I’m a woman and my Ken doll was amongst the fondest toys of my childhood. I played with him so much his head popped off. We couldn’t get it back on but I continued playing with him and just made him the villain of every story from that point on. I called him Headless Ken and my parents and I still reference the absurdity of it from time to time. I loved that doll so much, he’s probably in my parents garage somewhere.
I swear they made the Kens way more fragile because I had at least 4 or 5 Kens and they ALL suffered a similar fate. Not at all intentionally, I loved my Kens, I always wanted more, but there wasn't many options back then. It broke my heart when their heads popped off and I would have to throw them out, just as much as when it happened to my Barbies.
My take on Ken has always been he was Barbie’s perfect boyfriend, not a perfect boyfriend but Barbies’s specifically. Like in the 2010s one of biggest pop culture jokes was how co-dependent their relationship was. Even the brand acknowledged this in the wed series Life in The Dream house, where Ken got a whole episode about how he’s literally just as capable as Barbie but will drop everything when she needs him. He was the definition of a ride or die in every way and owned that but suddenly people act like he isn’t her favorite person! He was her rock and given how the real world treats Barbie I get why! If anyone needs a strong but gentle, caring, handy, friendly, mental and emotional intelligent jack of all trades boyfriend it’s Barbara Millicent Roberts!
I hate when people see male figures for children and see they are not anatomy correct and say oh he’s trans and attack you for not agreeing and if a man doesn’t have a jock muscles appearance and people say he was made for gay people why do we need to Sexualize every male figure for kids some for women why are we sexualizing fictional characters for children
'Cuz the people who say such things are obviously deranged, probably sexually-frustrated themselves and feel compelled to project their own personal sexual hangups, insecurities & inadequacies onto every innocuous thing they see around them. Most normal, healthy, adjusted individuals are able to keep sex in its proper place, but for these people with stunted emotional development, that's unfortunately not possible.
Car keys?! A baseball bat?! Those are just normal, everyday items to me. I think those writers have some serious problems of their own if they see everything that way.😅
Yeah I have to serious question, if these writers know the difference between reality and fantasy. That or if they hang out on adult sites a bit to much for their own good.
It's almost always women who have these strange obsessions with gender and masculinity. It's almost as if they really do have penis envy. In comparison, men are pretty sane. You don't see men talking about the sexuality of their favorite toys, or trying to make their toy action figures be representative of an ideological movement. Boys and men just see toys as toys. Women are just messed up in the head.
Seriously, with how much the adults in this story seemed to be obsessed and invested with a male doll’s genatalia. I don’t think it’s the kids that needed to be worried about this.
Some people are just simple minded. Just like there are people who think that you are either a feminist or a sexist. Or either a black ally or a racist.
I hate that everything has be seen to have this sexual element hidden in the subtext nowadays. Nothing that's innocent at face value can just be left that way... Frankly, it's disgusting.
When you lost your mind at the Jezebel article about the Ken accessories, I felt that. I think it’s okay to get a little heated, especially when it comes to topics that are close to you. You weren’t being malicious in your anger, but a very well justified “What the hell are you talking about?!” tone. #JusticeForKen Also, that little “I hate Blaine” made me laugh.
The hate that the Barbie franchise gets as a whole, really annoys me. In a world where Bratz and LOLs exist, Barbie is somehow the oversexualized doll that is a terrible role model for children. Absolute clown world.
My mother straight-up hated Bratz and made me get rid of one I got as a gift since she deemed it inappropriate (tbh, it kind of was, imo). I didn't like them either, always thought they were ugly. MyScene and regular Barbies were my thing.
@@AnimaVox_ There is also these newish dolls that look like babies. They seriously look like they have babies dressed up like hookers. I think they're called LOL baby dolls.
It astounds me that Barbie got so much hatred while the much more shallow (and IMO ugly) Bratz dolls were pretty much left alone. Then again, those people were probably just hating on Barbie because she was the more mainstream or at least the "Face" of the fashion doll industry and didn't bother to dig much deeper.
