Why American Girl's Evette Peeters Doll Was So Controversial? Explaining the Drama Around the Leaks

[@justdreamstudios]

Hey everyone! I forgot to mention a few things in the video. The first is I am white and I'm not trying to speak over People of Colour's voices it is just I never had seen someone talk about this and people have asked me to explain this situation so I thought I would try my best. If you are a Person of Colour, feel free to make your own video or leave comment about your thoughts on the situation. I normally mention this in every video, but I guess I forgot mention it in this one, hopefully this clears up somethings up. This video is combination of things I remember hearing at the time and my own thoughts so you are free to make your decisions on how you feel about this controversy. As always thanks for watching, make sure to subscribe and to follow my Instagram for more updates on news and controversies surrounding American Girl. Thanks! Don't Forget to Follow my Dolls' Instagram @just.dream.studios instagram.com/just.dream.studios And my Tiktok! www.tiktok.com/@just.dream.studios

[@danielmendes8975]

I’ll be honest I’m mixed Black myself and I love Evette but I would have appricated her far more if she keepet her original design, even her hair in it looks much more textured compared to the more wavy hair she got! Like yes mixed kids can have blonde hair, light eyes and wavy hair but idk to me it feels like they porposly tried to make her more white passing

[@shannons_dollhouse]

Definitely agree I’m also mixed and if she hasn’t gotten the design change she would have been the almost perfect mini me doll. I still really like what they ended up doing but it’s still unfortunate that they changed it

[@danielmendes8975]

@@shannons_dollhouse she would have been much more accraute too as it’s more common for mixed kids to have textured dark hair and darker skin + eyes (again ofc they can still have lighter hair + eyes, less textured hair etc but I’m just noting) it’s just again them porposly wanting her to look more “white” :/

[@quix66hiya22]

I agree.

[@anderzag1385]

i agree! in my ten years of collecting i’ve never had a doll released that looks exactly like me but her og design did! i probably would’ve bought her if they went with the og design

[@vanyadolly]

I understand. I'm mixed and darker than her too, but on the other hand I'm sure there are lighter mixed raced girls out there who see themselves in her, who haven't been accurately portrayed before.

[@Welosttaijah]

The fact that Evette with dark hair looks JUST like me (im mixed black and white too) makes me so sad cuz if she did have darker hair she would have looked just like me and i sucks

[@danielmendes8975]

That’s what I thought when I saw her! I’m mixed Black and white too and it’s just frustrating they decided to lighten up her hair

[@TocaJulez]

@@danielmendes8975yeah if they could have atleast kept her brown eyes because she doesn’t even look mixed she looks caucasian

[@Xexuxa]

Looking at the original illustration, I see dark hair and hazel eyes. Maybe they were worried she'd look too much like #44 if they gave her those features?

[@Nana.cosplays]

Maybe the image of evette with dark hair could be turned into her little sister? Just a idea

[@bettygarrido7621]

I personally think AG is doing a good job! Honestly they are picked on way too much. Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. But it looks like no matter what they do they get picked on. There are dolls for everyone.

[@CodenameSailorEarth]

I had no idea that Book Evette was so cute and had way different colors. I only saw her catalog doll version, and I remember thinking that the doll looks like my mom's half-sister Dawn, who is bi-racial and a natural blonde. Book Evette actually looks like my mom, who is also bi-racial. Why couldn't they release both dolls and just change the name on the blonde doll?

[@brigc7755]

Tbh I had no idea Evette was meant to be mixed until I read her wiki page. I feel like AG tried making a “dream” doll or a white passing doll for the WBU line lest the conservatives think it’s “too black/brown” (utter BS)

[@Razzberry_dollz]

I’d have never guessed she was mixed by her doll alone tbh the art he’s the doll not so much

[@effiemeandmydolls657]

When I first saw Evette in the catalog and knew she was biracial I cringed. She looked uncannily like Rachel dolezal. I really questioned why they would ok a doll that looked like a person who was pretending to be black. The doll is very beautiful, I will agree, but she looks just like my Italian-Celt niece. The book pictures are perfect to me.

