What do you think the intentions were with the Burqa Barbie?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Burqa - A sign of cultural recognition of oppression of women?
I found this clip the other day as I was catching up on world news, and found this really interesting. I thought about what the makers of Barbie meant when they created the Burqa Barbie, and then I thought about the way it is portrayed to different cultures around the world.
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4 comments:
It's a really tough question, I think. I tend to lead toward the side that views the burqa as a sign of oppression, but I understand that some Muslim women see it as a vital aspect of their culture, and they are uncomfortable with out it. This is a really interesting news bit, though, and I'm interested on other views on the subject.
While there is a legitimate moral problem concerning the custom of the burqa in middle eastern societies, there also seems a legitimate argument for plainly representing and reflecting (without moral judgment)the customs and traditions that have emerged in different places in the world. people need to be able to distinguish between an emotional wish for justice and the more removed position required to look at and openly think about the reasons why the controversial burqa barbie could be a great success, financially and maybe even educationally.
Personally, I prefer for artists and toy-makers alike to reveal the world raw as it is...plainly as they see it, and not some opinion-infused idea of what they they wish it were....that seems more like the nature of original barbie, no? and that one is just fine, right?
I want to augment that last statement.
I like for artists and toymakers both to explore the world, raw as it is, as well as to fantasize about how they wish it were or could be. I'm just somewhat uninterested in all the moralizing that says "this is acceptable and this is unacceptable." Decent criticism seems like it should be more complex than that.
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