MOVIE NEWS – The Barbie film starring Margot Robbie has been banned in two more Middle Eastern countries for its depiction of feminism and sexuality.

Barbie has conquered the world. Since its release in July, millions of fans around the globe have dusted off their pink dresses and flocked to cinemas to see Greta Gerwig’s reimagined film about the famous Mattel doll. While the film has been mostly celebrated by fans and critics alike, it has also received some backlash for its feminist themes.

Although the film has been widely praised, not only for its discussion of feminism, power imbalances and fundamental themes of femininity but also for its hilarious dialogue and excellent performances by the cast, it has proved to be an internationally controversial subject.

In early July, Vietnam banned the screening of Barbie. It was revealed that the film depicted a map that reinforced China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Now, three weeks after the film’s release, two more countries are trying to ban the movie on their territory.

Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada said on Wednesday that Barbie promotes homosexuality. “The film goes against Lebanese moral and religious values, as it encourages perversion and gender reassignment while calling for the rejection of patriarchy and ridiculing the role of mothers,” Mortada said. The culture minister’s comments prompted the censorship commission to examine the films and make a recommendation.

Furthermore, Kuwait officially joins the Barbie ban. The state news agency said on Tuesday that it had banned Barbie and the supernatural horror film Talk to Me to protect “public morals and social traditions”. As far as Lebanon is concerned, the move against the Warner Bros. film is not surprising.

The country has been catalogued for years as one of the most liberal in the Middle East, so much so that in 2017 they were the first Arab country to hold a gay pride week.

However, experts say this could change due to a period of economic and political instability. The Middle East is no stranger to censoring or banning films dealing with sex, homosexuality and religious issues. The release of Barbie in the region has been postponed several times for this very reason, from 19 July to 31 August, after censors made editing suggestions regarding the film’s narrative and dialogue on LGBTQ issues.

Source: Variety