A fiery row has erupted on GB News after toy company Mattel was accused of bowing to "left-wing identity politics" by creating an autistic Barbie.
The creation of the "virtue-signalling" doll was said to have gone "too far" with its latest addition to its array of more inclusive toys.
Sporting pink headphones and a fidget spinner, the £13.99 Barbie was designed by people with autism in a bid to make youngsters feel more included.
Commentator Paula London wondered whether the move was "a little bit too far", adding: "I worry it's left-wing identity politics.
"Years ago, Barbie was made to let women know they weren't just going to be housewives. They could be an astronaut, they could be a politician.
"And I love that. But they're going a bit too far now. They're really going too far."
Ms London said, given she has ADHD, she has "quite a lot of skin in this game" and argued Mattel is generalising neurodiverse traits far too much.
The new doll includes unique features, such as eyes gazing slightly off-centre to indicate a discomfort towards direct eye contact.
The pair disagreed on whether the autistic Barbie was offensive or not
|GB NEWS
Additionally, the noise-cancelling headphones are a way to suppress sensory overload by eliminating background noise and the fidget spinner can enhance focus and minimise stress.
The commentator said: "I find it rather almost offensive that the autistic Barbie has eyes that don't look directly in front.
"She also has an iPad for communication, has noise-cancelling headphones, and up to a million people have autism in this country.
"Some people don't realise that it's very common. Some people that have autism do have to have, you know, ear-cancelling earphones, but not everyone.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The first of its kind, the neurodiverse doll is complete with headphones and a fidget spinner
|MATTEL
"So I think they're generalising too much and it's a little offensive."
But Lisa McKenzie believed that it was simply about showing that girls with autism are part of society.
The activist and author said: "This is something that Barbie that Mattel has done for many, many years. The first astronaut Barbie was 1985. We've got wheelchair user Barbie, we've got mermaid Barbie.
"There are so many different Barbies. And I think with this again, there's another story to this. This Barbie has been made with a charity.
"So it's about offering little girls a different type of Barbie, but it's also about showing that girls with autism are also part of society and it's part of a charity's move.
"I don't think we should be too down on it."
She continued: "I wouldn't say it's offensive, but what I would say is that Mattel, and Barbie has got lots of history in this. It's on all sorts of ranges. It's done ranges of sort of brave women. It's just another Barbie that's representing something else.
"I remember this was sort of there was a bit of a moral panic about Barbie when she was in a wheelchair."
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