Kick-ass Barbie, not Ken but 'weird-type' business person
Hi, Barbie!!
I hope you're doing well in the perfect Barbieland. After watching the movie "Barbie", I'm so obsessed over you that I'm writing what I thought as a mother raising two boys in Japan, where declining birthrate and aging population have always been social problems.
Here, in 'the real world' Japan, the rate of working mother for full-time has not been changed for 40 years(*1) thanks to housewife-friendly tax system and labor market practices. Like many other mothers, I quitted in-house legal job after the second maternity leave. Luckily or unluckily(*2), I got a chance to study politics to be a 'hybrid-type homemaker' (*3) to manage the splits in the world (masculine capitalism vs. homely childcare, in other words, balancing life and work as a whole society).
Note: The following contains spoilers, but I believe it does not spoil your plan to go this movie!
"Working at the dining table is more than work"
Although I do not remember the script precisely, I was so impressed with what the old lady said to you while serving tea. Because I am now lobbying the same as one of the projects preparing Ministry of Children and Families Agency[MCFA]. My political proposal is as follows:
As long as the labor market works normally in actual, parenting workers are unfavorable
No tax incentives (tax benefits for housewives)
Promoting workplace understanding (eg. implement of telecommuting) should be helpful but unsatisfactory to solve family problems
Creating a new job to work at the dining table might be a key to change the real world
A new 'hybrid-type homemaker' can be defined as follows:
must be basically a public service provider who belongs to local government
can obtain a know-how and updated skills though education programs
may be a negotiator to solve problems and/or ditches in the society (*4)
may be a freelance professional (in sports, all kinds of 'techniques' like musicians, expertises) and/or a business owner
Ditch the car, walk in the pink sandals
For example, as everyone know, you are so smart and beautiful. Why don't you approach Birkenstock's marketing dept. and ask them to allocate you some of their advertising budget which has been spent for a TV commercial (*5). You'll be wearing pink sandals and promoting how brilliant your flat feet (including your life style and philosophy that are symbolized by the sandals) are on Instagram. Wouldn't it be nice to have a Pink Sandals Only Party? Oops, I failed to list the most important thing. Humans are destined to die, so this 'party-type' job is a fixed term position.
Birkenstock sandals are unisex. And pink items are so sexy that men dressed in pink look sexy, too. Especially in Japan, whether we like it or not, population decline and immigration increase is inevitable. We will need multilingual language supports and skilled negotiators who can deal with difficult issues such as intercultural coexistence, infrastructure consolidation and/or single elderly care etc. I believe it would look great on Gloria (Sasha's mother who works at Mattel)'s husband, too(*6).
All kinds of care, mental or physical illness. Whatever the reason, I believe we should change the society where 'blanks' (they are not 'blanks' at all, the life itself) in the wage labor market are disadvantage. This problem has been primarily women's one, but now it is a common problem for both of us. I also believe Japan should take the lead in addressing in such "'pink sandal type' support system" so that the presence or absence of children and work status won't create a rift within the society.
We need fantasy between the spreadsheets (*7)
One more thing to the filmmakers. When I went to see this film, 95% of the audience was girls and ex-girls. How lucky I am to have a friend who invites me to the movies at my age! At the same time I'm grateful, I feel lonely since my husband would not be interested in this film nor social issues presented by this film. Like many business persons in the LA, he is so busy with work that he neglects us. His worn out bags and shoes---For me, he has already become a 'weird-type' businessman so that his black leather shoes looks too tight. The dual-income couples went the great adventure like Tyltyl and Mytyl, they would find each other as 'the blue bird' in their home; and one would dedicate a pair of pink sandals to the other like Cinderella's glass shoes. ---I dream such a fantasy that we all family live happily ever after (for a while, anyway). Please make such a movie that he got hooked and marriage is actually worth it.
Or, please work out the movie scenario that he would really want ask me out on a date after watching. When it comes true, I would go out in high-heels that I buy myself. No matter how old we get, it's so natural to find my ideal in Barbie and try to behave like you.
My Barbie, forever.
(*1) Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office
https://www.gender.go.jp/about_danjo/whitepaper/r04/zentai/html/zuhyo/zuhyo00-08.html
(*2) My career opportunity was started from my diary on the internet which was censored secretly. Around 2006, family law revision "same surname system to selective surname system for married couples" was a hot topic. Since I got married in 23-years old and continued to work with husband's name, I wrote "surname is just a fantasy. LDP's conservatives who stick to fantasy are stupid." Now I am thinking that family registry system having couples to use the same surname, can contribute to another fantasy.
(3) Let me clarify the several terms which refer "housewife" in Japanese with its cultural and political backgrounds. 専業主婦 means a full-time housewife not working for wage, while 兼業主婦 means a part-time housewife, working within tax deduction or even refer a full-time wage worker with doing shadow work at home. There is another term 家政婦 to refer a maid for wage but also has a literal meaning 'a women running the home.' Traditionally (especially Samurai and merchant families), ladies ruled the house with a full of knowledge and wisdom about household. My work at the dining table (i.e. writing this article) is an extension of such patriarchy system.
(*4) We are thinking of adding a generic job title unlike the existing Probation officers[保護司, under the Ministry of Justice], Welfare commissioners[民生委員, under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare]. These existing and new roles will be crossing over; so it would be necessary to guarantee the experience and knowledge in different ways.
(*5) Don't worry about TV industry's revenue decline. Once Barbie becomes popular through SNS (she is already famous enough), she'll be on a TV show and get another sponsor. I just want to create an organic ecosystem of SNS and mass media. That's the core of my proposal.
(*6) Yes, That's America Ferrera's Real-Life Husband in 'Barbie': 'My Favorite and Forever Ken'
https://people.com/america-ferrera-real-life-husband-ryan-piers-williams-cameo-barbie-7564599
(*7) The Economist "Between the spreadsheets"
https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/02/20/between-the-spreadsheets
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