It's actually sad to think that way back when little girls wanted Barbie to have a boyfriend, because, well news flash, lots of women even today actually want relationships with men. Unfortunately, the very sort of people who talk about Ken's phallic symbols and Barbie being a "strong independent woman" are the very same people who are trying to convince all little girls that all men are evil toxic abusers and women are better off without them, which was pretty much the entire point of the Barbie movie, and that is obviously a much better message to teach children, than working together and forming healthy relationships! God I hate living here!
Omg Princess and the Pauper, 12 dancing princesses, the magic of pegasus, the fairytopia movies!!! 🤩 Those movies were my childhood, I could never find DVDs of most of them, I had to watch them whenever they appeared on TV.
Regardless of what Ryan said, people just don’t appreciate Barbie or the doll industry enough. Although it has become a very capitalist environment, lowering the quality of some dolls, doll making is still an artistry. There is so much love and dedication that goes into these dolls, only for them to be bombarded with horrible comments about the dolls being “shallow, inappropriate, etc.” People are literally so ignorant towards this type of art, it’s disgusting.
Don’t worry, I didn’t like it either. I wish they’d picked a younger actor to play the role. But if you say that, people will accuse you of age shaming. Oh, excuse me if I don’t think it’s appropriate to have an actor who looks old enough to be Barbie’s father play a character who was originally created to be her boyfriend!
There are discussions about Ken that can be had. I'd understand talks about classism, gender, and race in the Barbie and Ken world. But just claiming everything Ken owns equals penis envy is quite empty and ridiculous.
Ken was played up as the villain, but...look at what he was up against: An matriarchal society where Kens had no real representation, where not really allowed to have a sense of self-worth, and where any change a Ken made could be easily undone through a simple majority (albeit manipulated) vote along gender lines. Even after the Kens took over, the Barbieland society never crumbled, and many of the Barbies actually appreciated the change. It wasn't until the main Barbie came back to re-enforce the previous matriarchal mindset that the other Barbies suddenly changed their opinions on a Ken-run society. That's what people were noticing with this film.
Someone on Tumblr claimed that the movie demonstrates the problems of both the patriarchy and the matriarchy. Problem: The movie doesn’t acknowledge that Barbie is in the wrong until the very end of the movie. It’s the kind of plot where the main conflict could’ve been resolved or even prevented if the main character actually listed to the antagonist and didn’t treat him like s***! This trend is becoming frustratingly common in modern movies…
@@avalasialove That's true, but why are you listening to random people on Tumblr, and why did it take a random person on Tumblr for you to realize this about the film and the current movie industry?
@@L337M4573RK That was before I saw the movie. I wasn’t intentionally seeking it out, it just appeared in my home feed. As you know, it was practically inescapable. The things is, I actually wanted to like the movie. I liked the aesthetics and I’ve enjoyed some of Greta Gerwig’s other movies. Unfortunately, I ended up with a lecture about how hard it is to be a woman from the face of a multibillion dollar brand.
Thank you for this. I knew I appreciated Ken is back in the 2000s all the old Barbie movies. I really saw him as noble, chivalrous, and full of love for the one he loves. How any Barbie disrespects his heart is just wrong.
Ken has always been there with Barbie. Heck he's had many appearances in movies and shows with Barbie featured. All the early 00's had Ken in a sort of way. All had personalities and charm which makes him the perfect complement for Barbie. I don't like his slander. I love Ken in the barbie movies and I like Ryan as Ken... But he's NOT in the group with others like... Idk... Derek or Julian or heck even Ken (Barbie fashion fairytale)
If they do a Barbie sequel which they most likely will, Lily should be the “villain” who isn’t a villain. Her identity was stolen and reputation was ruined all to make Barbie’s life better. Barbie feels terrible and tries to make it right. Just kidding! That would paint Mattel in a bad light they can’t laugh their way out of. Still a gorgeous German non villain would be epic.
Just what I was thinking! Ruth Handler could be the twist villain. Then maybe Barbie has to come to terms with the fact that everything she thought she knew about Ruth was a lie and by extension she starts to think that her entire existence is a lie. Eventually, she realizes that being created by a bad person doesn’t make her bad by extension.
