The App Store has removed an app that featured plastic surgery in a single, following strong reactions from a Twitter campaign.
The game, released last week and rated for children 9 and up, guides players through graphic steps to perform liposuction on an "unfortunate girl" and transform her into "slim and beautiful.".
The steps include injecting anesthetic, making incisions with a scalpel, and sucking out the fat with a pump. This process is then repeated multiple times on Barbies in different "problem areas.".
The game's description on the App Store was also controversial: "This unfortunate girl has a lot of extra weight and dieting can't help her. In our clinic, she can undergo a surgical procedure called liposuction, which will make her slim and beautiful. They will need to make small cuts in the problem areas and remove the excess fat. Will you take care of it, doctor?"
The app sparked outrage across the internet, but the Everyday Sexism Project, a Twitter campaign, led iTunes to remove the app. In multiple tweets, which were quickly retweeted and shared hundreds of times, the group asked iTunes to “reconsider making this ‘game’” available to players ages 9+. The app was removed a few hours later.
The Everyday Sexism group also requested the removal of a similar plastic surgery app from a different developer on Google Play. That app was also removed.
The creator of the app "Plastic Surgery & Plastic Doctor & Plastic Hospital Office for Barbie Version" is identified only as "corina Rodriquez" and has multiple apps on the App store, many of which have similar surgery issues. This app does not appear to be affiliated with Mattel.
