“During my interview with Greta Gerwig, the writer-director of this film, she told me that Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, has a significant role in the drama and is an accessory in Barbie’s dream life. This movie heavily leans into a feminine aesthetic and is both funny and intriguing, with the core of the story focusing on the relationship between daughters and mothers. However, Ken is more than just a marketing joke. He has been a long-standing accessory in Barbie’s life, and Margot Robbie’s portrayal of the titular character emphasizes his importance.”
Learn More: Our Featured Article on Barbie.
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The A-plot of Barbie’s girl-power mantra is often compelling, overshadowing the somewhat dated B-plot. It’s a moment when many young men find misguided solace in the patriarchy, but perhaps we shouldn’t forget that the forgettable male doll transforms into a joke about masculinity. Gerwig’s Women Little and Bird Lady have a mind behind them that we shouldn’t have expected less from.
“Kendom” decides to establish his own kingdom, bringing Barbieland back to support it, and discovers the patriarchy. Everything goes well until Ken enters the real world, where men run things, and he leaves Barbieland. Outside of Barbieland, he doesn’t have a real purpose, home, or job. He sees Liu, played by Simu, as a rival, especially when she talks to the other Kens. He seethes with jealousy at the small rejections Barbie faces at the start of the film.
In the realm of Barbieland, the young males reclaim the Barbie dolls, giving the other male dolls named Ken a chance to engage in war games. However, Ken easily gets distracted and loses interest when he sees the House Casa Dojo Mojo, where Barbie is redecorating and riding horses. He is more interested in donning fur coats inspired by Sylvester Stallone than engaging in feminism, which he discovers when he encounters a fashion doll. After this encounter, Ken cares more about the various manifestations of the patriarchy in terms of fashion, showcasing his cleverness in screenwriting.
The commentary offers a perspective on how men ought to reassess their control and dependence on women, but it is not just a normal script flip on female-centric films. Love Pray Eat Blonde, Legally (etc.) Explores a woman’s journey of discovering that she doesn’t need a man to find her inner power. In the finale, the movie takes a serious turn as Barbie makes it clear that she is not romantically interested in Ken and urges him to have a serious conversation about their relationship.
Learn More: How Greta Gerwig Acquired Barbie–From the Attire to the Dream Residence–Just Perfect.
A tale that will strike a chord with males
During interviews for this magazine, David Heyman, the producer, suggested that men of all ages would find resonance with Ken’s journey in the film. He says, “I think there’s a lot of men and boys who will find a lot to relate to in trying to find their place in the world, despite the misguided notion that Ryan and generosity are extraordinary and touch light with all it’s done.” People really care for Ken, even when he’s misguided. The impact of Ryan’s generosity in the film is undeniable and affecting.
Gosling does indeed have a knack for playing cunning characters, and it would be ridiculous if Ken were perceived as a threat. Ken is not an incel, which is a term used by certain men to describe themselves when they feel rejected and resentful towards women. “Involuntary celibate” is a short term for this. In the past, men longed for the days when women didn’t work and men controlled women’s bodies, believing that having a wife or sexual partner guaranteed them all the power. These men spend a lot of time on internet forums bashing feminists, expressing their frustration and rejection. These misogynistic online groups are a breeding ground for toxic language, which has unfortunately spilled over into real-world violence.
“That’s why Ken’s occupation is, quite illogically, their own residences. (Perhaps they reside on the shoreline and the Kens don’t appear to possess whereas the Barbies reside in the extravagant houses, every evening is a ladies’ night,” informs him Barbie to stay over because Ken may possibly desire more of Barbie’s attention: He is unaware. However, the implication is certainly that he charmingly responds that they would do so. He innocently inquires about what she is gazing at him with a vacant expression. When he attempts to bid Barbie goodnight with a kiss, what gender he is. Even when it comes to understanding the intimate areas, um, he lacks knowledge. Ken is considerably more mild-mannered than that.”
Learn More: We’re Overlooking the Actual Cause Barbie Might Rule the Box Office.
When Ken enters the real world, people suddenly start asking for his help or advice while treating him with a certain level of respect, calling him “sir” on Venice Beach. Ken is enthralled by this newfound power.
When Ken falls under the sway of patriarchy, he returns to Barbieland to recruit certain male activists who think that they can’t help but preach its gospel to impressionable young followers.
Male vulnerability portrayed onscreen, extending beyond traditional norms
Gerwig is not the first director to wrestle with this problem in recent years. But don’t worry, Darling, I couldn’t help but think of Olivia Wilde’s movie from last year, Barbie, while watching. These films seem to have nothing to do with one another. One is a psychodrama inspired by sci-fi, while the other is a musical romp.
In a throwback fantasy, Pugh and Styles play women and men, respectively, living in an era where confrontation and violence eventually come to captivate them. Pugh’s character, inspired by Jordan Peterson and described as a “hero” by the incel community, is hypnotically convinced to be a housewife while Pine’s character, influenced by his podcast, falls under the spell of his charismatic host. Styles’ character, feeling emasculated by his taxing job as a doctor and his partner’s unemployment, listens to a men’s rights podcast. However, the twist in the third act reveals that Pugh’s character, Darling Worry Don’t, is not actually trapped in a suburban utopia of the 1950s, but rather in a simulation created by her wife.
Learn More: Analyzing the Conclusion of Don’t Worry Darling.
The episode “USS Callister” from the excellent 2017 series Black Mirror reveals a talented but often mocked coder who has stolen the DNA of people in his life, forcing them into a simulation where he plays the captain of a Star Trek-like ship. The episode explores territory similar to other films and shows.
In the thriller film “Promising Young Woman” directed by Emerald Fennell, Max Greenfield and Adam Brody play characters who have cultivated reputations as “nice guys” but hide simmering violence beneath the surface. Even the casting of actors like Greenfield and Brody, who have established themselves as promising and talented, adds to the exploration of the hidden violence lurking beneath the surface of Barbie’s character.
All of these films draw inspiration, at least in part, from the original book Wives Stepford, which chronicles a satirical horror story that portrays a feminist conspiracy by husbands to subjugate their wives after they move to a strangely robotic-filled community where women serve to live.
Learn More: Promising Young Woman, I May Destroy You, and Normal People Grapple With #MeToo in Revolutionary New Approaches.
The dream of discovering balance
It is correct for Heyman to empathize with Ken when he ignores the meaning of his find for root and Barbie. Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of Ken in Barbie is funnier and lighter, taking these more seriously than the resentful man who works to repress women around him.
Both movies are deeply interested in the idea that modern men feel uncomfortable ceding power to women and what it means for their identities. Darling, don’t worry, it seems that he is not just resentful but also interested in pursuing his passions in a world where women have a purpose. However, in Styles Like ones satirical albeit behavior aggressive of shows, his feelings of emasculation manifest. But “kenergy” – or his root energy – is not dissimilar from other men in these stories.
Learn More: Every Individual Collaboration with Barbie That We Could Discover.
The position of president, excluding cabinet roles. A significant portion of them, not just a handful of judicial positions. In Barbieland, the male counterparts will grant the male counterparts an equal amount of authority as women possess in reality. The male-dominated society is ultimately toppled by the Barbies, and they establish a peaceful agreement with the male counterparts. Barbie provides a complex and somewhat unsatisfactory response concerning this vulnerability in males. Ultimately, what options do women have to address this matter?
It is not exactly equality, but rather a compromise. The resolution to play with Barbie without “Kenough” is a better choice for the modern man, as he learns specifically from Ken’s end in order to have fun with a romp musical. It is not necessarily a responsibility, but it should be reached in the real world, whether such equilibrium can be achieved or not.