A Positive Outlook on American Girl

     I have begun to look through the American Girl community for the first time in around 2 years, and boy oh boy have things changed! And quite honestly, I am adoring the changes! I thought I would mention some things that I have noticed, some opinions I'm having about the American Girl of the 2020s, and some updates for this blog! 

    Starting off, here is a consecutive list of changes I've noticed, both within the brand of American Girl and the American Girl fanbase. Within this list are my thoughts, most of which are very good!

1. Courtney!
1.  I was actually aware of Courtney pretty close to her release, I just didn't feel that much of an urge to post about it. I think she's super cute, but she just isn't my style! I love her arcade and Caboodle! I also loved the touch of giving her her very own American Girl doll! My only critique is that apparently her eyes have a slightly downward gaze, but it doesn't seem to be that noticeable.
2. World By Us
1. I am in love! I love all of their collections, minus Makena's, it's just kind of underwhelming. I adore that American Girl is making large strides in offering representation to young people. My only critique is that it seems like American Girl is trying a little too hard to sell to the people who don't have quite enough money to buy custom dolls. They're all adorable, though.
3. The New Holiday Outfits
1. Pretty much everything I have to say in this is the same as what I have to say on the World By Us dolls. I saw lots of people in the comments of American Girl's Instagram celebrating that young people (specifically girls) can now have American Girl dolls that they can identify with. My favorite is the Diwali outfit, the pattern of the fabric is absolutely stunning! I'm not huge on the Eid al-Fitr and Christmas outfits, I just find them underwhelming and a bit tacky. My other critique is that I wish that American Girl put this sort of thought into the historical characters. It is not only important to mention the diversity of the modern era, but also the diversity of the past.
4. Joss Kendrick
1. I know that I'm about 2 years late on this, at this point. She's cute, I guess. Her collection is just kind of Kailey 2.0, but I'm here for it. To quote my friend, "whatever toasts your Poptart."
5. Kira Bailey
1. She's cute, her collection is too pink for my liking. I don't really have anything else to say on her.
6. Corinne Tan
1. She's gorgeous! Her mold is fairly similar to Nanea's but has some differences. Namely, (not including face painting) her cheeks and eyes are slightly different than Nanea's. My only critiques are that I wish American Girl had given her a different hobby, as the skiing thing has already been done. I know it's bound to happen, as new kids come along and such, but my point still stands. I also don't like her name, just the spelling of it. I don't know why.
7. Beforever --> Historical
1. LOVE this change! I vividly remember my disappointment about finding out about the historical line being renamed to Beforever. The historical characters collections have also begun to be more similar to their collections before 2014, and it truly does make me happy. 

That's all the new stuff that I know I've missed, please let me know if I forgot anything! It has been quite a while since I've really been into the AG community! Next up is the fanbase!

     I don't really have much for this other than that people now seem to be waaay kinder! 

Okay, that's all I had to say on that. Update time!

1. Reasons Why I Stopped Posting
1. Quite frankly, the interest left. The 1st key reason for this was that American Girl's newer stuff just doesn't... snap my socks. The stuff from the 2000s is amazing! The stuff from the late 2010s to now just... is kind of underwhelming to me. I get why people like it, I just don't like it. The 2nd main reason was that the American Girl store near me left. Bad reason, I know. 
2. Selling
1. I'm going to be selling 8 of my American Girl dolls! They're the ones I have no attachment to anymore, and would rather get rid of than hold onto. I'll be making a full post about that once I figure out what all I'll be selling. What I'll say for now is that I'll be selling doll stuff on Depop and that the most expensive doll I will be selling is $105 and the cheapest is $70. I'll also be selling some doll furniture and clothes! It's all 2019 and earlier, so if you're looking for any archived/retired stuff, there will be lots of that!
3. New Stuff/Posts!
1. I will definitely be posting more throughout 2022 as I announce what I'm selling and the new stuff I'm getting. Spoiler alert: I'm getting Lindsey!
4. Old Posts
1. I may be deleting some old posts, just if I feel they were too negative or too inaccurate. I may redo some of these posts, but we will see. I don't really want to edit old posts, just as I like to see my progress with both writing and analytical thinking.

    Now, living up to the title of this post. Honestly, it's probably for the best that there were 2 years of me not being into American Girl, as my outlook on the brand became very, very negative. I want to come back to the American Girl community as a positive person, not the toxicness that was, and I'm sure still is, prevalent within the community. Of course, there have been problems within American Girl, but ultimately there is still so much good! They have made great strides in diversity, and have clearly been listening more to their fans and customers. I would imagine I'll be posting more on this type of thing, but only time will tell. As always, feel free to comment with any questions and/or anything you think I should have added to this post.

Thank you so much for reading!

~Ella