Ex-White House press chief Mercedes Schlapp calls for parents to BOYCOTT 'sick and twisted' American Girl after it pushed puberty blockers and critical race theory on girls as young as 10

  • Former Trump and Bush aide distressed by book that teaches kids to transition 
  • A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image, gives advice to girls as young as three on how to change their gender  
  • A passage in the book advises: 'If you haven't gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body's changes' 
  • Parents have slammed its contents as 'deceptive and dangerous' 
  • Brand has also published books on white privilege and climate change

An ex-White House aide has demanded parents boycott the popular American Girl doll brand, amid a backlash over its new book that teaches pre-teen girls how to use puberty blockers and transition - all without their guardians' consent.

The call was made Thursday by former Trump and Bush press chief Mercedes Schlapp, and is the latest in a public outcry toward the dollmaker following the publication of a new book last month.

The book, titled A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image, contains advice to prepubescents on how to change their gender, and provides a list of organizations they can turn to 'if you don't have an adult you trust.' 

News of the publication's contents have since spread rapidly, and parents are now taking to social media to chastise a company previously known for its iconic, often pricey dolls that once helped teach girls about femininity and history.

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Former Trump and Bush press chief Mercedes Schlapp appeared on Fox News to express her disgust over the doll maker's 'sick and twisted' content

Former Trump and Bush press chief Mercedes Schlapp appeared on Fox News to express her disgust over the doll maker's 'sick and twisted' content

And many have are swearing off the dolls completely - including, Schlapp, 44, who appeared on Fox News to express her distaste over rhetoric being imparted on American children.

Calling the content 'dangerous for not only these children, but for our society,' the veteran White House official laid in on the company for abandoning its values - as it's been revealed it also published a book last year that taught girls lessons on 'white privilege' and 'structural racism.'

'It’s hard enough for any teenager to go through puberty,' Schlapp told Fox News' Dana Perino during a Thursday morning airing of America's Newsroom. 

'Add to that the pressure of adding this confusion on your body image... if you don’t look a certain way, that means you should think about medically changing your body,' she went on. 'It’s sick and twisted.'

Conceding that a boycott of a classic brand like American Girl 'is very unfortunate,' Schlapp asserted that such actions are necessary as the company continues to move 'in this direction,' evidenced by earlier titles released in the past years that preach polarizing ideals such as critical race theory and climate change. 

Schlapp, who served as director of specialty media and strategic communications under both presidents, pointed out the brand's storied history, reminiscing that both she and her daughter had grown up on American Girl products. That, she said, made the recent revelations all the more distressing.

'It’s hard enough for any teenager to go through puberty,' Schlapp told Fox News' Dana Perino

'It’s hard enough for any teenager to go through puberty,' Schlapp told Fox News' Dana Perino

As the mom of a three-year-old girl, I've dreamt of the day my daughter unwraps one of her own American Girl dolls on Christmas morning. Sadly, it won't be this year. Or possibly ever.

The book has sparked anger among parents, who are swearing off the dolls completely

The book, titled A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image, contains lines that give advice to prepubescents on how to change their gender, and provides a list of resources for organizations they can turn to 'if you don't have an adult you trust.'

The book, titled A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image, contains lines that give advice to prepubescents on how to change their gender, and provides a list of resources for organizations they can turn to 'if you don't have an adult you trust.'

'The mere fact that you have a company that parents and so many children have enjoyed through the years... to then include this very distorted and disgusting view of how girls shouldn’t be proud of their bodies. In the sense that, if you’re not happy with your body, go ahead and medically change it, I think, is dangerous,' Schlapp said.

She described how she spoke to her daughter about the story - which caught fire Tuesday after a DailyMail.com report on the 96-page publication - saying that both were disappointed in the dollmaker. 

'As my daughter said, as I talked to her about this article today,' Schlapp said, 'it’s a classic company.

'I’ve enjoyed reading those books, seen the movies, they were so inspirational to me, when I was growing up.' 

Conceding that a boycott of a classic brand like American Girl 'is very unfortunate,' Schlapp said that such actions are necessary as the company continues to move ' in this direction'

Conceding that a boycott of a classic brand like American Girl 'is very unfortunate,' Schlapp said that such actions are necessary as the company continues to move ' in this direction'

One section of the book encourages pre-teen children to seek out puberty blockers without the knowledge of the parents

One section of the book encourages pre-teen children to seek out puberty blockers without the knowledge of the parents 

She then called on parents to abstain from purchasing American Girl products, at least until the dollmaker properly addresses the scandal.

'The American Girl company needs to step away, parents should boycott this company,' Schlapp told Perino, who herself was a press secretary during Donald Trump's administration.

