Berlin - The opening of a museum in Berlin celebrating Barbie dolls was disrupted Thursday by protesters who say the popular doll distorts girl's image of their own bodies.
“Fewer and fewer girls feel comfortable in their own skin, with eating disorders having increased drastically because of figures like Barbie,” said Stevie Schmiedel from Initiative Pink Stinks, which campaigns against the promotion of gender roles in advertising and products.
The protests appeared to catch organizers unaware, resulting in a delay in the opening of the Barbie Dreamhouse Experience, which is operated by the marketing company EMS after it obtained the rights from US toymaker Mattel.
“The Barbie Dreamhouse sends the wrong signal,” Green Party women's affairs expert Karoline Killat said. “What it suggests to little girls is that they should aim to be beautiful consumers.”
The demonstrators also included a topless member of the Ukraine-based international feminist group Femen, who held a burning cross with a Barbie doll attached to it to show her opposition to what she saw as the cliched image of women promoted by the Barbie museum.
“Dear Barbie, don't just bake cakes, eat them,” said one placard outside the German capital's latest tourist attraction.
The 2 500-square-metre museum, consisting of a large pink building with a water fountain in the shape of a huge pink high-heeled shoe, is only the second in the world.
The first Barbie Dreamland opened earlier this month in Florida.
The museum claims that visitors can expect an “unforgettable experience” from a tour of its exhibition.
After the delay to Thursday's opening, organizers moved quickly to clear the surrounding area of protesters.
This allowed Barbie devotees to visit the museum, which depicts the various aspects of the life of their favourite doll.
The exhibition includes a life-size replica of her fictional Malibu home, her wardrobe, bedroom, bathroom and living room - each with hundreds of Barbie dolls in different styles. - Sapa-dpa