Barbie, the iconic doll has always been accused of promoting cliches and unhealthy attitudes towards the way little girls look at their own bodies. Women Talk Online blogger Roma Rajpal visited the Barbie “Dreamhouse” in Berlin and realized that young girls are still crazy about the plastic icon. Fortunately though, the critics also make sure their voice is heard.

Barbie’s pink mansion

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A sprawling complex in pink spread over 2500 square metres, the interactive Barbie dreamhouse experience in Berlin promises to make dreams come true for hundreds of girls who have grown up with Barbie.

Ash is looking to go on a nice date, meet the right girl, but nobody believes he is Indian!  Three Dates is a film about a man of Indian origin who lives in New York and has trouble making people around him believe that he is Indian. Why would they? He is not Mama’s boy, Tandoori chicken and spicy Indian food doesn’t go down very well with him and he is not into yoga. He rolls his eyes when his date mentions the aligning of chakras. He could pass for a Mexican or an Italian – anything but Indian. A light-hearted short film, Three Dates explores important questions about one’s identity.

“Well, I personally think there’s no new animal that’s suddenly emerged called ‘today’s woman’. Women have always been far more on top in any situation. We’ve always known how to deal better with things generally including emotions and people and countries.”

Womentalk blogger Debarati Mukherjee speaks to Milan Vohra, the first author in India to write for Mills and Boon, the publisher known for its series of novels on romance.

Dalar, Uttarakhand, 11.04.2013

I have pondered for quite some time if I should write this article at all. So much has been said about the safety of women in India following the events on 16 December 2012 in Delhi when six men gang-raped a young woman who later died from her horrendous injuries that I feel the term “gang-rape” is used with an awful ease these days. Having spent the past 100 days mostly on my own in India, in places big and small, crowded and deserted, in people’s homes and hotels, on streets, trains and buses, I feel a need to express my view to other female solo travellers who might be concerned about whether India is a safe place to go.

Delwar Hossain Sayedi was sighted on the moon. People came out in groups to experience this wonder. When I heard this, I felt sad. A deep grief, anger and inability to do anything about it gripped me. Seriously, do people really believe that a human can be sighted on the moon? After this the Jamaat i Islam vandalized minority houses and temples with the help of some people who would do anything for Islam. These are uneducated and politically unaware people who do not know the true essence of Islam or any religion for that matter.

Monika Schröder was born in Germany. She worked as an elementary school teacher and librarian for International Schools in Oman, Egypt, Chile and India. She lived  in India for eight years and then moved to South Carolina, where she is now living with her husband. Later, Monika started to write and became an author for children`s books. Three books by her have been published so far. Women Talk blogger Meike Pohl had the chance to talk to her about her second book “Saraswati’s Way,” the story of a 12-year-old Indian boy who has to fight for better education.

Womentalk blogger Roma Rajpal visited Cyprus some days ago. Luckily she was back in Bonn before the cash vending machines in Nikosia stopped dispensing money. Back home, she tells us her first impressions of the country.

Abandoned Projects

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I was astounded by the poverty of the region. The drive from the airport to the hotel was definitely not scenic. All one saw was abandoned projects, buildings that lay bare in different stages of construction. My guide later told me that it was because a lot of companies who had initially invested were now backing out.