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| The Barbie Syndrome |
years is more like 150…
Some may miss her. Apparently, equally-plastic Ken did.
However, a multitude of females who will no longer have to compare their measurements with Barbie’s might be a whole lot better off. Although Celeb Barbie finally morphed into Doctor Barbie and Pilot Barbie, those politically-correct
makeovers were almost beside the point. Her new uniforms
were still barely disguising a Marilyn Monroe physique.
In the hopes of infecting a whole new nation and culture with Barbie fever, Mattel had opened a Shanghai six-story House of Barbie. Described by NPR as being “a hot-pink shrine to the 11 ½ inch doll,” this dream house opened in 2009. However, Bloomberg News now reports that Barbie is packing her bags and beating it out of town (good thing she can fly a plane - Shanghai’s a long way from her alleged home state of Wisconsin).
Why would Mattel invest millions to set up Bountiful Barbie in her very own Shanghai dream house, only to pull her on out (by her two-toned roots) a mere two years later? Let’s just say that the Chinese were (literally) not buying whatever it was that Barbie was selling. Ben Cavendar, a Shanghai-based market-research analyst, explains why Mattel’s plan failed: Their products were perceived as being too sexy rather than being cute.
Poor Barbie, hoist by her own petard. Live by the hype, die by the hype. True sexuality is not just about cup size. Nor is true talent just about image.
Perhaps the next time around the karmic wheel, Barbie will finally wise up. If not, she can always fall back on Ken.
Resources
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-07/barbie-packs-her-bags-as-mattel-closes-shanghai-dream-house.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101479810
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87997519&ps=rs
Copyright March 10, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke
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