Cinemas in Egypt have announced that they will be showing the 'Barbie' film from Saturday, amid bans and intense debate over the movie's release elsewhere in the Middle East.
Where Barbie Was Banned. Kuwait and Oman prohibited the film entirely, while Algeria removed it from theaters after it premiered and Lebanon agreed to screen it after an initial ban.
Others like VOX Cinemas Egypt rated Barbie 18 TC. However, a source at the Censorship on Artistic Works, the official body which assigns ratings to artworks and monitors adherence to societal morals and values, told Ahram Online that Barbie is officially rated 12+ in Egypt.
Even males are not allowed to go bare-chest. On closed days, people are not allowed to wander the streets. Drinking alcohol other than the licensed restaurant is not allowed. Use or trafficking of illegal drugs is a serious offence.
The blockbuster Barbie movie will be out in UAE cinemas on August 10 — and several residents could barely wait to dress up in pink and watch the iconic doll come to life.
The reason that “Barbie Girl” won't be in Barbie is more than just a licensing or rights issue though. Some of it has to do with the fact that Barbie's parent company Mattel sued the Aqua group for trademark infringement because of the song in 1997.
Currently, there are no plans to bring Greta Gerwig's big Barbie blockbuster to Netflix. If you're looking to stream it, you can find it to both rent and buy on Amazon Prime Video. Also, on December 15, the fantasy comedy will hit streamer Max, giving you a second option. Warner Bros.
The worst of the language in Barbie is bleeped out, but some words and phrases to expect include "crap," "oh my God," and "shut up," though there is nothing explicit. Some suggestive references are present in the movie, which were a big contributor to the movie's PG-13 rating.
The doll, however, was reportedly recalled. It was a collaboration that went awry. Mattel partnered with OREO-maker Nabisco to create an “OREO”-themed Barbie in the 1990s. The doll, however, was reportedly recalled after criticism that the word “Oreo” can also have an offensive connotation to people of color.
The film has been criticised for largely ignoring the weapon's destruction in Japan towards the end of World War Two, obliterating two major cities and accounting for more than 200,000 deaths.
INDIA. India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps like messaging app WeChat in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens.
Midge's run as the youthful, freckled sidekick has been sporadic and at times turbulent, with only a handful of releases in the '60s, before she resurfaced in the '80s and '90s. Then, a pregnant version of the doll was unceremoniously pulled from store shelves in 2002 amid fears she was promoting teen motherhood.
Notably, when asked why they would not want to play with her, at least 25 percent of the girls said it was because curvy Barbie was fat, chubby, or "big." The tendency to idealize thin bodies and show negative attitudes toward fatter bodies has implications for how children treat each other.
Schumer, however, later shed more light on what led to her Barbie exit, telling The Hollywood Reporter in March 2022 that creative differences caused her to back out. "They definitely didn't want to do it the way I wanted to do it, the only way I was interested in doing it," she said at the time.
Sales of Barbie exceeded Mattel's ability to produce her for the first three years of her run. The market stabilized for the next decade while volume and margin increased by exporting refurbished dolls to Japan.
Couples kissing on the street, even a kiss on the cheek might be unacceptable in some areas in Egypt. Handholding and shaking hands is ok in general, but strict Muslims don't shake hands with people of the opposite sex to avoid any physical contact.
In Egypt, it is technically illegal for unmarried couples to share a hotel room, and many hotels will require couples to provide proof of marriage upon check-in. However, some hotels in Cairo may be more lenient or discreet about enforcing these laws.
It is rude to point the heel or any part of the foot toward another person. Showing the sole of one's shoe is also impolite. The Egyptian culture highly values good quality conservative clothing and presentation. It is okay to be relaxed and informal as long as you remain sensitive and polite.
