Your average American Girl can’t really afford the American Girl doll, including one of its newest editions, Homeless Gwen Thompson, who retails for $95. She came out earlier this year to compliment the American Girl’s Clarissa doll. Gwen has come under a media firestorm after it became known that no proceeds from the sale of Gwen will go towards homeless charities.
People are divided about the situation. Some embrace Gwen and her representation of the recession and less advantaged families in the United States. Other believe that the presence of the doll “institutionalizes” the idea of homelessness in a child’s mind.
I do think that a portion of Gwen’s profits should go to homeless shelters, but I don’t really have a problem with the doll’s existence. The girls who receive these pricey dolls are usually a little better off than the status quo, so I think it’s probably beneficial for them to learn a little bit about the struggles of other children going through a more difficult time, if just on a superficial level.
Gwen’s dad left the family, then Gwen’s mom lost her job and was unable to pay the bills, resulting in Gwen and her mom living in a car. She also gets bullied in school.