I just wanna know, did the book author mentioned how many phallic objects Barbie came with (I didn't mean it to sound sus, but I'll leave it as is)? Like all the times she was a pop star and had microphone, guitars or drumsticks? Or the times she had stethoscope or syringe as a doctor or nurse? Or the various bottles, fruits and stuff she came with? Was that also a subliminal messege or was she just projecting her own insecurities? Just asking.
asking people of today to have memory, search history and be reasonnable ? Impossible ! On another note : Barbie had friends and family ?! Not just clones ? Damn....
I don’t think her parents were introduced until much later. But like the video said, her first friend was Midge who was introduced in 1963. Then came Teresa in 1988 followed by Nikki in 1996. Not only were they among Barbie’s first friends, they were among the first dolls of color. As for her sisters, Skipper was first introduced in 1964 followed by Tutti and Todd in 1965. Unfortunately, Tutti and Todd only lasted until 1971. Years later, in 1992, Stacie was released. Three years later came the release of Kelly whom most know as Chelsea today.
@@avalasialove That's instructive. I was sure Barbie only had one-off adventure, occasionnal firends and family in and out of canon. At the same time, I'm not the target demographic.
With all this Barbie hype in the media, sometimes I feel like I’m the only girl who didn’t like the Barbie movie. I wish I could tell my sister about all the qualms I have with the movie and the issues surrounding the brand. But she loved the movie and she’d get pretty defensive if I repeated any of the information I learned. Honestly, hearing about Ruth Handler and how she treated other people has soured my feelings on the Barbie brand.
Not a big surprise a lot of the people that hate Ken are just closeted perverts. Imagine men writing about Barbie with a baseball outfit calling the glove the "Vagina she clearly lacked" _That wouldn't be weird at all, said with sarcasm._ Everyone associated with this franchise seems to become an egomaniac, the only ones that didn't were the namesakes for the characters and they ended up Miserable.
Even though I have no personal intrest in the franchise and hobby you exsplaining its history and challenging what some of these weirdos are saying is intresting. Keep up the great work
Kennough is Kennough! ...I always thought that Ken was as much part of Barbie as Barbie was to Ken. He was also the doll my cousins use to give me when I was forced to play house when we were like 10.
THANK YOU! This is what I’ve been saying for a long time, and while I enjoy Ryan’s portrayal of Ken good god it was cringy to see what he and some of the crew were saying because it just shows that they didn’t do their deep research. I just want all this to go away tbh, as someone who’s been a Barbie fan for 20 years all this fake stuff being popular to talk about is irritating to see.
Social media didn't ruin celebrities. It just ruined the way we see celebrities. Social media helped show the true colors of celebrities. They've always been awful people. But they can't exactly hide it on social media.
I never understood why so many people are obsessed with a children toy even has a kid i heard the argument that barbie is bad for girls I wonder why do they care its a doll just let me play with my toys
Being heated is fine and being angry and talking about things is an entire genre of reviewing things, if anything you should get more angry. On to the topic of the video, it just seems like people are attacking things because they are popular, like if they have to get people to focus on what they want to say and so make the harshest statement they can to do so.
Anatomically correct dolls, with genitalia and nipples, are fine if you're catering to adults, but not to kids, especially ones not old enough to understand sexuality. And it honestly wouldn't surprise me one bit if the people commenting on Ken's willy(or lack thereof) are also the type that want to put porn in elementary school libraries.
I think it's weird that they think a doll having breasts is ok. But not a doll with a penis. Both are kind of creepy if you ask me. And yes, as a boy, when I saw a naked barbie doll, I found it kind of sexual.
I think there's a difference between genitalia and like, vague shapes. If Barbie has vague breasts (which, some dolls have just one slope instead of two separate mounds and I think it's probably better). I think it's ok for Ken to have a vague bulge. But he doesn't really need it, because breasts are impossible to miss in a woman's silhouette while trousers simply don't show much anatomical detail, so in the context of playing dress up with dolls it's absolutely fine and issue-free (you'd have thought???).
