Corinne Tan is American Girl’s first Chinese American Girl of the Year doll

American Girl has just announced their 2022 Girl of the Year doll: Corinne Tan. Corinne lives in Aspen, Colorado with her younger sister Gywnn. Her story is written by Wendy Shang and it explores her Chinese heritage, as well as the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.

"An iconic American Girl is more than blonde hair and blue eyes," Ria Pretekin, 40, a Filipino-American mom of two living in Illinois, tells TODAY Parents. "An Asian American girl is also American, and in the wake of anti-Asian hate it would help to dispel the otherness. I’d love for Asian American children to feel the pride of their identities."

"It would have meant so much to me to have a doll that looked like me. It would have helped shape my idea of beauty to know that brown skin and black hair was also beautiful," Pretekin adds. "Growing up in the 80s and 90s, whiteness was and is still very much centered and it didn’t allow me to see Asian Americans in any toys, shows, movies, or books."

In an effort to make positive change, American Girl has also donated $25,000 to support AAPI Youth Rising ONE/180 pledge, asking schools and teachers to teach at least one day of Asian American history and culture during the school year.