Gay ken barbie movie

At least, not for Barbie. The implication is clear: Come for Barbie, and stay for Barbie… but Ken happens to be there too. Since then, like Barbie, Ken has undergone countless transformations and fashions.

They are doctors, lawyers, presidents, and Supreme Court justices; they win Nobel Prizes in science and literature all while standing tall on their perfectly arched feet. Ken only has a great day when Barbie looks at him. Yes, there is also Midge, a pregnant woman. As played by Michael Cera, Allan, too, is a man. And yet, his manhood does not seem to mirror that of the Kens.

Gay ken barbie movie

Already, the image has inspired scores of memes based on the simple premise that Ken looks, well, kind of gay. This is nothing new. The doll has a long history as a gay symbol, which stands to reason: minus a handle-bar moustache, he embodies the kind of beauty ideals that in the 70s and 80s would find you atop the sexual hierarchy of Fire Island. He is also, of course, extremely kitsch — a vibe which has always been popular among gay men. Mattel had been manufacturing Barbie since , and while she had always sold well, Ken — introduced a little while later — was something of a flop. In an effort to boost sales in the early 90s, Mattel ran a focus group with a bunch of five-year-old girls to figure out how they could make the doll more appealing. The resulting product, Earring Magic Ken, went down in history as one of the most disastrous marketing decisions of all time. Instead, Mattel hastily discontinued and recalled the product — despite the fact that, commercially speaking, it was a roaring success. Hoards of gay men rushed out to buy it ironically, making it to this day the best-selling Ken doll of all time. Around the same time, Ken was re-imagined as an altogether different sort of gay icon in Diseased Pariah News , a satirical zine created by people living with AIDS which launched in — years before the introduction of effective treatment, this was a time when contracting HIV was still a more-or-less gauranteed death sentence. Defiantly cynical and pessimistic, it dealt in the kind of humor that makes you feel a little bit guilty for laughing at. This joke contrasted the anodyne, aspirational beauty ideals which Ken represented with the physical ravages of illness and death. Today, Magic Earring Ken lives on as a meme, while more recent interpretations of the character have had a distinctly gay flavour: take Toy Story 3 , where a prissy, preening Ken boasts about his fabulous walk-in closet and treats Barbie to a catwalk performance set to a song by Chic. Because Ken is so bland and so kitsch, he provides rich fodder for various forms of satirical reinterpretation and, for gay men, a way of mocking our own aesthetic ideals. When Barbie is released next summer, we are sure to see the continuation of this rich tradition.

Why are there no openly gay players in elite men's tennis? None of these characters were the same—some were catty, others sweet.

Actor Ryan Gosling poses for pictures during a photocall for the upcoming Warner Bros. Jess Sims is a freelance health, culture and fashion journalist based in New York whose work has appeared in InStyle and Harper's Bazaar, among others. But what about Ken? This perhaps made him unrealistic, but not necessarily gay. And then Mattel created Allan.

By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use. The kind of buddy you share all your clothes with. And he can never, ever be replaced! Allan will always have a special place in Barbie fans' — and Ken's — hearts. Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device! Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. Email Newsletter Subscribe Subscriber Services. All Rights reserved.

Gay ken barbie movie

This story contains spoilers for Barbie. The Barbie movie centers, of course, on its titular character played by Margot Robbie. Gerwig transforms a joke about the forgettable male doll into a meditation on the state of masculinity at a moment when so many young men, feeling disempowered, have found misguided solace in the patriarchy. He seethes when she talks to other Kens, particularly the one played by Simu Liu, whom he sees as a rival. Then Ken leaves Barbieland, a feminist utopia, and enters the real world, where men run, well, everything.

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Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Since then, like Barbie, Ken has undergone countless transformations and fashions. Meet the climate grannies. Account Profile. A gender-bending Civil War soldier's tale comes to the musical stage. Greta Gerwig turns a brand-driven film into a clever spin on gender roles. It was the year , and this new Ken tried to make things feel modern. Because for many of us, he truly is. But each of the gay best friends was intrinsically defined by their relationships with their straight friends. Most Viewed Stories. Film Movies Entertainment. Around the same time, Ken was re-imagined as an altogether different sort of gay icon in Diseased Pariah News , a satirical zine created by people living with AIDS which launched in — years before the introduction of effective treatment, this was a time when contracting HIV was still a more-or-less gauranteed death sentence. Because Ken is so bland and so kitsch, he provides rich fodder for various forms of satirical reinterpretation and, for gay men, a way of mocking our own aesthetic ideals. But whether or not Barbie and Ken worked it out, Mattel had already inadvertently opened the glass closet back in with the creation of Earring Magic Ken. Tags Barbie movies.

By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.

Samantha Riedel. Allison Russell speaks out after Tennessee Republicans' snub: 'Pretty blatant'. Brigid The Migrants in Line at St. The resulting product, Earring Magic Ken, went down in history as one of the most disastrous marketing decisions of all time. Actor Ryan Gosling poses for pictures during a photocall for the upcoming Warner Bros. Home News Videos Opinion About us. Sign Out. Watch alarming video of Nex Benedict explaining to police that they were bullied. Recent rains provide rare chance to kayak in Death Valley. Vulture reached out to Barbie costumer designer Jacqueline Durran and to Mattel to shed light on the change but did not receive a response. Defiantly cynical and pessimistic, it dealt in the kind of humor that makes you feel a little bit guilty for laughing at.