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22:49 日
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4G 26
Why is the 'Barbie' movie bombing in Jap...
the japan times
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I loved playing with Barbie dolls. As a little girl in
Michigan, I spent hours putting my dolls through
dramas, creating stories alone in my room or in
tandem with my best friend who lived next door.
Although I have no memory of wanting to look like
a Barbie doll - or like any other of my dolls which
had thicker waists and flatter feet — I gradually
absorbed the culturally prevalent idea that little
girls should have dolls that looked like them.
With this in mind, I grew up and came to Japan to
teach English. One day, at a kindergarten, I was
surprised to see that there were no dolls with
Japanese features. Aside from the exquisite dolls-
in-kimono displayed in glass cases only at the end
of winter, none of the dolls in Japan looked Asian.
Barbie wasn't popular. She was probably too sexy
for Japan.
After I married a Japanese high school teacher and
had a daughter of my own, I bought dolls for her.
Although Barbie dolls were not sold in the local
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