Iran’s War On Barbie (1996-Present)

A patriarchal regime’s struggle against a universal icon

The release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie reminded women of their power. To no surprise, Gerwig’s film has been attacked by many conservative and “traditional” oriented figureheads worldwide.

In particular, Gerwig’s film has been permanently banned by the Islamic Republic of Iran for its LGBTQ+ leanings, not to mention its message for women’s empowerment (1).

No stranger to the ayatollahs, Barbie has been in the crosshairs of Iran’s Islamist regime since its inception in 1979.

Prior, Barbie was relatively well-known in Iran. Author and ex-pat Porochista Khakpour recalls obtaining her first Barbie doll in the late 1970s (2):

In my infancy in Tehran, I was awarded my first Barbie, a beaming blonde Malibu or SuperStar decked out in a disco metallic bikini. My mother was in love and as soon I was old enough to register playthings, so was I. From then, it was perpetual Barbie season.

Until we had to flee Iran, that is. When my family left Tehran almost overnight at the advent of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980, we left behind an entire room full of expensive toys; the casualties included my beloved Barbie posse.

In 1996, the Islamist government restricted the sale of Barbie dolls, deeming them a “Trojan Horse” for Western influences (3).

The first known push against Barbie by religious authorities occurred in 2002. That year, the Islamic Republic’s morality police were given the authority to confiscate Barbie products from toy stores throughout Iran.

The crackdown extended into the 2000s as Iran’s judiciary deemed Barbie “destructive culturally and a social danger” (4). Store owners often faced stiff penalties for distributing these products.

According to the Christian Science Monitor in 2008, one shop owner in Tehran was detained for three days by the morality police after they confiscated $11,000 worth of Barbie merchandise.

Even so, many shopkeepers continually showcased Barbie figurines alongside knockoffs such as “Juicy Bling” and “Action Man” dolls.