'This Barbie has a Nobel Prize': Malala Yousafzai says after watching record-breaking movie

Activist Malala Yousafzai is the latest public figure to hop on the Barbie craze, showing her appreciation for the film on her social media pages over the weekend.

The Oxford-educated activist posted a photo of herself and her husband Asser Malik standing inside a Barbie box photobooth with the tagline: "This Barbie has a Nobel Prize," followed by "He's just Ken," in reference to Malik.

Yousafzai's caption paid homage to the movie's tagline, which highlights the stark difference between the accomplished Barbie, and her rather lackluster boyfriend.

Other taglines associated with the movie include: "This Barbie is a Supreme Court Justice" and "This Barbie is a celebrated author," among many other professions.

The taglines quickly became a meme on social media, with many Internet users humorously using them to reference themselves.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Malala Yousafzai (@malala)

Yousafzai, 26, further complimented the Greta Gerwig-directed film saying that it was "so funny and thoughtful" and that she hoped "this caption doesn't hurt all the Kens as much as the movie Ken".

Yousafzai's husband jokingly replied with "I'm Kenough" under her post, in another reference to the film in which Ken wears a hoodie with a portmanteau of the words 'Ken' and 'enough'.

Like many movie-goers, Malala dressed herself in an all-pink ensemble in a bid to match the film's theme.

In 2014, she became the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Prize at 17 for her advocacy for the education of women and children in her native Swat District in northwest Pakistan, where the Taliban had banned girls from attending school.

In 2012, Malala was shot on a bus by Taliban gunmen as she was returning home from sitting an exam.  The incident prompted an international outpouring of support for the then-teenager, who became a prominent activist following her recovery.

Yousafzai's post garnered more than half a million likes, with social media users praising the caption.

Barbie has now earned the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film in 2023, as well as the biggest-ever debut for a female director.

The film, which stars Margot Robbie as the titular character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, has drawn praise for its feminist message and humour and promotion of self-confidence for both men and women. However, the blockbuster has also drawn the ire of some critics and American Republican figures, who labelled it as "anti-man".

Barbie, which was released in most countries on 21 July, is expected to be shown in a number of Middle Eastern countries later this summer.