Iran Says “NO” to Barbie Dolls

All little girls want Barbie dolls and it's not usually a big deal but in Iran toy shops are being shut down because of the dolls. Iran has long tried to keep "Western Culture" from creeping into their country and now they are taking pretty stiff actions to deal with it.

I understand their dilemma though. Iran is a country where women are clothed from head to toe and mixed company is not allowed in many situations. Then you look at Barbie with her long blonde hair, make-up and sometimes skimpy clothing and you too can probably see why they are putting a ban on the dolls.

As far back as early 2000's the government was pulling the dolls from store shelves because of their non-Islamic features. They even came up with their own dolls, dressed more in line with their culture, but they failed to do well. However, this is a long running battle that the government seems to be losing. The more bans and restrictions they put up the more the young people want it.

A few years ago the government warned of importing Western culture goods, whether it be clothing, hair styles, TV/movie or yes, even Barbie dolls. Now the police are just shutting down stores that carry these products, especially the Barbie doll.

So do you think this sudden crackdown on the Barbie is just a sign of the deteriorating relations between the two countries?