by Debra Rich Gettleman

Barbie, created by Ruth Handler, the first woman President of Mattel, (and Jewish woman to boot,) whose parents barely escaped Poland fleeing from poverty and antisemitism, is considered the most iconic doll of all times. When Handler invented Barbie, an adult female doll for children, there was plenty of conflict about her sexuality. But while moms balked, kids couldn’t get enough of the well-endowed beauty. Mattel sold a whopping 350,000 dolls in its first year back in 1959.

Cut to today and Greta Gerwig’s film, “Barbie,” has raked in over $1 billion in global sales. But the brightly smiling glamor girl with a body to kill, hasn’t been welcomed everywhere.  In fact, she was outright banned in Beiruit.

Barbie’s ban in Lebanon was a big bummer. But recent announcements from the Lebanese film oversight committee suggest that Barbie’s back!

It all started when Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada sent a request to Lebanon’s General Security agency instructing them, “To take all necessary measures to ban showing this move in Lebanon.”

According to Mortada, the film “promotes homosexuality and transsexuality…supports rejecting father’s guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother, and questions the necessity of marriage and having a family.”

The Lebanese film oversight committee, made up of representatives from the Ministry of Economy and General Security, met to assess the suitability of the internationally successful “Barbie” movie. Unlike Minister Mortada, they unanimously voted in favor of Barbie’s Middle East appearance.

Now scheduled for an August 31st release in Lebanon, Barbie and Ken aren’t toasting in the hot tub just yet. Despite the positive endorsement from the film oversight committee, the final decision on the screening is still officially pending.

Will Barbie join the ranks of banned Buzz Lightyear, Gru, and Thor? That’s the billion-dollar question. We’ll keep you posted.