43 Who if not Barbie is as much cultural symbol as product? Barbie, after all, is the archetypal space invader, a cultural imperialist in pink. She is the one who paints entire towns fuchsia to celebrate "Barbie Month". She is the Zen mistress who for the past four decades has insisted on being everything to young girls — doctor, bimbo, teenager, career girl, Unicef ambassador... The people at Mattel weren't interested in talking about Barbie the cultural icon when they launched the Aqua suit, however. «This is a business issue, not a freedom of speech issue», a Mattel spokesperson told Billboard. «This is a $2 billion company, and we don't want it messed around with, and situations like this gradually lead to brand erosion». Naomi Klein
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