@@Cationna I don't know. I have a couple of nieces. One is 4 and the other is 2. They like to play with Barbies. And often they like to undress them. I just wonder if, when they see breasts, if it will cause them to question things, or ask uncomfortable questions about breasts. Or maybe they think all breasts should look the same
@@nerychristian I see where you're coming from, but from a girl's point of view, breasts are for feeding babies. Even if you don't have younger siblings or cousins girls above the age of like. 5 probably know about it and it's a normal part of their world. So there isn't really much shock value or problem with questioning the existence of this part of female anatomy. Which, I suppose there's no real problem for kids to know about pregnancy in an age-appropriate way, about the baby first growing in mother's tummy (and if they ask how it gets there, which, they don't necessary, there are correct ways of addressing that too) and later being fed with her milk. I don't think it's necessarily problematic or sexualising to acknowledge what kids see anyway from outside, that women have those on them. It might or might not lead to "questioning", but there are answers to these questions. That's why I've found your perspective as a boy very interesting and thought-provoking. I would suggest it might be saying more about adults around you that you connected breasts with sex and it was an issue. Idk, I'm not sure, I can't put myself fully into the position of a boy. It's definitely very important to talk about since boys might play with Barbies too and they shouldn't be harmed. But I do feel there is and should be a substantial difference between how we talk to children about the details of downstairs anatomical differences and how we acknowledge obvious things like men have facial hair, women have breasts (again, they barely need addressing really, it's just there). My conclusion is, we should be having more children, if you have younger siblings you learn about stuff in an organic, healthy, and neutral way 😂
3:04 I think Johnson just wanted an adult doll for her to look at, but was too embarrassed to admit it. I mean why else would she think that young girls would scratch the paint off to see the crotch
I never had a legitimate Ken doll. I only had two. Allan (Midge’s husband) and Prince Stefan from the Barbie Rapunzel movie. Barbie’s boyfriend a majority of the time for me was Max Steel. My brother’s “action figure” that I would steal and was the James bond of the Mattel world. I had the options to play either, “house” with house husband Allan, “fairy tail fantasy” with Prince Stefan, or “choose your own adventure” with Max Steel. I was a little jealous of Max Steel cause he was just more manly and cooler than all the other men dolls targeted towards girls. There was even a secret agent Barbie video game I used to have that would match perfectly with Max Steel. Ken honestly sounded more manly back in the day with his rifle/hunter gear. He would’ve gotten a lot more popularity if they had teamed him up with or taken inspiration from characters like Max Steel.
Honestly, the fact that this is you getting heated says a lot about your character, because you still came across very put together! Shows you are a very chill person I think
This really intrigues me. And this is coming from a guy who isn’t all into ken despite collecting Barbie. I’m more of a Gi Joe kind of guy, but you brought up some interesting points that make me feel somewhat sympathetic towards Kenny boy. Love this.
The idea that someone can be that concerned with the politics of something rather than the thing itself and why it's enjoyed is truly sad and pathetic to me.
That's a shame about poor Ken, but sadly not that surprising. Not counting gender politics and weird obsessions with kids toys, but a lot of franchises aimed at young audiences tend to get easily dismissed by outsiders til something "cool" with them comes around i.e. oh Lord, the superhero genre with all the misconceptions people still perpetuate and certain characters being disrespected all the time due to corny portayals like Aquaman or the Robins in general. What's funny is you're right that if Ken wasn't a safe, non-violent male toy figure for little girls to play with and instead more like a G.I. Joe he would be "toxic" instead of "wimpy" which is BS. Lots of men are put under pressure to be "manly" in real life otherwise they're insulted but will be no matter what it seems. Also love how these type of people will complain about boy franchises only having a "token girl" character but don't seem to realize girl franchises will have their "token boy" too.
"it's weird that they named Barbie and Ken after a brother and sister" Well don't forget that Harry Potter named his daughter and son: Lily and James, after his parents...
You are right, and since Barbie doesn't have an oficial lore popular media, a lot of the other characters got sideline pretty hard. I can recognize some of the characters of the first cgi movies, but none before that
I think you kept a level head, and when you were angry, you had valid reasons for it. From the videos I've seen you talking about Disney, Marvel, Barbie, and so on, it's very refreshing that you're not screaming expletives at the camera like a lot of the other TH-camrs I watch. I'm not even really into Barbie, I just wanted to hear your takes, you have a lot of very good, well articulated points in your videos, often pointing out flaws in what is commonly perceived or heard. My take on the subject is that people nitpick and tear apart whatever has a big enough name to grab attention. So if people talking smack about Barbie gets them attention, they'll do it over talking smack about something less popular, like the Bratz dolls, which aren't as universally renowned by comparison. Popularity's a double edged sword like that. I remember Pokemon got attacked by basically everything at one point back when it was at its peak. People find reasons to cause a fuss, but these are the vocal minority. They're not the majority of people's opinions, they're just the loudest. But the loudest can change the opinions of others still through sheer volume and repetition, so best we fight against it, I feel.
