I Wish My Tween Had The ‘American Girl’ Magazine

There was nothing like getting mail in the ’90s addressed to you, and when it was an American Girl magazine or catalog? It was like heaven had opened up and sent a portal directly to your mailbox. The way I coveted every issue I ever received! I would sit down in my driveway immediately — sometimes right on the curb by our mailbox because I just could not wait — and read each one from cover to cover. The catalogs were amazing, obviously, and I circled every single thing I wanted for my birthday and Christmas. But American Girl magazine was absolute perfection… and I so wish my own tween could read them today.

Created for girls aged 8 to 14, the first issue of American Girl was published in November/December 1992. The magazine ran bi-monthly until its last print in January/February 2019, and featured everything from girls just like me doing big things to articles about current events, craft and DIY tutorials, and an advice column titled HELP! that I still remember vividly. The magazine also had spots for fictional stories, including short stories of our favorite historical American Girl characters. The entire magazine was like a balm for my little tween soul: It was informative, it was fun, it was empowering. I miss it all the time.

The ’90s were an incredibly special time to grow up as a girl. Of course, there was a lot of nonsense happening — body positivity was not really a thing yet, and up until I was an adult who could decipher misinformation, I assumed Monica Lewinsky was the worst — but there was also this deep era of girl power. Of really pushing girls to think bigger and bolder, to trust themselves and ignore all of the outside noise. I remember it absolutely blowing my mind in third grade when I learned that the United States had never had a female president. It just seemed so ludicrous in 1996, and I truly believe I owe some of that girl power energy to the American Girl magazine.

Inside that magazine was a life that felt aspirational but completely relatable. Girls wrote into HELP! to share stories just like mine, of broken friendships and guilt over homework, and the editors poured into them the kind of reassurance I needed, too. I felt inspired by girls my age who had invented something, created fundraisers, or raised awareness.

I played with dolls well into my teen years, and while all of my other friends had moved on, I could count on the American Girl magazine to have paper dolls in the back or DIY crafts so I could make miniature items for my dollhouse. I specifically remember a section titled “Heart to Heart,” where girls could write answers on different topics. Once, the topic was how girls felt about their birth order and what it was like to have older or younger siblings, and I felt so much joy in hearing from middle children like me who sometimes felt a little “not big enough” and “not little enough.”

The magazine never made me feel like I had to change myself. There was no “10 Things To Do To Get The Cute Boy To Look At You” or “How To Fit Into Your Homecoming Dress.” It was more like “How To Be A Friend,” “What To Do If You Feel Nervous Before A Presentation,” or “How To Deal With Your Parents’ Divorce.” It was affirmative. It was validating. It was helpful.

There were colorful illustrations on whether it was time for a bra yet, what it meant to go vegetarian, and how to handle school bullies. There were games to play on family road trips, tips on how to host your very own party, and a section titled “Looking Back” that would give you a little American history lesson.

There were recipes and writing contests, and there was always something — always — about the importance of speaking out. It was full of all the things I loved and was interested in, things I’d never heard about, and things I’d always wanted to know. It made me feel well-rounded, like I was prepared for anything. It made me excited to be a girl.

And I never had to search for it. I didn’t have to go seek out this kind of empowering content; it was just there. Every two months, in my mailbox.

I know how much the print industry has changed. We all miss magazines. But there was something so special about the American Girl magazine. It felt written specifically for me, and I hate that my own girl won’t find that same exact joy and inspiration (and even relief) in our mailbox.

I’m convinced that American Girl magazine wasn’t just a huge part of my tween development — those lessons are still here, lingering in even the foggiest parts of my brain, as I raise my own three American Girls. I still remember some of the lessons and tips, and I can recall some of the most empowering parts, which I have shared with my daughters.

That magazine gave me the confidence to be my full-fledged self, to never feel like I had to shrink myself down, and that lesson is one I have poured into my children. I want them to feel as confident as I did as a kid, to feel as strong and empowered as I always was, even if they don’t have the magazine in their mailbox.

I just wish I could write to HELP! one more time.