I found this article interesting because it reveals several things about Americans. One is that just being American does not mean that the product will be liked. The Americanness of Barbie did not translate to success in India because the Barbie did not represent traditional Indian values and didn't look like any Indian girls either. From the skin color, to hair, to her clothes, it wasn't indicative of it's target consumer at all.This is important to understand for Americans that our values don't always line up with others. The messages we send need to be thought of carefully and thoroughly.This goes for globally as well as locally, people cannot be painted with a broad stroke.
It reveals transnational feminism as well and the positives and negatives of products like Barbie. Barbie promotes liberating aspects but can promote sexism as well. Products like Barbie that come from America need to recognize, absorb, and negotiate with local culture. By being more culturally aware will benefit the products and promote the values in the foreign cultures as well.
DQ: Is the example of Barbie and one-time deal or can you think of other products that have failed with different culture because of its inability to recognize their values? And in what other media examples do we see transnational feminism?
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