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A former White House aide has demanded parents boycott popular doll brand American Girl, amid backlash over his new book that teaches pre-teen girls how to use puberty and transition blockers, all without consent. of their tutors.
The brazen call to action was made Thursday by former Trump-Bush press chief Mercedes Schlapp and serves as the latest example of a public outcry against the dollmaker over a book it published last month.
The book, titled A Smart Girl’s Guide: Body Image, contains lines that give tweens advice on how to change their gender and provides a list of resources for organizations they can turn to if they don’t have an adult to trust. ‘
Since then, news about the content of the posts has spread quickly, with parents now taking to social media to criticize a company formerly known for its iconic, often expensive dolls meant to epitomize a period of American history. .
That said, many have said they are giving up on the dolls altogether, including Schlapp, 44, who appeared on Fox News to express her disgust at the rhetoric being spread about her and other American children.
Calling the content “dangerous not only to these children, but also to our society,” the veteran White House official accused the company of neglecting its values; as revealed, he also published a book last year that taught girls lessons on ‘white privilege’ and ‘structural racism’.
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The brazen call to action was made Thursday by former Trump-Bush press chief Mercedes Schlapp and serves as the latest example of a public outcry against the dollmaker over a book it published last month.
The book, titled Girl’s Guide: Body Image, contains lines giving tweens advice on how to change their gender and provides a list of resources for organizations they can turn to “if you don’t have an adult to trust.”
“It’s hard enough for any girl to go through puberty, for any teenager to go through puberty,” Schlapp, who served as director of specialty media and strategic communications under presidents, told Fox News’ Dana Perino during a broadcast of the Thursday morning America’s Newsroom.
“Add to that the pressure, of adding this confusion in your body image, if you don’t look a certain way, that means you need to think about medically changing your body,” she continued, “It’s sick and twisted.”
The former White House official then pointed to the storied history of the brand, stating that both she and her daughter grew up on American Girl products, making the recent revelations all the more harrowing.
“Just to have a company that parents and so many children have enjoyed over the years… to then include this very distorted and disgusting view of how girls shouldn’t be proud of their bodies, in the sense of that if you’re not happy with your body, go ahead and change it medically,” Schlapp said, “I think it’s dangerous.”
He then described how he spoke to one of his daughters about the story, which caught fire on Tuesday after a DailyMail.com report on the 96-page post, which is billed as a “guide”, with both finally expressing their disappointment with the doll maker.
“It’s hard enough for any girl to go through puberty, for any teenager to go through puberty,” Schlapp, who served as director of specialty media and strategic communications under presidents, told Fox News’ Dana Perino during a broadcast of the America’s Newsroom Thursday.
“As my daughter said, when I told her about this item today,” Schlapp recalled of their conversation earlier in the day, “it’s a classic company.
“I enjoyed reading those books, I watched the movies, they were very inspiring to me as a child.”
The former White House official, who has daughters of her own, called on parents to refrain from buying American Girl products, at least until the dollmaker properly addressed the scandal.
“The American Girl company needs to stay away, parents should boycott this company,” Schlapp told Perino, who was a press secretary during the Donald Trump administration.
The book, titled Girl’s Guide: Body Image, contains lines giving tweens advice on how to change their gender; provides a list of resources for organizations to turn to ‘if you don’t have an adult you can trust’. Since then, it has sparked anger among parents.
Granting that a boycott of a classic brand like American Girl “is very unfortunate,” Schlapp said such actions are necessary as the company continues to move forward.in this direction’, evidenced by previous titles published in recent years that preach polarizing ideals such as critical race theory and climate change.
Schlapp called the later books ‘contained’dangerous not only for these children, but also for our society’, stating that the company ‘should not promote this in any way’.
A host of other parents in the past two days have also spoken out about the book’s contents, calling out the message it’s sending to tween girls. ‘misleading and dangerous.
The official American Girl Doll Facebook page, in particular, has been beset by negative comments. One person wrote: ‘Your book is disgusting. It’s child abuse. The iconic doll brand and its parent company, Mattel, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
One section of the book encourages preteen boys to seek out puberty blockers without the parents’ knowledge.
Another person wrote: ‘I’m no longer a customer! American Girl is promoting this awakened gender ideology!’
While another said: “It seems like the American Girl Doll company should focus less on trying to bring the puberty blocker agenda to kids ages 3-14.”
A review on Amazon said: ‘A book that encourages boys to take puberty blockers (known to cause infertility and increase the risk of cancer) if they don’t feel good in their own skin. And does it give them resources to do it behind their parents’ backs? it’s not right. These kids hear enough about it in this world, there’s no reason to put it in a children’s book.’
Another negative review read: ‘A doctor does not assign your sex at birth. That is created long before you leave the birth canal. And tell girls it’s okay to use puberty blockers and give them resources if their parents don’t approve? SICK!! This book should teach girls how to be happy in their own GIRL body and how to accept it and be proud to be a girl.’
The book also provides a list of resources for organizations children can turn to ‘if you don’t have a trusted adult’.
A press release promoting the book read in part: ‘Every girl needs to learn to live comfortably in her own skin, and this book will show her the way!’
As news of the book’s contents spread, the official American Girl Doll Facebook page has been beset by negative comments.
There are currently overwhelmingly more negative reviews of the book on the American Girl website.