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Barbie Grill

The following was 'liberated' from Artweb, which has been taken down. I thought it was a shame to let it pass into the unknown!

Is it art or protest? Perhaps both. Whatever the case students from Wanganui Polytechnic's computer graphic design programme made no bones about how they felt towards Barbie Dolls. About half a dozen dolls were sacrificed at a ceremonial "Barbiecue" as the students protested against what the 20th century icon has come to represent.

"The impossibly skinny waist, the expensive wardrobes, the sheer perfection of womanhood - these are the images that Barbie dolls demand of young girls and women to live up to," tutor Robert Manning told Artweb. "The expectations are so unrealistic. It's the sort of pressure that leads to eating disorders and low self esteem."

The dolls have been part of the students' studies over recent months. They were asked to design costumes for the dolls pertinent to various periods in design history.

"Frankly the students were sick of the site of them. But the main reason for the Barbiecue is to let young women know it's okay to be who they are and not to try to live up to unreal expectations."

The dolls were ceremonially grilled one by one over hot flames while students cheered and sang to pop group Aqua's Barbie Girl, although some were heard to use the lyrics "I'm a Barbie grill…"

Asked if he thought the protest would cause a backlash from children and those who might be offended by the grilling Mr Manning said he would be delighted "if we get some angry calls." If it gets people to stop and think about what these dolls portray then we'd have achieved what we set out to achieve."

Official "Barbiecue 98" tee-shirts and chef hats were worn by those taking part in the protest while the occasion was video recorded for posterity.

ABOVE: The ceremonial 'Barbiecue' of Barbie dolls.

BELOW: Head chef Robert Manning gets ready to Barbiecue his first victim.

For more good, clean, Barbie hating fun, check out

The Decline of Civilisation Barbie
Barbie and Ken Photo Essays

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