In August 2019, Japanese comedian Barbie posted a photo on Instagram that transformed her career. It propelled her from the realm of TV show comedy skits and into the ranks of body-positive activists who have been rising in Japan’s public eye in recent years, such as comedian and plus-size-friendly fashion-designer Naomi Watanabe and music group CHAI, whose members advocated for body-acceptance through their “NEO-KAWAII” ethos, a term they coined in their 2018 album
PINK.
The image that could stir such a change? A photo of Barbie’s torso, bruised and marked because she was unable to find a bra in Japan that fit her body shape and size. “These marks were made by my ill-fitting bra,” Barbie wrote in the post’s caption. “I tried so many bras but none of them fit well, so I’m going to make my own. […] May all boobs stand tall and confident every day!”