The Boston Globe (and I saw it in the SJ Merc) printed an article about Mattel’s new “Barbie for President” doll. They are producing white, African-American and Latin-American Barbies, but no Asian-American doll. 4% (Asian population) vs 12% (Hispanic) and 13% (African-American) may have a lot to do with that, but Mattel will not give that as a reason. Instead, they claim that Asian girls don’t want look-alike Barbie dolls, but are happy choosing white dolls instead. “That particular community has not expressed interest in a doll that reflects their ethnicity.” I had to think for a while about how I felt about this statement. It’s Barbie, so I don’t really want to care. But Barbie is popular, so I do care. Besides the unrealistic body image Mattel places in little girls’ heads, there’s no reason for them to deprive Asian girls of thin, busty Asian Barbies seeking the presidency just because Mattel thinks Asian girls prefer Caucasian dolls. That’s ridiculous. I’d much rather Mattel take the “not profitable because of 4% population” plea. I’d like to believe that what they say is not true. But I suppose the huge popularity of “give me eyelids, please” plastic surgery amongst Asian women in many countries should make me wonder.