I get the strong impression that M G Lord(sp?) was really hard up and projecting her thirst onto a plastic toy. When I read 'weird and creepy attacks' I thought Mary Sue readers were taking scissors to Ken dolls in an EVS way. This is somehow worse.
Really love your work. I know Stacie! (or was it Stacy?) I've gotten a lot of insight into Barbie because of you. I know I had at least one Midge doll and a couple other side characters (though I've forgotten their names) and I had a couple of Ken Dolls. I had quite a few Barbies growing up, but it didn't feel right not having a Ken to go with them. It was nice for those fake dates, as much as it was fun learning to braid hair on a Barbie doll.
"Barbie's too sexy!" "WHY DOESN'T KEN HAVE A PENIS!?" Bonus: I actually have a funny story about Barbie. My sister had a bunch of Barbie and Ken (some of them might have just been other characters) dolls growing up, and apparently when she was really little she would strip them all naked, our mom asked her why she did that, and my sister apparently said: "because babies are born naked"
I'm happy I'm subscribed to your channel. Simply for the fact is the little documentaries you do are like a extra cake you get after a great meal and they say it's for free.
I will stick to….. Sweet Valley High(90s sitcom) Clueless Jawbreaker Legally Blonde Mean Girls Easy A Barbie Life in The Dream House As my “Barbie content” Never knew what people saw in this flick….
So Ken is a “wimp” just because he is not a soldier or a wrestler… 🙄 it’s not like G.I Joe or He-Man were anatomically correct… it boils down to Ken not being in control of Barbie or being the central character, and of course thats coding for “wimp”.
Did you know there are women who’re actually breaking up with their boyfriends after seeing this movie? They’re acting as though this movie has some profound wisdom about who and what a boyfriend should be. Thus, if he didn’t like the movie it must mean that he’s a toxic misogynist who should be kicked to the curb. I mean, whatever happened to just talking things out like healthy couples? Or even respecting each-other’s differences? I don’t want to be one of those annoying people who blame fiction for society’s issues, but it’s not easy.
I would bet that Ryan Gosling's tweet was just sarcastic boastfulness, like how a heel pro wrestler will claim to be the greatest champion of all time, despite winning the title yesterday. 🏆😆 Gosling was just having fun with his character's surprise success.
It sounds like the movie could've been a lot more interesting if it didn't focus on all the shallow political stuff and instead focused on this deeper social stuff.
I have no interest in Barbie but it's so baffling to see how much hate this franchise for how big it is I don't even get why, they're DOLLS I'm glad I grew up with Sly Cooper
Please make a video about characters that deserved better just like Ken, who are treated like they nobodies when they are more than world think about whether it is female or male and Great video by the way.
Ahhh, M.G Lord is just an eccentric old biddy. She elated over ruining the Jem and the Holograms franchise as if she were franchise's villain in disguise. If that is not unhappy old prune, then look no further.
I think that some people just want something to complain about regarding Ken. They'll complain no matter what he is because they're a solution hunting a problem to push their ideas.
Its kind of sadly hilarious that even though Barbie is best known for arguments about whether or not she objectifies women, Ken is probably the best example of men being objectified ever and nobody even gives a shit.
I feel like everytime someone talks about the Barbie movie, I’m getting schizophrenia, “It’s empowering”, no, it’s a corporate products “Ken is a male rights figure now!”, no, it’s a corporate product “Barbie is a working woman!”, NO, it’s a CORPORATE PRODUCT “Barbie is a feminist icon”, NO ITS A CORPORATE PRODUCT
Funny….. been collecting Barbies for over 30 years…. Always liked Ken…. HATE THE MOVIE…. In recent years I have been collecting more “vintage” and current ken dolls way more than Barbie…. Movie had nothing to do with this ….
