3 weeks ago
Like galore small girls, a young Kristi Yamaguchi loved playing pinch Barbie. With a schedule packed pinch crystal skating practices, her Barbie dolls became her “best friends.”
So, it’s surreal for nan dressed up Olympian fig skater to now beryllium a Barbie woman herself.
“It’s a huge, immense honor. I deliberation a batch of pridefulness comes on pinch it, not conscionable recognizing nan Olympic achievement, but besides being recognized during AAPI Month and pursuing successful nan footsteps of immoderate unthinkable women that I idolize — Anna May Wong, Maya Angelou and Rosa Parks,” Yamaguchi told The Associated Press. “It’s difficult to spot maine put successful nan class pinch them.”
Yamaguchi, who became nan first Asian American to triumph an individual fig skating golden medal, astatine nan 1992 Winter Olympics, has been immortalized arsenic a doll for Barbie’s “Inspiring Women Series,” Mattel announced Wednesday. The merchandise is timed for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, successful May.
This isn’t Yamaguchi’s first doll depiction. In nan ‘90s, touring show Stars connected Ice put retired a statement of dolls modeled aft notable skaters. The Barbie type is simply a batch much detailed.
Mattel duplicated everything nan past 20-year-old medalist wore astatine nan Olympics successful Albertville, France: nan sparkling black-and-gold brocade outfit designed by Lauren Sheehan, nan golden hairsbreadth ribbon and moreover a red-and-white bouquet for illustration Yamaguchi held atop nan podium.
Yamaguchi said some she and Sheehan are “just truthful tickled pink.”
She besides is happy pinch nan doll’s visage.
“It looks for illustration maine for sure. You know, nan eyes and conscionable nan style of nan face. And then, of course, nan hair, for sure. I mean, it has nan bangs that are nan ‘90s,” Yamaguchi said, chuckling.
She appreciates that nan doll’s merchandise comes connected nan precocious heels of nan blockbuster “Barbie” movie past year. Her daughters, ages 18 and 20, are fans of nan Oscar-nominated film. Their first guidance to their mother being a Barbie? Disbelief.
“When they recovered retired I was getting a doll, they were benignant of flabbergasted and being like, ‘What? Like Mom, for illustration really do you qualify? But that’s measurement excessively cool for you,’” Yamaguchi said.
When Yamaguchi became a family sanction successful nan ‘90s, astir Asian American children were increasing up emotion for illustration toys-aren’t-us kids. If you were an Asian genitor looking for an Asian doll successful nan U.S., you apt turned to independent mail-order companies aliases waited until you were visiting your state of heritage.
Since then, nan artifact marketplace has evolved somewhat pinch large companies for illustration Mattel diversifying and independent entrepreneurs filling nan void. Two Asian doll lines — Jilly Bing and Joeydolls — launched wrong nan past year, 1 by an Asian American mother and nan different by an Asian Canadian mother. Both could not find dolls that looked for illustration their daughters.
Sapna Cheryan, a professor of psychology astatine nan University of Washington who served a twelvemonth connected Mattel’s Barbie Global Advisory Council successful 2018, said Asian Americans person agelong dealt pinch 2 stereotypes: nan model-minority whiz kid aliases nan perpetual foreigner. Toys tin thief dispel those myths, and alternatively awesome acceptance and inclusivity.
Dolls modeled aft existent group tin get group talking astir their quality counterparts. Cheryan applauded Barbie’s prime of Yamaguchi.
“There are truthful galore Asian American athletes but they’re conscionable not propped up successful a measurement that athletes of different group groups are,” said Cheryan, who researches taste stereotypes and their effect connected title and gender disparities. “Having a lucifer successful position of group recognition aliases gender aliases both,” she said, is important successful creating effective domiciled models for kids.
Mattel has mostly garnered praise for its diverseness efforts but it’s had immoderate missteps on nan way. In 2021, nan artifact shaper said it “fell short” by failing to see an Asian doll successful a statement of Tokyo Olympics-themed Barbies. In January, location was immoderate backlash to Asian “You Can Be Anything” Barbies that seemed stereotypical. One was a violinist and nan different a expert successful panda scrubs.
Tying Yamaguchi to Barbie, a awesome of American popular culture, is particularly singular considering what she and her family person dealt pinch arsenic Japanese Americans. She has spoken astir really her maternal and paternal grandparents were forced into U.S. incarceration camps successful consequence to Japan’s 1941 onslaught connected Pearl Harbor.
When she captured nan golden complete 50 years later, media sum partially focused connected why she didn’t look to person galore endorsement deals. In an AP article from 1992, a sports advertizing executive blamed her Japanese heritage, citing an economical ambiance that was anti-Japan. “It’s wrong, wrong, wrong, but that is nan measurement it is,” nan executive said.
So while Barbie whitethorn look for illustration conscionable a toy, it’s truthful overmuch much for Yamaguchi.
“When kids spot themselves aliases spot personification who inspires them, past it conscionable opens up their world and their imagination to what’s possible,” she said.
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Tang is simply a Phoenix-based personnel of AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her connected X astatine @ttangAP.
