Transnational commodities and local realities: Barbie dolls in Mexico

The transnational movement of images and products originating in North America raises concerns about the homogenization of cultures. The idea that local identity is necessarily transformed by the introduction of Western consumerism may underestimate the agency of consumers to appropriate images in culturally meaningful terms. This research explores the processes by which transnational commodities can be localized or creolized to become representations of indigenous identity as opposed to bringing forth the meanings and values intended by Western manufacturers. Processes of consumer appropriation wherein added meaning and value are invested in products after they have been purchased reveal the complex interaction between production and consumption in the constitution of commodity value.; The principal transnational product analyzed in this thesis is the Mattel Barbie doll. It is sold in over 140 countries and has been redesigned to represent various ethnic groups. Despite these efforts by Mattel to adapt Barbie's skin color or clothing to reach diverse markets, it is the appropriation of Barbie by consumers that is really striking. This, based on five months fieldwork, looks at the materialization of local values in the Mattel Barbie doll. Specifically, the core values embodied in Mexican versions of Barbie relate to the significance of traditional Maya clothing, a regional dance called jarana and a rite of passage for adolescent girls called the quince anos ceremony. Also, the position of Barbie as embedded in a solid network of family and friends contrasts with her incarnation as a liberated career woman in North America.; The significance of Barbie dolls in this context suggests that cultures have the potential to re-conceptualize transnational commodities in their own image.