Meet Kavi Sharma, American Girl's First South-Asian 'Girl Of The Year'

Representation matters, it always has. If we want children to grow up in a world where there are no biases, culturally, racially and gender-wise, we need them to follow examples of the same and inspire them to feel a sense of belonging wherever they come from. The past few years have shown how the world at large has made some attempts to bring diversity to the table and lead by example.

While we're still far ahead of where we could be, small steps will greatly change narratives. American Girl, a globally known doll manufacturing company, took one such step. Every year American Girl brings out the 'Girl of the Year' and this year for the first time ever, they've given that title to a girl from the South-Asian community.

Kavi Sharma, the first south-Asian character to be titled as the main doll, loves dancing and is proud of her Indian heritage and culture. Unlike other dolls in America, 'Girl of the Year' dolls stem from modern characters and their contemporary stories.

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American Girl Doll Kavi Sharma

Kavi, short for Kavika, was unveiled this week as the 2023 'Girl of the Year.' The 'American Girl' is one of the States' largest doll manufacturing companies. Every year, it unveils its main doll which is titled Doll of the Year because it shows a certain kind of representation with respect to artistic values.

This year around, the makers decided to go a step further and show representation in the true sense by bringing an American-South-Asian character into the limelight so everyone can relate to her and not just those who are American nationals.

Girl of the Year comes from an understanding of modern characters rather than those inspired by American history. This year's girl Kavi Sharma belongs to the Indian heritage and South-Asian community. She is a spunky dancer-singer and loves Broadway, as evidently seen in the features on the official website. Kavi Sharma is now the first character-doll from the South-Asian community to be ever featured as 'Girl of the Year.'

Know more about Kavi Sharma

As per her profile, Kavi Sharma resides in Metuchen, New Jersey, a town which is closer to New York City. Sharma is a keen follower of Broadway shows and loves dancing and singing. She is part of the significant Asian population that belongs to New Jersey.

Sharma practices Hinduism, something which is mentioned in the accompanying book with the doll. The book is written by author Varsha Bajaj, Bajaj is the New York Times bestselling author of several children's novels. She has also penned many middle-grade books as well.

In a statement to CNN, Bajaj shared that with this step, there will be greater representation of the South Asian community. "While little girls will relate to Kavi, the older woman in their lives will feel better about gifting the doll and aesthetics to the little girls as a mark of relatability."

Moving towards diversity

While Kavi Sharma is the first South Asian 'Girl of the Year,' she is not the first South-Asian character doll featured in American Girl. In 2009, the company introduced Sonali Matthews, part South Asian, as a companion character to the main character that year. The 'Girl of the Year' series was launched in 2001. Since then, several dolls of Asian heritage have been featured as the main characters.

With respect to the latest character introduced, the company said it will donate twenty-five thousand dollars to fund partial and full scholarships for kids who are part of the age group ages 7 to 14, who will participate in summer programs organised by Camp Broadway in New York City.

The 2023 Kavi Sharma doll costs about 115 dollars, which includes the book. There are several other accessories available for purchase on the website.