Pleasant Company's American Girls Collection

PLEASANT COMPANY’S AMERICAN GIRLS COLLECTION: THE CORPORATE CONSTRUCTION OF GIRLHOOD by NANCY DUFFEY STORY (Under the direction of JOEL TAXEL) ABSTRACT This study examines the modes of femininity constructed by the texts of Pleasant Company’s The American Girls Collection in an effort to disclose their discursive power to perpetuate ideological messages about what it means to be a girl in America. A feminist, post structual approach, informed by neo-Marxist insights, is employed to analyze the interplay of gender, class, and race, as well as the complex dynamics of the creation, marketing, publication and distribution of the multiple texts of Pleasant Company, with particular emphasis given to the historical fiction books that accompany the doll-characters. The study finds that the selected texts of the The American Girls Collection position subjects in ways that may serve to reinforce rather than challenge traditional gender behaviors and privilege certain social values and social groups. The complex network of texts positions girls as consumers whose consumption practices may shape identity. The dangerous implications of educational books, written, at least in part, as advertisements for products, is noted along with recommendations that parents and teachers assist girl-readers in engaging in critical inquiry with regard to popular culture texts. INDEX WORDS: Pleasant Company, American Girls Collection, feminism, poststructuralism, gender, consumption, popular culture PLEASANT COMPANY’S AMERICAN GIRLS COLLECTION: THE CORPORATE CONSTRUCTION OF GIRLHOOD by NANCY DUFFEY STORY B.A., LaGrange College, 1975 M.S.W., University of Georgia, 1977 M.A., University of Georgia, 1983 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2002 © 2002 Nancy Duffey Story All Rights Reserved PLEASANT COMPANY’S AMERICAN GIRLS COLLECTION: THE CORPORATE CONSTRUCTION OF GIRLHOOD by NANCY DUFFEY STORY Major Professor: Joel Taxel Committee: Elizabeth St. Pierre Mark Faust Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2002 DEDICATION For my father, Charles H. Duffey, who instilled in me a love of books and an inquiring mind. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS An African proverb, used recently by Hillary Clinton in the title of her book, states that it takes a village to raise a child. As I think about the people who have made this study possible, I realize that it has also taken a village to write this dissertation. The metaphor of the village suits my purposes well here because truly it is people from many walks of life who have, over the years of this study, stepped into my life and offered love, support, encouragement, and assistance. I begin by thanking my friend and major professor, Joel Taxel, whose course at the University of Georgia inspired me to write about this topic. Joel’s support for the study has never wavered, his patience has been Job-like, and his assistance, both in helping me to think through the material and in encouraging me to keep plodding, has often been my staying power. I also wish to thank my committee members, Mark Faust and Bettie St. Pierre. Mark’s enthusiasm for the study and his efforts to facilitate this process, along with helpful suggestions, have been invaluable. It is to Bettie that I owe much gratitude for helping me plough through the often rough terrain of poststructuralism and for continually raising the bar of my analysis, all with a spirit of genuine concern for what I was trying to accomplish. Each member of the committee has read multiple drafts and give me much needed direction. I am also grateful to Angie Callaway, who helped me prepare the final manuscript. I am blessed to have friends who have in countless ways enabled me to juggle the demands of a full-time job and raising three children with those of writing this dissertation. Marsha Hopkins and Lydia Park have traveled to Athens with me and even developed an interest in The American Girls Collection simply to support me in my v vi endeavors. J.C. Smith has researched business data for information to assist me, and Susan Daniel has known just when I needed a phone call, e-mail, or a lunch date to air my frustrations. For personal support and friendship, including driving the car pool, preparing meals, helping me to solve computer disasters, and following my educational pursuits through many stages, I thank Brenda and Steve Adams, Kathy and Larry Dent, Marsha and Benjie Hopkins, Lana and Charlie Nix, Pam and Danny Thomas, and Verna and Mike Long. I am also indebted to the support of many students, friends, and colleagues at North Hall High School, particularly Beth Kesler, who as my friend and department chair, has always been supportive. My mother, Betty Duffey, has been a constant source of strength and inspiration to me, as have my sisters Carol Gill and Susan Kristal, and my brother Chip Duffey, all of whom will celebrate my completion of this project as if it were their own. My daughters, Laura and Elizabeth, gave me my first introduction to Pleasant Company’s American Girls. Our many discussions about the dolls and their books have been fruitful for my study, and I could never have done this without their love and encouragement. My son Will, who probably has no memory of a mother who wasn’t working on “her paper,” has been patient and loving throughout, and I owe him a big thank-you for many unsolicited shoulder massages while I was working at the computer. Finally, my deepest debt is to my husband and best friend, Rick Story. Our partnership sustains me in all my endeavors, and I wish to express my love and gratitude to him for his love, encouragement, willingness, even eagerness, to support me personally and professionally. It is, to a large extent, that I could always rely on him that this study has been completed. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................................................................... v PREFACE.................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................. 5 Introduction to the Study................................................................... 5 Background and Rationale of the Study............................................ 10 The American Girl Series: Establishing its Place in Children’s Literature............................................................................................ 17 Theoretical Stance.............................................................................. 20 Statement of the Problem and Research Questions........................... 24 Chapters to Follow............................................................................. 25 Concluding Remarks.......................................................................... 26 2 A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE................................................ 27 Theoretical Perspectives.................................................................... 27 The Tapestry: Feminism, Poststructuralism, and Neo-Marxism....... 34 A Theory of Language and Subject................................................... 35 Discourse and Ideology...................................................................... 38 Gender Acquisition and Performance................................................ 54 Other Related Studies........................................................................ 55 3 METHODOLOGY............................................................................. 70 Introduction........................................................................................ 70 Texts and Intertextuality.................................................................... 73 vii viii Page Researcher Stance.............................................................................. 76 Strategies of Reading......................................................................... 77 Textual Analysis and Sample Selection............................................. 82 4 PLEASANT COMPANY: HISTORY, POLITICS, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF GIRLS AS CONSUMERS........................... 87 Chronological History of Pleasant Company.................................... 88 The American Girls Doll Collection and Accompanying Books...... 89 Off-shoots and Spin-offs: From Fashion Shows to CD ROMS......... 93 Pleasant Rowland’s Vision................................................................ 96 Explaining Success: The Right Climate............................................ 103 Producing the Package: Product Development and Operations........ 110 Consumption, Consumerism, and The American Girl....................... 117 The American Girl Catalogue............................................................ 128 American Girl Place........................................................................... 142 Raising Funds for Charities: Fashion Shows and Ice Cream Socials................................................................................................ 147 5 AN ANALYSIS OF THE HISTORICAL FICTION AND SELECTED RELATED TEXTS IN THE AMERICAN GIRL COLLECTION................................................................................... 149 The AG Historical Fiction Books and Selected Related Texts: A Feminist Post-structural Approach.................................................... 149 Staging

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