“When a girl plays with a doll, she is preparing to be a mommy someday. Her first role model is her own mother, and her first opportunity at role-playing is with her dolls.” Beautiful Girlhood Collection

The way a child plays will influence who that child will become. And the tools of play are an important part of the equation.

Play is preparation for adulthood. Play can prepare a child for maturity or for teen rebellion. Play may breed noble dreams and actions, or it may reinforce dark and unhealthy attitudes. Play may reinforce biblical gender roles (women as mothers and homemakers; men as defenders and protectors of women; etc.), or it may supplant them with the stereotypes perpetuated by modern feminism.

But one thing is certain—play (like the rest of life) is never neutral.

One of the most iconic symbols of childhood play is the doll. Dolls have always served an important role in culture, primarily in preparing daughters to be mothers. At the heart of doll play are two important concepts: identification and imagination. For example, the baby doll in the hands of a girl is a tool that helps her to identify with motherhood. The dress-up doll at her bedroom tea party allows her to imagine her own future role building a culture of hospitality for her family. With the historical doll a young lady both imagines and identifies with the adventures of girlhood past. The point is this: dolls have traditionally played an important role in the social and intellectual development of young ladies.

Dolls as a Tool of Cultural Revolution

Humanists, including feminists of various stripes, recognize the power of play in shaping cultural identity and gender norms. Because doll play has historically been so closely associated with a distinctively Christian understanding of the roles of men and women, the feminist tactic usually takes one of two forms: The first approach is based on the notion that sex-specific play, education, and role modeling are inherently oppressive. This approach seeks to discourage role distinctions by encouraging both parents and manufacturers to accept more of an androgynous and gender-bending approach to the toys. Under this model, parents should not assume that dolls are for girls, or that toy soldiers are for boys—and neither should manufacturers or their advertising agencies.

The problem with this approach is that it does not work. At the end of the day, young girls still want to play with dolls, and boys want cap guns and toy soldiers.

The second approach is what I call the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” strategy. The idea is to recognize that girls are always going to want dolls. Instead of trying to reprogram girls to disdain dolls, cultural feminists want to let them play with dolls—just not dolls which they believe reinforce the patriarchal stereotypes of Christianity, with its emphasis on certain role differentiation between boys and girls. Instead of taking dolls away from girls, or forcing girls to think in terms of toys traditionally associated with boys, the new approach will be to let the girls play with dolls—politically correct dolls that reflect the values of a post-modern, feminist culture. These dolls will be tools of propaganda—playthings designed to alter societal norms, and subtly advance the feminist agenda.

At Your Local Wal-Mart — Bratz

Today’s secular doll manufacturers wrestle with political pressures, marketing realities, and the bottom line. They also recognize trends, including the present dominance of youth culture, sexual permissiveness, and feminist ideals within the culture as a whole. They have to deal with a media-manipulated culture in which young boys and girls have access to highly advanced technologies, the permissive culture values of the government school, and the moral unrestraint of Hollywood, each of which exposes them to unbelievably mature concepts and experiences at an increasingly younger and younger ages. Frankly, eight-year-old girls who date boys, watch R-rated films, and are exposed to X-rated conversations with their peers are not interested in tea parties or baby dolls.

For the trend-conscious secular businessman, this means that unless they can reach girls using an appeal to more mature and sometimes morally ambiguous themes, they will lose their marketing audience.

That is why much of the doll manufacturing and marketing business appears to be engaged in a self-conscious effort to use dolls to supplant the old vision of daughterhood with the evolving standards and priorities of a culture which no longer prizes virtue, femininity, and homemaking for young ladies. The “hottest” companies appear dedicated to communicating through their dolls the worst elements of modern culture in a quest to fashion the modern girl—liberated, provocative, independent, and tuned into the latest media-driven fads.

Little girls are now to imagine themselves “survivors” in a culture of divorce. In the case of Bratz—available at Wal-Marts across America—girls can identify with dolls that sometime appear little different than streetwalkers.

Greek Goddesses and Feminist Empowerment Toys

The new feminist theology of dolls includes the doctrine of “empowerment.” This is the idea that politically correct dolls are tools of social liberation. Specifically, they are training vehicles to help young girls break free of oppressive social restraints and confidently express their individuality. This means communicating the doctrine of empowerment by training little girls to identify with new role models—including, in at least one case, pagan goddesses.

One example is the Sophia Dolls line, produced by the Nea Matia company which explains that the mission of the dolls is “to educate, inspire, and empower all women, especially girls and their mothers...” Now little girls can seek “empowerment” by identifying with “Goddess Athena: Teacher of Leadership”, “Goddess Demeter: Teacher of Maternal Love,” or “Goddess Aphrodite” (who has no sub-description).

Inexplicably, this goddess-driven collection even includes a Mary Magdalene doll. The manufacturer comments: “We used the color red for the shawl because of its connection to Mary over the centuries and because it increases enthusiasm, stimulates energy, encourages action and confidence, and gives us a sense of protection from fears and anxiety.” The goddess dolls retail for between $99 and $149.

According to Nea Matia, this doll line is “focused on expanding the definitions of beauty for women and girls...to recognize and honor the different sizes, shapes, and attributes of women, paving the way to greater self-esteem and empowerment.” They further explain:

For thousands of years, fairy tales and folklore have continually told stories of the princess, empress or queen. These tales have been the role model of little girls. Each of these role models is a woman in power over others. Each of them demand respect out of fear. As a company dedicated to the teaching of self-esteem, we could not use any reference to a princess, queen or empress. Our goal is to promote empowerment of self, not power over others. In order to accomplish this mission in a visual way, we went back to one of the greatest pieces of literature in histroy, Homer’s Iliad and the Odyssey...The assistance to overcome massive obstacles came from Greek gods/goddesses and the experiences were a joint venture between the human and mythological powers. Many modern pyschologists use the names of these goddesses in labeling inherent patterns of human behavior. To us, this type of labeling sounded like a great way to stimulate the imagination and to have fun, while teaching empowerment.

