American influence across the world can easily be found in the exportation of fast food, most notably the global icons McDonalds and Starbucks. These fast food chains not only bring Big Macs and Grande Frappachino's to other parts of the globe, but also fast paced American culture.
But the newest icon of globalization is not a hamburger or a cup of coffee, its a doll. On March 6, 2009 Mattel opened a Barbie superstore in Shanghai, China. The six story "House of Barbie" not only sells every doll Mattel has ever created, but contains a spa, two restaurants, a Barbie fashion line and a line of Barbie cosmetics:
Chinese women are obviously excited about the presence of this American icon in their country. But what kind of influence will Barbie have in China? In America Barbie, though a girlhood favorite, has been linked to creating impossible standards of beauty and may even be linked to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. No girl can ever live up to Barbie's beauty, an issue American women have been dealing with for decades. Will Chinese women now share the same burden?
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