Summary
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.
Reporter:
Steve Evans
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Report
It wasn't the opening which the organisers planned. Feminist protesters said the Barbie doll turned women into objects. A semi-naked member of the Femen protest group, had "Life in plastic is not fantastic" written on her bare chest. She set fire to a Barbie doll.
In what the organisers call the Barbie Dreamhouse Experience, a hundred gallons of pink paint were used to decorate the exhibition. The colour 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 Dreamhouse, 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.
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Vocabulary
- feminist
someone who wants equal rights and opportunities for women
- objects
things you can see and touch, but are not living
- provoked
caused a negative reaction (here: that led to a protest)
- emphasis
attention / importance
- pressure
trying to force, influence or persuade someone to do something (here: to look prettier)
- target
focus / the central point
- tours
travels around
- countless
very many; too many to count