Doll Sales That Promote Abortion and Feminism

Two years ago American Girl company received some well-deserved heat for their subsidization of abortion and feminist ideals. The subsidies came in the context of the American Girl’s “I Can” campaign. At the time, Vision Forum received letters from concerned parents. The Christian community benefited from the commentary of media sources like WorldNetDaily.com. And pro-family organizations like the American Family Association expressed their strong opposition to the use of a doll company associated with historic American girlhood to advance the abortion industry. WorldNetDaily.com reported that: “‘American Girl has refused to sever ties with pro-abortion Girls Incorporated,’ said Ann Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, ‘This leaves us no choice but to call for a boycott of American Girl dolls and accessories for the duration of the 2005 Christmas shopping season.’”

As Agape Press reported, “AFA urged individuals to contact American Girl, expressing their disappointment. ‘[L]et American Girl know they are making a terrible mistake by supporting the pro-abortion, pro-lesbian organization, Girls Inc.,’ says AFA chairman Don Wildmon in the notice. ‘[L]et American Girl president Ellen Brothers know the company’s decision casts a great shadow over their trustworthiness to put the welfare of girls and children first.’”

Reader Expresses Concern Over New Direction in American Girl Company

That was then.

For 2007, the American Girl company’s latest contribution to the cultural “doll wars” is the release of a new doll named Julie. No longer set in the historic past, the message of this doll is contemporary. Julie’s story reflects the ethical conundrums of a humanistic culture at war with God and struggling to find a message that will help girls transcend the sorrow of broken families. The message is communicated in the following text:

For Julie Albright, life after her parents’ divorce holds as many ups and downs as the hilly streets of San Francisco. Julie misses her old bedroom, her pet rabbit, her best friend, Ivy—and most of all, having her whole family together. But Julie begins to see that change also brings new possibilities. By taking charge of her new life, she learns to believe in herself—and that love can hold a family together even when they live apart.

Mrs. Rachel C. writes to Vision Forum with the following comment:

This is their newest “historical” doll—a girl whose home is broken by divorce, whose life has its ups and downs, just like the streets of San Francisco where she lives, who dresses like a hippie, and learns to believe in HERSELF! Wow, what a role model for my kids! Isn’t it sad what our culture has become? We go from Colonial and Pioneering Days where people established this land for the cause of Christ and had to have character to survive, to broken homes where kids are left in the dust. Then on top of it, it’s all glorified by the pretty doll they sell to “go with the times.” Breaks my heart! Maybe Vision Forum needs to offer their “Reclaiming the Culture” dolls and outfits—a mother and father, dressed modestly, with their 10 little “olive plants” surrounding them!

Thanks for the thoughts Mrs. C., and for that kind vote of confidence.

The Beautiful Girlhood Collection

“The Beautiful Girlhood Collection aspires, by the grace of God, to encourage the rebuilding of a culture of virtuous womanhood. In a world that frowns on femininity, that minimizes motherhood, and that belittles the beauty of being a true woman of God, we dare to believe that the biblical vision for girlhood is a glorious vision. It is, in fact — a beautiful vision. It is a vision for purity and contentment, for faith and fortitude, for enthusiasm and industry, for heritage and home, and for joy and friendship. It is a vision so bright and so wonderful that it must be boldly proclaimed. We are here to proclaim it.” The Beautiful Girlhood Collection

Our culture is engaged in a battle for the heart and soul of the family. It is even reflected in the present doll wars. At stake is whether the play life of our children will reflect efforts to rebuild a culture of virtuous boyhood and girlhood, or whether it will focus on training the next generation of me-centered, empowered, feminists.

There is a reason why feminists hate the message of the Beautiful Girlhood Collection. They hate it because so many of the contributions to this collection emphasize a message of holy submission to the priorities of the Lord, and not the feminist empowerment model. They hate it because it represents many of the historic family values of the old era of Christendom. And they hate the constant emphasis that a girl’s play should pave the way for her to better embrace the feminine models and admonitions presented in such Scriptures as Proverbs 31, Titus 2, and I Peter 3. To the feminist, such concepts are the embodiment of oppression. Feminists are accustomed to dealing in simplistic stereotypes and the rhetoric of disenfranchisement. The idea of intelligent, well-trained, entrepreneurial and informed daughters, who view the title “wife” and “mother” as the highest calling to which they can aspire, is enigmatic to them. And they find notions of young mothers-in-training, dressed in feminine attire, and playing with dolls at a tea party to be contrived, unrealistic, and even dangerous.

We disagree with the feminists. We also disagree with any corporate model for success which capitalizes on the most negative influences in modern youth culture to market products to children. And we take seriously our mission to encourage, bless, and promote Christian family culture for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the case of the Beautiful Girlhood Collection, we hope to inspire the next generation of visionary and virtuous daughters to have a big vision of victory in Christ with our own small offerings of encouragement which come in the form of books, audio material, and even play-tools, like dolls. We do not now, nor have we ever believed that the dolls, books, dresses, images presented in our Beautiful Girlhood Collection are “THE WAY,” or “THE ONLY WAY” to communicate femininity or biblical womanhood. But we do believe that it is ONE IMPORTANT WAY to inspire, teach, and fuel hope. And from the thousands of letters, emails, and personal comments we have received over the years, it not only appears that God is blessing this work, but that the message is striking a chord of encouragement with many. For this we give praise to the Lord.