[@americangirlphotogeek16]

Unrelated but I just ordered a Marie-Grace. Do you think I will love if she was one of my two dream dolls.

[@Razzberry_dollz]

Evette and prototype Evette had been such a cute idea for a mixed set of twin dolls

[@SomethingBeautifulHandcrafts]

I've kept from making a video on Evette because I tend to avoid controversy, but I did make some mention of how I feel in my Makena video. I seriously hesitate to call AG "racist" as some have. But they have a target audience, and I don't really feel POC are a serious part of that target. It's pure economics.

[@elizabrookespams]

“An insane amount of girl of the year dolls have blond hair” There are also an insane amount of GOTYs that have brown hair 🥲😆

[@hello.kitty.2000]

Why too many blonde dolls? Blonde + Doll = Barbie doll success.

[@danielmendes8975]

Barbie has been having many nonwhite or blonde dolls tho , it’s just that AG does everything in their power to make it seem like white blonde dolls are more succsful we even saw it with the 90 twins vs claudie, claudies promotional image didn’t even show her siloute while the twins got theirs shown and were even reveled earlier (plus the mere fact they were realsed in the same year as when claudie released)

[@WhitneyDahlin]

​​@@danielmendes8975 So you expect a luxury doll company to do the right thing for no reason other than its the right thing to do 😂 All they care about is money. Money is all this company cares about. If their diverse dolls were selling out they would continue to make more of them. The problem is because of the nature of diversity they're just isn't as many people who aren't white and straight as there are people who are white and straight. And then you get into the fact that these dolls are extremely expensive so only a small percentage of people can afford to purchase them to begin with. And of those who CAN afford to purchase an American girl doll and WANT to purchase an American girl doll, most of them are white and straight just because they are the majority. So the company is spending money researching and producing dolls that aren't making them as much money. At the end of the day they don't care what anyone says. Money talks and is the only thing they will listen to. Its completely delusional to expect a company that produces exorbitantly expensive luxury dolls to spend a ton of time and money and resources to make diverse dolls who arent making them as much of a profit. Thats just reality.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

So you expect a luxury doll company to do the right thing for no reason other than its the right thing to do 😂 All they care about is money. Money is all this company cares about. If their diverse dolls were selling out they would continue to make more of them. The problem is because of the nature of diversity they're just isn't as many people who aren't white and straight as there are people who are white and straight. And then you get into the fact that these dolls are extremely expensive so only a small percentage of people can afford to purchase them to begin with. And of those who CAN afford to purchase an American girl doll and WANT to purchase an American girl doll, most of them are white and straight just because they are the majority. So the company is spending money researching and producing dolls that aren't making them as much money. At the end of the day they don't care what anyone says. Money talks and is the only thing they will listen to. Its completely delusional to expect a company that produces exorbitantly expensive luxury dolls to spend a ton of time and money and resources to make diverse dolls who arent making them as much of a profit. Thats just reality. Dont expect a company to do anything out of the goodness in their heart because they wont. If you want more diverse dolls buy them. Gift them to everyone you know.

[@annabellelee4535]

Hmmm, you're saying too many white dolls? Change the color in that sentence and tell me how you feel about the comment you just made. Do you have to be racist over children's toys now? smh.

[@quix66hiya22]

Turn it on its head. Not enough dolls of other races.

[@annabellelee4535]

@@quix66hiya22 Exactly. That is a nonracist way the say the same thing. You don't trash people phrasing it that way. That is the way it should be said.

[@annabellelee4535]

@Pistachios36 The thing is that you're being racist and hypocritical about it. Racism is either wrong for everyone, or it's open season for everyone. Your racism and hypocrisy come from ignorance. You need to become self aware through a real education. Don't you think it's getting about time to end RACISM?

[@annabellelee4535]

@Pistachios36 When you start trashing other races, it's called racism. Stop being such a hypocrite. I went to the website and looked. In historical dolls, there are 7 different nonminority dolls, 7 different minority dolls. In Girl of the Year, there is an Indian girl, Chinese sisters, and a nonminority girl. So, cool the hypocrisy and racism.