'Error of judgment' - FA deletes strange Barbie tweet about Women's Super League players

22:32 05/04/2023

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The FA has apologised for a now-deleted tweet comparing Women's Super League stars to Barbie dolls on Wednesday.

FA tries too join in on trending meme
Makes Barbie-themed WSL player graphics
Tweet taken down after backlash

WHAT HAPPENED? The tweet included graphics featuring several WSL stars, including Chelsea's Sam Kerr and Manchester City's Bunny Shaw. It was captioned "these Barbies are #BarclaysWSL icons” and was based off a trending meme format tied to a new Barbie movie coming out over the summer.

On each individual picture, there was a text overlay comparing the players to Barbie dolls. For example, the one for Bunny Shaw read "this Barbie is a Bunny".

Don’t want to wade too deep into the WSLxBarbie discourse but it’s quite clear what the issue with the images is here pic.twitter.com/OGGS6wbKfG
— Sophie Lawson (@lawson_sv) April 5, 2023

WHAT THEY SAID: “It was an error of judgment and it has been deleted," wrote the FA in a statement to The Times.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Considering the thrilling on-field action in women's football of late - including a breathtaking Champions League clash between Chelsea and Lyon - the FA may consider focusing more on the run-in of the 2022-23 season.

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