Female oppression goes mainstream with Burqa Barbie dolls

One of the most visible, obvious symbols of female oppression is the Burqa. That tent of material women are forced to wear in places like Afghanistan. Covering every ounce of their body, women become non-entities, a piece of walking fabric devoid of humanity. Not to mention, burqas cause major health problems because of the lack of vitamin D. And though its origins were cultural and practical and not religious, it has now become associated with Islam. Pre-Islam, desert peoples, both men and women, wore them on windy days to protect themselves from the sand. They were also used by women when there was fear of invasion. Back in those days women of child-bearing age were often kidnapped, and covering the body (including the face) made it more difficult to distinguish between young and old. But this was not a daily practice and there is no mention of Burqas in the Qu'ran, so there is absolutely no reason for the practice to continue in this day and age.

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So, I was astonished to read that a Barbie doll dressed in a burqa is part of 500 Barbie dolls being exhibited in Salone dei Cinquecento, in Florence, Italy.

Makers Mattel are backing the exhibition which is the work of Italian designer Eliana Lorena.The auction is part of Barbie celebrations for her 50th anniversary this year.

Not only is Mattel backing the exhibit/auction, no-one seems to find any problem with a Barbie in a Burqa, even though it is linked to oppression of women.

Rosie Shannon, from Save the Children, said all the proceeds from the auction will go to the charity. She said: 'We are delighted Sotheby's and the designer chose to auction the burka Barbie dolls for our charity.

Not that the iconic doll wasn't oppressive in its own way, with her unrealistically thin, anatomically incorrect body, but to dress her in a Burqa is outrageous. I understand the idea was to create dolls from different cultures, but wouldn't the hijab have been enough?