#but it was to observe archaeology and wasn't like a vacation

[felicitymerriman]

I think it’s interesting that we’re getting our third girl of the year whose story is mostly centralized around being in another country. While doing just Grace in Paris seemed like an exception, having Kira in Australia makes it seem like there will be more to come. On one hand, as we get even more globalized, an important part of the American experience is being more international. On the other hand, these two trips involve girls effectively taking long vacations, when there are millions of Americans with dual citizenship, who are recent immigrants, or have more permeating relationships with foreign cultures, and those stories aren’t getting put on the front burner.

And while I get that a lot of this is a cash grab (tiny pastries??? a whole set of stuffed animals?? not even to mention the big box items), these same concepts could’ve been really well executed in the international line they just came out with, so they didn’t have to do them as a goty. It seems like theres a lot of facets and varieties of growing up in America that AG hasn’t even touched with a ten foot pole that would make for interesting stories. I think part of my issue is a lot of the more-modern dolls (I’m thinking Grace, Kira, Tenney, but that’s just off the top of my head) is that a lot of their lives feel more aspirational, whereas more of the older dolls (Lindsey, Kailey, Marisol), felt more a) relatable b) also like this very much could be the life of someone who was growing up in that region. They still had adventures and stories that were interesting, but their hobbies were things like looking in tidal pools or scootering, not getting signed to a record deal. 

It might just be nostalgia for me, but part of what I always liked about AG is that the stories did center on ordinary girls - historical and contemporary. Their lives were still interesting but they weren’t princesses or celebrities or can-and-have-done-everything barbie dolls. And while international travel is becoming increasingly common, popularized, and somewhat-more-affordable, I still think it’s much more common for wealthy people and not a common enough part of the American experience to necessarily warrant this many GOTY - especially when both stories are variations of White Girl Takes Dreamy Trip To Western Country For Fun, when the immigrant experience is such a vital and expansive part of America.