17 May 2013
Protesters have disrupted the opening a life-size Barbie house in Berlin. The exhibition, which consists of a copy of the popular doll's toy house, has angered some women, who think that Barbie leads to less respect for women.
It wasn't the opening which the organizers planned. Feminist protesters said the Barbie doll turned women into objects. A semi-naked member of the Foemen protest group, had "Life in plastic is not fantastic" written on her bare chest. She set fire to a Barbie doll.
In what the organizers call the Barbie Dream house Experience, a hundred gallons of pink paint were used to decorate the exhibition. The color provoked a protest from a group called Pink Stinks whose members said there was too much emphasis on becoming more beautiful and on being pretty, and that put an awful lot of pressure on girls.
The other Barbie Dream house, in America, has not been the target of protest. The Berlin version continues until August and then tours Europe. There will be more opportunity for protest - and also for visits by Barbie's countless fans.