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Printer-Friendly ModeParents' boycott of Girls Inc. detrimental to young girls
December 12, 2005 —
Flipping through Newsweek one day, I came across an article that alarmed me.
The article was about a boycott against American Girl because the company was donating money to Girls Incorporated. As college students, I believe that some of us have heard of American Girl and/or Girls Inc. For those who have not, American Girl, a part of Mattel, makes dolls that help teach adolescent girls history and life lessons. Girls Inc. is a "non-profit organization that inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold," according to a press release from American Girl. Girls Inc. addresses issues that have been deemed relevant in today's world through extensive research. Through affiliates, their Web site, and educational publications, Girls Inc. has helped millions of girls in the 141 years of their existence.
In the fall of 2005, American Girl launched a campaign called "I CAN." A press release said that this campaign was to remind girls to believe in themselves and in each other. American Girl promoted this campaign by selling "I CAN" elastic band bracelets and donating all the profits to Girls Inc. Bath & Body Works carried the bracelets, as well. I recently went to one of their locations to buy one and was told that they have been sold out for a few months. This led me to believe that this campaign has been a success.
The article in Newsweek talked about a boycott of American Girl because Girls Inc. offered information on abortion and homosexuality. A mother who was featured in the article talked about going to the company's Web site and finding "offensive" information. When I went to the Girls Inc. Web site (girlsinc.org), I found it to be an educational Web site that addressed current issues, like sex and violence, which affect girls today.
I attended a public high school knowing that lesbians attended there and that teen pregnancy probably did happen and perhaps ended with abortion. However, the parents that are leading this "boycott" need to realize that even if their children are not necessarily going to need help from Girls Inc., other girls out there need to be educated. Girls who cannot afford American Girl dolls may need the information that Girls Inc. provides. Say a teenager just found out she was pregnant, comes from a low-income family, and has no idea how to deal with her problem. This girl needs to know her options, and Girls Inc. is a place she could turn to for information. She could go to the local public library and go to girlsinc.org for information, or go to her guidance counselor and get a pamphlet that Girls Inc. has published.
I do not see how you can justify boycotting a company that is helping a non-profit organization. That is exactly what American Girl is doing - helping Girl Inc. They are donating and raising money to help an organization that helps girls. Girls Inc. is not telling girls to have an abortion or become gay; they are simply providing information on these subjects. These are current issues that girls today need to know about.