Sara Elghobashy
November 30, 2009
Italian designer Eliana Lorena has outfitted 500 Barbies in cultural clothes from around the world to be sold at an auction in Florence, Italy in celebration of Barbie’s 50th anniversary. Mattel’s release of these 500 special collectors’ Barbies spurred a lot of controversy, but you won’t hear about Kimono Barbie, Gomesi Barbie or Selwar Kameez Barbie. Nope. Everyone’s talking about Burqa Barbie - and it’s not because they’re admiring her colorful choices.
Outrage over Burqa Barbie would be justified if she came with a Taliban Tarek complete with a bag of stones that are ready to be used if Burqa Barbie falls in love with Malibu Ken, but that’s not the case. The doll was meant to represent Afghani culture and was never intended to be political, though many are interpreting Lorena’s decision to outfit Barbie in a burqa as just that.
Take Phyllis Chesler for instance. The right-wing feminist and all-around crazy person wonders “What will they think of next? A be-headed doll?” She is urging parents to boycott Burqa Barbie until Mattel takes her off the market. But whatchu talkin’ bout, Phyllis? Burqa Barbie is not being marketed for the masses.
Chesler is not the only one making suggestions to Mattel. She is joined by those who propose that Burqa Barbie come with a suicide bomb vest (sold separately) or join a Burqa Band, “would not dream of performing with faces uncovered or even revealing their names.” It’s good to know that people can use concern over human rights to mask their racism. They were running out of ways to do that.
While the world loses their mind over a doll, Mattel continues to stand by their decision to auction off Burqa Barbie as part of their special collection. The money raised will benefit Save the Children’s “Rewrite the Future” campaign, which helps millions of children who have been affected by conflict. Don’t you just love it when a noble cause is clouded with insanity?
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