#699 Muslim Dolls

Meet Fulla. She's Muslim and not afraid to show it. My first thought was Are you kidding me? After some time, I'm still struggling with the idea of female oppression in the countries where this doll's market originates. Is it weird to play dress-up with a doll (assuming it must be undressed) whose modest fashion is it's major selling point? I don't mean to offend anyone's religion here, unless you're Mormon or Scientologist, but I just have to wonder if playing with a toy hijab is not as blasphemous as say, a doll with sacred Mormon garments?

Unofficial Mormon Garments Barbie

Researching Fulla and the psychology behind raising honorable, halal daughters in muslim countries, I found this interesting (if not culturally confusing) doll:

Fulla the Dentist has me in utter awe. Education for women in muslim societies is not as faux pas as most Americans believe. (Source: "Islamic Women in Science") The Fulla the Dentist doll not only comes with Fulla, adorned in a blue hijab, a patient, and basic dental equipment and decorations, but also an educational booklet for ambitious Muslim girls.

Dolls are about two things: make-believe and fashion. I just wish that these dolls were a bit more fashionable, really. Just look at this frumpy Arrosa Doll, who either owns a Chico's Credit Card or sews her own clothes out of vintage parachutes:

Or this Muslim Ninja Lady!

One thing is clear: women's bodies are hidden from a very young age. Is it out of respect for women, or are the males of the culture barbarically possessive? Take the weather into account. This week, the weather in Medina, Saudi Arabia, is a consistent 111 degrees Fahrenheit. The women that wear hijabs in that kind of heat are ROCK STARS.

Not all Muslim women wear hijabs. It could be "better" or "worse" depending on what your own opinions and beliefs are. My own opinion is that the Muslim dolls below are for the worse:

Burqa Barbie - It's real!

A handmade Burqa doll, via MediaSlog

A multicultural comparison.

Yes, a burqa is muuuch worse than what this doll is wearing but take a close look: the trim on the dress is of girls wearing gowns - WITHOUT HIJABS. WTF?!

Have dolls gotten out of hand across the globe? Hmm, let's take a look!

JAPAN: We've seen other semi-educational dolls about pregnancy, but none were this traumatic. The mother looks like an Asian Spock strewn with stretch marks the size of tree roots. She comes with placenta and interchangeable fetuses at different ages.

CHINA: Male? Female? Victim of an abominable sex-change catastrophe? I wish I could read Russian, damnit! These unisex dolls are actually from China, but all I can find out about it is on Russian sites, which I suppose makes sense from the photo above.

UPDATE: A commenter loosely translated the Russian! Thanks! It reads: 

We received signals of this strange doll coming to market shelves in cities of Kaliningrad and Chelyabinsk. The doll is made in China, and priced at laughable 12-15 roubles. She’s dressed in pajama, but take that off, and something unusual you will find there girls should have not. Explaining small children what a “hermaphrodites” are is a complicated task, you would agree. Useless as well. Though… World has changed a lot lately!

RUSSIA - Oh, Russia. We knew you had it in you. These artisan dolls are perhaps a bit too anatomically correct - would your Barbies have strolled with Skipper or rolled in the hay if they were anatomically correct?

UNITED STATES - The Bratz dolls. All of 'em. Slutty as heeeeeellll.

UNITED STATES - Real Dolls are not meant for children. I hope this is obvious to you. Real Dolls can be male or female with certain erogenous features, attachments, and "upgrades". They just give me the willies (pun NOT intended) so find out more about them your own damn self. By the way, I get a ton of traffic for the picture above and I'm not sure what I think about that. Um. Th - thanks? Weirdo.

I guess this is my point. Middle Eastern women are beautiful creatures. No woman deserves oppression, and to come full circle, no woman deserves to be seen as a piece of meat. I really wish the Middle East could find some common ground. A la...