'Barbie' divides audiences in Gulf

Barbie is dividing audiences in the conservative Gulf after being banned in some Arab countries.

According to AFP, In the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia fans have queued up in pink versions of the abaya, the traditional all-covering robe, to see the hit movie.

Bahrain is one of the Gulf monarchies to show Barbie, which is banned in Kuwait and has not been released in Qatar or Oman. In the wider Middle East, it is also barred in Algeria and Lebanon.

Feminist film-maker Greta Gerwig´s tongue-in-cheek movie contains no explicit LGBTQ references but it subtly nods at topics of diversity and inclusion, and features a trans actor.

In Dubai, cinemas are adorned with memorabilia and photo booths shaped as doll boxes.

Social media has been swept by the craze. A video of a giant, digitally created Barbie next to the Burj Khalifa, the world´s tallest building, was shared by thousands.

Female empowerment is tackled in the film´s early stages. The various barbies include a president, diplomat and Supreme Court justices, jobs traditionally handed to men.

As the plot unfolds, the patriarchy threatens to infect ´Barbieland´ -- a matriarchal utopia where men lounge on the beach while women occupy prestigious roles.