Barbie is one of the most anticipated films of 2023, but its hot pink hue has been banned in Vietnam over eight dashes on a map featured in one scene.
The ban was reported by state media in Vietnam on Monday, less than three weeks before the movie is scheduled to be released. Here is why the "Barbie world" is causing controversy with a map that has caused tensions in the real world.
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What is the nine-dash line?
The nine-dash line is used on maps by China to claim territory over waters in the South China Sea, territory disputed by Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan.
In a 2016 ruling in the Hague's international arbitration court brought by the Philippines, the court ruled China's territorial claims in the South China Sea were baseless. China has ignored the ruling, continuing to claim the waters as its territory and using the map with the nine dashes, which makes its claims.
Use of the nine-dash line in maps is seen as endorsing China's claims to the water, which is one of the most heated disputes in Asia. ESPN was widely criticized in 2019 when it aired a map of China that included the dashed line, along with claims that Taiwan was its territory.
Where is the nine-dash line present in Barbie?
The movie has not been released in theaters in the United States or internationally. The nine-dash line reportedly is featured in the background of a single scene.
Apparently, this is the scene that caused Vietnam to ban the Barbie movie. In the waters off the inaccurate map of Asia, there is a dashed line composed of eight dashes. pic.twitter.com/1cRLNp474L
— Xave Gregorio (@XaveGregorio) July 4, 2023
The world map in the scene is drawn in an inaccurate and disproportionate way with eight dashes creating a backward "S" shape off of the representation of Asia. The nine-dash line is typically drawn in a "u" shape.
What countries is Barbie banned in over the nine-dash line?
Vietnam is the only country that has banned Barbie over the nine-dash line, but the Philippines is reportedly considering banning the film. The Philippines has previously banned films over the use of the nine-dash line.
Have other movies been banned over the nine-dash line?
In Vietnam, two other films have been banned for a more clear use of the nine-dash line.
The 2019, DreamWorks animated film Abominable was banned in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia, while the 2022 Sony Pictures adventure film Uncharted was banned in Vietnam and the Philippines.
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The movie about the iconic Barbie dolls has garnered considerable hype online, due to its bright colors and imaginative world, but also because it shares a release date with the tonally opposite film Oppenheimer, about the life of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer who helped develop the atomic bomb.
Barbie stars Margot Robbie as the titular doll alongside Ryan Gosling, who plays Barbie's boyfriend Ken. The film is scheduled to be released in movie theaters on July 21.