Playing with Barbie dolls

By now most of us would have known who Jason Wu is. He becomes increasingly popular when Barack Obama becomes the president of US as the first lady is an avid client of this young and talented fashion designer born in Taiwan, currently based in New York. Michelle Obama wore a gown designed by Jason at the inaugural balls on the night of Barack Obama inauguration. Wow, that certainly will make Jason Wu a popular fashion designer sought after by celebrities in US or even around the world.

I know nut about fashion. I wear collar T-shirt to work. I wear T-shirt and a pair short and slipper during casual time. I only reluctantly put on formal costume during meeting or other formal functions. But I’m interested with Jason Wu because of his mother, an open-minded and unconventional mother at least from the Chinese society point of view. We know that most of us Asian grow up with a traditional mindset whereby sons are preferred over daughters. At least, Chinese traditionally view that daughters will eventually become the family members of the groom family after marriage, thus giving less preference to the daugther. Sexual inequality is common in Asian society, let’s be frank about that. The reason why I write about Jason Wu is not because of him suddenly becomes superfamous in the fashion world, simply because last night while watching a Taiwanese TV host show that discussed on gender disparity, one of the guests revealed how extraordinary Jason’s mother was, in the way she brought up her son.

Unlike most of the boys who like to play with robots, video games or other more boyish toys, Jason Wu grown up playing with Barbie dolls. He especially liked designing and sewing costume for his Barbie dolls. Wow, if that happened on me, most probably my oldman will throw me into a padi field and asks me to go fishing instead, no doubt my mom was a tailor herself. But his mother actually saw a talent in her dolls-loving kid. The family left for Canada when Jason was 9, to a place probably more accommodative, gender-equality wise perhaps, as compared to Taiwan.

The host pointed out that should Jason’s mother like any other ordinary parents, scolded her son for playing with Barbie dolls or unsupportive of him doing some girlie things when he was a small boy, we would not have a world class Chinese fashion designer sewing gowns for the first lady of the United States of America.