A Doll is a Doll... Right?

Barbie is no longer a prominent presence in Middle Eastern toy stores; she had been replaced by a more culturally reflective Fulla doll. Fulla forgoes the skin-tight, low neck-line outfits that Barbie usually wears, and instead wears a black abaya and a head scarf which portray a more conservative and culturally 'proper' Middle Eastern system.

There is some controversy surrounding the new Fulla doll. Some say that Fulla is "just a plaything" like Barbie is to the world at large, but other's say that this new Fulla doll represents the pressure to conform to the limiting female role within the Middle East.

It seems that Fulla is everywhere in the Middle East, just as Barbie is here in America. Fulla is on breakfast cereal, is used to sell chewing gum, and is a marketing figure for bikes and backpacks. Some parents complain, saying that Fulla has taken over, but others claim that having a role model that is shown in commercials to be praying before sunrise and acting in the more 'traditional' roles of a woman, are good to have.