Controversial computer engineer Barbie book crashes after sexism row
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A controversial Barbie book in which the blonde character finds herself baffled by technology has been withdrawn from sale after toy manufacturer Mattel was forced to apologise for portraying the doll as totally reliant on men.
Barbie I Can Be A Computer Engineer, first published in 2010, came under fire after Barbie had to call in men to help repair her laptop after it crashes.
The controversy was sparked earlier this week after best-selling American author Pamela Ribon attacked the book on her blog, quoting a scene from the book where Barbie, who has a USB stick on her pink necklace, says she’ll need help from programmers called “Steven and Brian” to turn design ideas into a “real game”.
In a statement on its Facebook page, Mattel said: “We believe girls should be empowered to understand that anything is possible and believe they live in a world without limits. We apologise that this book didn’t reflect that belief.”
The book’s author, Susan Marenco, who has written more than 60 books for Disney, said: “ Maybe I should have made one of those programmers a female – I wish I had.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments