Fulla Rocks

I would like to introduce you to Fulla. Fulla is the Arabian answer to Barbie.

Barbie of course is well known here, in fact she is found in practically every toy shop, …and so is Fulla.

Fulla came about as a result of dissatisfaction about Barbie, and the values, or even the mindset, that she represents. To someone living here, Barbie isn’t considered an adequate role model for little girls. She represents much of what is thought to be wrong with modern culture and society. The problem stems from completely different attitudes here and in the west regarding privacy and modesty.

In the west, a woman’s beauty is public. The public in fact demands to be able to compare, sort and judge, based upon a woman’s appearance. Women are encouraged to look “pretty”, and wear the correct clothing and accoutrements to meet with public approval. Young women are especially vulnerable to the demands put upon them by society in regards to their appearance.

In short, women in the west are required to put on a public show, as it were, and be judged thereby. Much of the clothing worn is designed to look sexy, and draw attention. I suppose that the one who draws the most attention wins. Barbie is often the first teacher that little western girls get in how to play this game.

Here privacy is the rule. A woman’s appearance is a private matter, and hers to control. A woman’s beauty isn’t a public commodity to be on display for all to see. Women here generally try to deflect attention from their appearance, rather than attract it. Modesty is reflected in the choice of dress adopted by most women in public.

To be able to see a Qatari woman without her abaya and niqab is a privilege, not a right, and it’s a carefully administered privilege at that. As a woman, it isn’t so difficult to see Qatari ladies in this way, it’s simply a matter of being invited to a social function, or to someone’s home, or possibly an everyday occurrence at work. As a man, seeing Qatari ladies without their traditional covering is fairly uncommon, although he may see them at work, or even in public (those who choose not to cover).

To someone living here, Barbie, and what she represents is shallow and superficial. Women here would rather be judged by their conduct, piety, or intelligence than by their fashion sense. To be forced to compete on that level seems rather like being a piece of meat on display.

Thus Fulla came about.

Fulla fits into all of Barbie’s clothes, although she has a full line of her own as well. Fulla likes Barbie’s clothes in fact, and frequently wears them, but when she goes out to the souqs, or to work, she makes sure to put on her abaya and hijab.

Fulla comes with a range of tastes as well. She needn’t wear an abaya, some sets include only a hijab (head covering), with the rest of the clothing being indistinguishable from modest western clothes. Other Fullas are very conservative, reflecting the varying standards and tastes in the Muslim world.

The point is, that Fulla can reflect and preserve the values of the Gulf, whereas Barbie challenges them. Both are available here, and parents may choose which one they buy for their little girls.

The best doll I have seen in this category, is a generic knock-off. She looks like Barbie, but is sold in a set where she is a physician. She comes with a labcoat over her clothes, and has a full range of equipment available with which to conduct physical exams. She can even collect lab specimens.

In my opinion, that “Dr. Barbie” presents a much better role model for young girls than the anorexic slave-to-fashion ever did.