People Flock Theatres In Pink Clothes To Watch Barbie
Learn about the history of Barbie and the political controversy around it.
Every girl around the world would have at some point of time have had a Barbie doll. Barbie, in full Barbara Roberts is an 11-inch- tall plastic doll with the figure of an adult woman. Inspired by her daughter’s fascination with paper dolls that looked like adults, Ruth Handler launched Barbie to the American market in 1959. It was named after her daughter Barbara. The doll was introduced by Mattel, Inc., a toy company which Handler co-founded with her husband, Elliot Handler. Since the doll’s inception its body has incited controversy. There were many who criticized Barbie for having “too much of a figure.” Barbie never won the approval of authorities in the Muslim world. In 1995 Saudi Arabia stopped its sale because it did not fulfill the Islamic dress code. Eventually, dolls wearing hijabs were marketed to Muslim girls. Whatever the controversy, Barbie doll has been a favourite for girls around the world till date. Now, in 2023, the Barbie movie has taken the world by storm and painted everything pink. Ever since the release of ‘Barbie’, featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling there has been a huge hype. At the special screening of the film which was held in Mumbai, Bollywood celebrities stepped into Barbie's fantasy world with some iconic Barbie dresses and hairstyles, complete with pink colour and chic accessories.
After the movie released, people around the world of all genders and ages are flocking to their nearest movie theatres wearing pink. It’s like the movie theatres are hosting a Pink Festival with pink colour decorations and balloons. People online have been sharing pictures and stories of the audience arriving at movie theatres dressed in pink and addressing each other as ‘Hi Barbie!’ The best part is men too are taking part and dressing up as Ken (male doll). Though the Barbie movie may be receiving rave reviews from around the world, there are some who find the movie ‘inappropriate’ for children. Juhi Parmar, a well known TV actor said that she had walked out of the theatre within 10 minutes with her 10-year-old daughter. While Parmar said that she had not noticed the film was rated PG-13, she added that "the language and content is inappropriate even for children 13 and above" She said she even saw some other parents leave the theatre. Her remarks have not gone down well with netizens, many of whom urged Parmar to “maybe try watching the entire thing" before forming an opinion. Many commented, “Please do not bad mouth such a beautifully made movie just because you didn’t do your research properly and mistook it to be some Disney movie,". Some said, “It's not the film's job to parent your child. Read the ratings and take a call. Meanwhile, the film is being appreciated all over the world, its release in Pakistan has been temporarily delayed and other Islamic nations like UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Iran and Saudi Arabia have banned the film over the film's LGBTQ+ themes. While many countries have demanded certain cuts in Barbie, it has been banned in Iran, Russia, Vietnam and Philippines over various political reasons.
