Barbie Spa

Barbie has become big here, as evidenced by her multi-story spa downtown. This spa also made it into a recent feature that National Geographic did on Shanghai. The article is here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/03/shanghai/larmer-text and photo gallery is here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/03/shanghai/hoffmann-photography. Barbie's popularity is indicative of a growing interest in, and acceptance of, Western ideals of beauty. These can also be found in the European and American models hanging out on billboards and advertisements around town and in the skin whitening cream found in most grocery stores. Though there's something to be said for cross-cultural appreciation, I've found so much about China and the people here to be beautiful and worth emulating  that I'd hate to see that lost to a Barbie world...