While reflecting on my own girlhood and consuming a little bit of reality TV, I began thinking about a little organization known as the Girl Scouts of America. Scouting and diversity aren't necessarily concepts that go hand in hand in my memory of Girl Scouts, but multimedia marketing efforts by the GSA appear to be working hard to mend that disconnect. A recent news release on the GSA website included the following statement:"Diversity has been a Girl Scouts core value since the organization's inception in 1912," said Laurel Richie, GSUSA SVP/Chief Marketing Officer. "Our founder, Juliette Low, strove to include girls from a variety of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds and her legacy lives on today. Girl Scouts of the USA is committed to ensuring that its membership reflects the world we live in, and is dedicated to reaching out to African-American, Asian and Latina girls and volunteers. "
One of the means by which the Girl Scouts are attempting to "reach out" is through spokeswomen Vanessa and Angela Simmons (daughters of Run DMC's Rev Run & nieces to Russell Simmons). The interesting bent on Vanessa and Angela inhabiting the Girl Scouts' 'role model' role is that they are positioned as savvy businesswomen and successful entrepreneurs in conjunction with the organization's "Financial Literacy" program. There's a beneficial tie-in for the Girls Scouts, who gain exposure via Vanessa and Angela's MTV reality show Daddy's Girls, and for the Simmons' shoe and apparel line Pastry. I wonder about the benefits/complexities/implications that might arise out of the relationships among scouting, capitalism, and the 'diversification' of girl culture.
Image from nataliedee.com
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