To the Editor:
Re “What It Means to Increase an American Lady Now,” by Jessica Grose (Opinion, July 15):
As a doting grandmother who occurs to be a second-wave feminist, I took my two granddaughters to the American Lady retailer on Fifth Avenue.
I didn’t see any dolls modeled on Rosie the Riveter, as recommended by the artwork with the essay, however fairly an exhibition of consumerism that after outlined girls in pre-feminist America and, above all, ready little women to spend their lives procuring, lunching and getting their hair accomplished.
The shop did supply books on historic themes, housed in a nook downstairs, however the motion was upstairs, the place dozens of high-priced, beguiling outfits had been supplied for the dolls, which are actually priced at greater than $100. Matching outfits for youngsters had been offered.
We had reservations for an expensive lunch or tea within the eating room, which accommodated moms, grandmothers, women and their dolls; meals was negligible, however place settings had been lovable.
Though dolls are actually obtainable in a number of pores and skin tones, everybody I noticed was clearly privileged, white and higher center class. A go to to the shop might simply value a number of hundred {dollars} or extra. The message was that girls ought to spend their time procuring, lunching and getting their hair accomplished whereas males (none had been in sight) run the world.
At this second, when Roe v. Wade has simply been overturned, we have to encourage women to struggle for his or her autonomy to allow them to assist save our planet and our fading democracy and be sure that values of reality and justice endure. Purchasing can wait.
Ann Shapiro
New York
To the Editor:
Mattel named its 2020 American Lady Doll of the 12 months Joss Kendrick, and she or he embraced the “can-do” angle that Jessica Grose cited in her Opinion piece. Ten-year-old Joss, who is totally deaf in a single ear and wears a listening to support within the different, is a surfer and a cheerleader.
Joss will be an essential position mannequin for youngsters with disabilities, in addition to an instance from whom children with out disabilities can study to simply accept and befriend kids with totally different strengths.
Jon Taylor
New York
The author is vp of the Listening to Loss Affiliation of America’s New York Metropolis chapter.
To the Editor:
After I was rising up within the Nineteen Fifties, the “American Lady” doll was a Toni doll, which was impressed by the Toni everlasting wave merchandise of the time. My Toni doll had brown hair and an intensive wardrobe of chic garments.
When my associates and I performed home, she was all the time within the kitchen cooking, like Harriet Nelson within the tv sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” or she was going procuring or cleansing up the mess in the lounge.
My Toni doll was additionally female within the outdated sense of the phrase, and in contrast to some motion pictures that later got here out concerning the stifling circumstances of the time, she loved being a woman. In fact, I’m happy with the advances girls have made since then, however I don’t remorse my coming-of-age as an American woman within the ’50s.
Mimi Pockross
Vail, Colo.
Charging Trump
To the Editor:
A lot anguish has been expressed over the implications of indicting Donald Trump over his tried coup.
The actual query needs to be this: If indicting Mr. Trump for his plot towards the Structure is just too dangerous, then what would qualify? It’s arduous to think about what larger crime he might have dedicated.
If he can’t or shouldn’t be charged with that crime, then now we have a king, not a president.
Orin Hollander
Jamison, Pa.
Guidelines and Norms in Sports activities and Politics
To the Editor:
People love sports activities for a motive. In sports activities, the nation’s fittest, most disciplined individuals give every part they’ve acquired to win. What they nearly by no means do, nevertheless, is violate the foundations and norms that make the sport’s continuation attainable.
When Tom Brady was accused of deflating a soccer to achieve benefit, the response was outrage as a result of each sports activities fan understands the significance of guidelines and norms, including to the difficulties by which we measure a participant’s ability. Nobody cares extra about victory than athletes. They dedicate their lives to coaching and examine, however after they lose, they maintain their heads up, examine, practice more durable and return to play once more.
In politics, successful apparently means much more, together with the overthrow of guidelines and norms. If the general public thought referees had been corrupt, they might cease coming to athletic occasions. In politics, nevertheless, all gamers are to a point purchased by the need to win cash to help their campaigns, and cash distorts the enjoying subject.
Trumpism’s violations of guidelines and norms are endangering our nation and tradition. With out respect for each we teeter on the verge of ending the sport we name America.
Peter Coyote
Sebastopol, Calif.
The author is the actor.
Kamala Harris Wants Management Alternatives
To the Editor:
Re “The Vice President Is Caught,” by Jeffrey Frank (Opinion visitor essay, July 27):
I couldn’t agree extra with Mr. Frank’s essay concerning the dearth of alternatives for management and development for Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s a misplaced alternative and one that can have critical penalties for each our nation and the Democratic Occasion.
It is senseless for President Biden to even contemplate working once more contemplating his age, 79. I consider there may be nonetheless sufficient time to contain Vice President Harris in lots of essential points and cease utilizing her as a political pawn. I hope to see smart adjustments coming from the White Home.
Mary Helen Sandoval
Denver
To the Editor:
Kamala Harris may be a symptom of what’s fallacious with the Democratic management generally.
President Biden appears bored with coaching her to be able to step into the presidency ought to he be unfit for any motive. However may this be as a result of he hopes to run once more and doesn’t need to improve her credentials just for her to problem him because the Democratic nominee?
Too a lot of our Democratic leaders are aged — Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden — and too few of those leaders appear prepared to let the following, youthful era step into management positions.
Having been the top of a company myself, I perceive how essential it’s to mentor youthful colleagues to exchange me. Why can’t these Democrats do the identical?
James Berkman
Boston
A British-Irish Wit’s Recommendation
To the Editor:
Re “Irish Eyes Aren’t Smiling at Us” (column, July 17):
The one factor so as to add to Maureen Dowd’s very good evaluation of a girl’s proper to terminate a being pregnant is the recommendation of Spike Milligan, the British-Irish author and comic: “Contraceptives needs to be used on each conceivable event.”
Robert F. Lyons
Kennebunk, Maine
Supply: NY Times
