Article: Pink paradoxes on Nevsky prospect: representing Russia's social divides: Barbie embodies a world many dream of, but few see.

Trudging through snow on St Petersburg's Nevsky Prospect last March, a familiar pink splendour caugh my eye: a `Barbie Shop'. Through its brightly lit and welcoming windows, around 200 different versions of Barbie beckoned. I entered and was confronted by a strong sense of paradox as eerie as the pink plastic surrounding me. Near the doorway stood three-foot tall Barbie, the one that claims to be `your size' and boasts that she can share clothes with children. She was wearing a tinselly tulle outfit that bared her shoulders. It was hard to believe anybody would want to wear such a frock, but this `Your Size' Barbie is a perennial, having sold well for about a decade now ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!