing and
using preferred pronouns that make “you feel most like the true you.”

“Parts of your body might make you feel uncomfortable, and you might
want to change the way you look,” the book says. “That’s totally OK!”

“If you haven’t gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer
medicine to delay your body’s changes, giving you more time to think
about your gender identity,” the book advises.

Puberty blockers are hormone treatments that, in girls, can halt
breast growth, cause facial hair to grow, and deepen the voice. While
transgender supporters call them reversible, the impact on fertility
is unknown.

Some in the medical field have raised grave concerns recently about
the use of puberty blockers in children, citing side effects such as,
at least temporarily, stopping growth in height, halting development
of sex drive, interfering with fertility, and halting the healthy
accumulation of calcium in bones.

The book encourages girls who’ve experienced puberty already to see a
doctor if they’re questioning their gender. Studies show transgender
and nonbinary kids who get help from doctors have better mental health
than those who don’t, the chapter claims.

Proponents of children transitioning often use that argument to encourage it.

One 2022 study appearing in the Journal of the American Medical
Association said that transgender patients, 13 to 20 years, who
received puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones had significantly
lower depression and suicidal thoughts.

Critics, however, say that the lucrative and growing transgender
industry suppresses studies showing the opposite is true. The result
is the irrevocable harm of children, they say.

A 2021 article published by the BJM, an international medical care
advocacy group, found that children 12-15 with severe gender dysphoria
had no significant effect on their psychological function, suicidal
thoughts, or body image when using puberty-blocking drugs.

The American Girl “Body Image” book suggests parents don’t need to be
included in these life-altering decisions. It advises young girls to
seek out help from transgender groups, if necessary.

“If you don’t have an adult you trust, there are organizations across
the country that can help you. Turn to the Resources on Page 95 for
more information,” the chapter suggests.

Resources for those questioning their gender identity include website
addresses for The Trevor Project, Human Rights Campaign, and GLSEN for
gender-inclusive schools.

The Trevor Project is an LGBT advocacy group offering counseling and a
chat feature for youths. The Human Rights Campaign pushes LGBT rights.
Promoting Critical Race Theory

The Gender Joy chapter also introduces children to the term
“intersectionality” and provides a worksheet with blanks for listing
characteristics, such as gender, race, and age.

Intersectionality is a concept used in Critical Race Theory (CRT) to
point out a person’s overlapping belonging to multiple victim groups
that subject them to discrimination.

CRT suggests a person with greater intersectionality is deserving of
more preferential treatment as repayment for that oppression.

The book highlights the fictional character Ivy—a 10-year-old who is
deaf, transgender, and Jewish—as a way of explaining intersectionality
to young readers.
Epoch Times Photo The “Body Image” book by American Girl explains
intersectionality, a term often used in Critical Race Theory (CRT).
(Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

Mothers and grandmothers took to social media over the past few days,
slamming the company for what they collectively are calling out as a
move to ditch traditional, wholesome, American values to push woke
ideology.

Hundreds posted on the American Girl Facebook page, criticizing the
company as “evil,” “disgusting,” and “disgraceful.”

Many commented that they would no longer buy the dolls or books.

“I’m running … not walking away from your company,” one user wrote.
“What business do you have telling children of any age that they can
get medicine to ‘fix’ their problem. And if they have no trusted
adult, they can contact organizations who will help.”

Florida mom-of-two Morgan LiCalzi, 29, loved American Girl dolls and
books growing up.

She remembers reading the brand’s book on puberty that offered a
non-graphic explanation of what to expect during changes a girl’s body
goes through.

“Every preteen girl I knew growing up owned it,” LiCalzi told The
Epoch Times. “It was just a comforting book to read.”

LiCalzi said it’s sad the brand went from making girls feel
comfortable about their changing bodies, to telling them they can
“maim” their bodies with hormones if they’re unhappy.

“You’re telling girls the way they were born, and the way they were
created, could be wrong,” she said. “I can’t support a company that
promotes this.”
Epoch Times Photo The American Girl book “Body Image” is part of the
“Smart Girl’s Guide” series, and provides advice on how to get
hormone-blocking medicines. (Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch
Times)

Lindsay Rives, spokeswoman for the watchdog group County Citizens
Defending Freedom, said it’s frightening to think that a beloved doll
company would “betray parents” across the nation.

Her group fights, among other things, to protect students in schools
from sexualization. American Girl books are in many school libraries
and have been respected for years, Rives said.

She’s not surprised by the public outrage.

“Hopefully, this will serve as a wake-up call to others who overstep
their boundaries and choose to deprioritize the safety and wellness of
our children over their own selfish motives,” Rives said.

The company apparently stands by the controversial book, telling TMZ,
an entertainment company,  “We value the views and feedback of our
customers and acknowledge the perspectives on this issue. The content
in this book, geared for kids 10+, was developed in partnership with
medical and adolescent care professionals and consistently emphasizes
the importance of having conversations and discussing any feelings
with parents or trusted adults.”

Phone calls by The Epoch Times seeking comment from American Girl
headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, were not returned before
publication.


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