Barbie Races Ahead Of Oppenheimer Globally! 11 Controversies That Reveal Dark Side Of The Doll
While Oppenheimer is shining in India ahead of Barbie, things are pretty different at the global level. The Greta Gerwig movie is ahead of Christopher Nolan's movie at the global box office.?
Barbie is ahead of Oppenheimer at the global box office
In India, the Cillian Murphy-starrer has minted around Rs 60 crores whereas Margot Robbie-starrer has garnered Rs 20 crores in four days. At the global box office,?Barbie?has collected $356 million (2,613.6 crores) whereas?Oppenheimer has?minted $180 million (1,323 crores), as per trade analyst Ramesh Bala.?
Despite the huge popularity of the iconic toy, there are several controversies that Barbie doll had to face ever since it was first launched in 1959 by Mattel, a toy manufacturing company.?
Who is the brain behind the Barbie dolls?
Ruth Handler thought of making adult-bodied dolls after she saw her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls. Barbara was giving her adult roles. This is when Handler realised that the doll market was predominantly ruled by dolls that looked like infants. She then gave this idea to he husband Elliot, the co-founder of Mattel. And rest as they say, was history.?
Since then, Barbie has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits. Here are the most controversial Barbie dolls ever.?
1. Do you know its design was inspired by a sex doll??
Ruth Handler had got multiple?German toy dolls called Bild Lilli whose design was later tweaked to make Barbie dolls. Lilli dolls were available at tobacco shops, bars and adult-themed toy stores. They were bachelor party gifts. Four years after Barbie was launched and became popular, several feminists protested againt it. After all, the doll has a impossibly tiny waist and ample bosom,?
2. The Barbie that advised 'Don't Eat'.?
When teenage babysitter Barbie was sold in the market in 1963, it apparently read a book called?How to Lose Weight?that and advised 'Don¡¯t eat!'.?
3. Too young to be pregnant??
A lot of people complained about Barbie's friend?Midge who they thought was too young to get pregnant. People said that this doll would promote teenage pregnancy.?
4. The Barbie that grows boobs if you twist her arm
This one was called Growing Up Skipper. With this, you would get two Barbies at the cost of one. How? The young Barbie would turn into a teenager when her arm was rotated. However, most of the growing up part happened in her chest area. When anyone would crank her arm, she would grow an inch taller and develop small breasts.
5. Oreo Barbie that was racist
The toy company partnered with Oreo cookies and launched Oreo dolls. However, as soon as the Black coloured dolls were launched, people were quick to point out the fact that Oreo is a derogatory term used for black people who are accused of acting like white people.
6. Hijab Barbie
This Barbie was inspired by?Muslim?Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad who sported a Hijab. While most people accepted the doll and in fact celebrated it, some others thought that a Hijab only promoted?misogyny under the guise of religion, and thus, the Hijab doll became controversial too.
7. Wheelchair Barbie
Share-a-Smile Becky was Barbie¡¯s first friend who used a wheelchair. While the makers thought they would be lauded for inclusivity,?17-year-old high school student,?Kiersti Johnson, realized Becky¡¯s chair couldn't enter the door of Barbie's dream house.
8. Misogynistic Barbie can't do Maths
Teen Talk Barbie who could say 270 phrases was pushed back after?American Association of University Women objected to certain statements that included "Will we ever have enough clothes?", "I love shopping!" and especially "Math class is tough."
9. The computer engineer Barbie who couldn't fix a computer virus
Disney screenwriter Pamela Ribon to?colored sticker book,?Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Engineer, depicted that doll as?incapable of fixing a computer virus without the help of two male friends in the book.?
10. Is Barbie used for child pornography?
The FBI noticed that Barbie Video Girl, an actress in a bikini who dances on rap songs, had a built in video camera that could be used for child porn.
For more news and updates?from the world of?celebrities?from?Bollywood?and?Hollywood, keep reading?Indiatimes Entertainment.