She called the book's contents 'dangerous for not only these children, but for our society,' stating the company 'should not be promoting this in any way.'

The book normalizes being transgender, and encourages children to use puberty blockers if they feel confused about their gender but are not physically ready to undergo hormone therapy.

It reads: 'Parts of your body may make you feel uncomfortable and you may want to change the way you look. That's totally OK!'

It goes on to advise children: 'You can appreciate your body for everything it allows you to experience and still want to change certain things about it.'

A host of other parents have also been vocal about the book's contents in the past two days, calling its message to preteen girls 'deceptive and dangerous.'  

Even gender dysphoria experts say there is no scientific consensus over what 'gender identity' or 'gender expression' are. But here it is – written without caveat or explanation. Delivered straight to your child – context damned.

The book contains information on gender identity, and the meaning of nonbinary

A press release that promoted the book read in part: 'Every girl needs to learn to live comfortably in her own skin, and this book will show the way!'

A press release that promoted the book read in part: 'Every girl needs to learn to live comfortably in her own skin, and this book will show the way!'

American Girl's official Facebook page in particular been inundated with negative comments, describing the book as 'disgusting' and constituting 'child abuse' - with dozens echoing Schlapp's calls for a boycott.

One woman said: 'Another lifelong customer with alllll [sic] little girls in my orbit gone forever. 

'I am appalled, shocked, and disgusted that you would place that seed in a little girls brain.' 

As of Wednesday afternoon, less than 18 hours after its posting, the comment had garnered almost 250 likes.

Dozens of other high-rated complaints have chided executives at American Girl and its parent company Mattel for their silence on the scandal, saying they hope they are taking note of parents' responses.

'I hope every executive in this company is reading these comments,' one mom wrote, saying the doll brand had 'betrayed all of us mothers who loved' the product. 

American Girl's official Facebook page has been inundated with negative comments, calling the book 'disgusting' and constituting 'child abuse'

American Girl's official Facebook page has been inundated with negative comments, calling the book 'disgusting' and constituting 'child abuse'

'We have the dolls, the clothes, the accessories. We have been to the store in Chicago. I was just getting ready to dig out my daughter's Samantha doll to give to our granddaughter. No longer. 

'A company that promotes puberty blockers to young girls, and encourages them to deceive their parents is not a company myself or anyone I know, would support. How did you think this is OK.' 

Another said they also planned to boycott the company: 'No longer a customer! American Girl is promoting this woke gender ideology!'

Mattel, the iconic doll brand's parent company, who bought American Girl back in 1998, has failed to respond to multiple requests for comment. 

Comments on Amazon, where the book is also available for sale, have also been negative. 

One review read: 'A book that encourages children to take puberty blockers (known to cause infertility and increase risk of cancer) if they don't feel right in their own skin. AND gives them resources to do so behind their parents back? Is not okay. These kids hear about It enough in this world, there's no reason to put It in a children's book.' 

Another reviewer wrote: 'A doctor does not assign your sex at birth. That is created long before you exit the birth canal. And telling girls it's okay to use puberty blockers and to give them resources if their parents don't approve? SICK!! This book should teach girls to be happy in your own GIRL body and how to accept that and be proud to be a girl.' 

There's also an overwhelming amount of negative reviews on American Girl's website, with the lion's share coming in the past 48 hours, as news of the book spread. 

Its publication comes amid a wave of increasingly woke content from the American Girl brand.

Earlier this year, its parent company Mattel, put a transgender Barbie doll on the market. Before that, American Girl, which sells more than 30 million dolls a year, created an Asian doll, just as anti-Asian hate crimes were skyrocketing across the US.

The book's author, resident American Girl writer Mel Hammond, lists her pronouns as 'she/her' on her LinkedIn profile. She started working for the company in 2019, having held only one previous job at a small software company in her home town of Madison. 

In 2021, she authored a book under the American Girl Doll brand named Love the Earth. The book focused on climate change.

Hammond said in an interview with American Girl Doll News: 'I love educating people about the climate crisis, which is why this book was so much fun to write. I enjoy talking about climate change issues and sharing this book with neighbors, friends, and family.' 

The writer earned her master’s degree in children’s literature at Kansas State, where she says she 'studied misplaced and giant food in picture books.' 

The book's writer, Mel Hammond, graduated from university in 2014, and lists on her website that some of her 'favorite things are trees, rainbows, and dairy-free ice cream'

The book's writer, Mel Hammond, graduated from university in 2014, and lists on her website that some of her 'favorite things are trees, rainbows, and dairy-free ice cream'

In her bio, she writes that she enjoys working at American Girl, citing how 'last year for my birthday, my coworkers bought me a two-pound tub of rainbow marshmallows - which I named Marsh.' 

The company has yet to comment on the contentious content.

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