Children know dolls are make believe, much better than adults understand themselves.
Plus you know the children will eventually grow up, but some of these adult never will.
I’m a woman and my Ken doll was amongst the fondest toys of my childhood. I played with him so much his head popped off. We couldn’t get it back on but I continued playing with him and just made him the villain of every story from that point on. I called him Headless Ken and my parents and I still reference the absurdity of it from time to time. I loved that doll so much, he’s probably in my parents garage somewhere.
Same! At one point me and my sister had 5 different Ken dolls and decided to make them brothers lol XD We had so much fun playing with them.
My Ken doll literally snapped in half. lol
We had emergency “surgery” to try to fix him (aka lots of tape).
I swear they made the Kens way more fragile because I had at least 4 or 5 Kens and they ALL suffered a similar fate. Not at all intentionally, I loved my Kens, I always wanted more, but there wasn't many options back then. It broke my heart when their heads popped off and I would have to throw them out, just as much as when it happened to my Barbies.
My take on Ken has always been he was Barbie’s perfect boyfriend, not a perfect boyfriend but Barbies’s specifically. Like in the 2010s one of biggest pop culture jokes was how co-dependent their relationship was. Even the brand acknowledged this in the wed series Life in The Dream house, where Ken got a whole episode about how he’s literally just as capable as Barbie but will drop everything when she needs him. He was the definition of a ride or die in every way and owned that but suddenly people act like he isn’t her favorite person! He was her rock and given how the real world treats Barbie I get why! If anyone needs a strong but gentle, caring, handy, friendly, mental and emotional intelligent jack of all trades boyfriend it’s Barbara Millicent Roberts!
I hate when people see male figures for children and see they are not anatomy correct and say oh he’s trans and attack you for not agreeing and if a man doesn’t have a jock muscles appearance and people say he was made for gay people why do we need to
Sexualize every male figure for kids some for women why are we sexualizing fictional characters for children
'Cuz the people who say such things are obviously deranged, probably sexually-frustrated themselves and feel compelled to project their own personal sexual hangups, insecurities & inadequacies onto every innocuous thing they see around them. Most normal, healthy, adjusted individuals are able to keep sex in its proper place, but for these people with stunted emotional development, that's unfortunately not possible.
It really seems like M.G. Lord has never heard the saying, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar".
Car keys?! A baseball bat?! Those are just normal, everyday items to me.
I think those writers have some serious problems of their own if they see everything that way.😅
Lol Sigmund Freud would have a field day with this ms. Lord the author.
Yeah I have to serious question, if these writers know the difference between reality and fantasy. That or if they hang out on adult sites a bit to much for their own good.
really it's.ore of a reflection of the "geniuses" writing those articles
It's almost always women who have these strange obsessions with gender and masculinity. It's almost as if they really do have penis envy. In comparison, men are pretty sane. You don't see men talking about the sexuality of their favorite toys, or trying to make their toy action figures be representative of an ideological movement. Boys and men just see toys as toys. Women are just messed up in the head.
im pretty sure the writer for that jezebel article is staunch misandrist. almost everything about that article oozes hate.
And this is one example why they are shutting down.
@@Fabio-lq7wb as it should.
@@Fabio-lq7wb🎉🥳
@@Fabio-lq7wbgood
I still remember Michael Keaton as Ken from Toy Story 3. He was great and funny.
Yes he was :D
Seriously, with how much the adults in this story seemed to be obsessed and invested with a male doll’s genatalia.
I don’t think it’s the kids that needed to be worried about this.
Exactly it's so creepy.
You can either be a strong independent woman or in a relationship.
Normal people: Both, both is good.
Some people are just simple minded. Just like there are people who think that you are either a feminist or a sexist. Or either a black ally or a racist.
Something Disney doesn’t understand at all currently
I hate that everything has be seen to have this sexual element hidden in the subtext nowadays. Nothing that's innocent at face value can just be left that way...
Frankly, it's disgusting.
When you lost your mind at the Jezebel article about the Ken accessories, I felt that.
I think it’s okay to get a little heated, especially when it comes to topics that are close to you. You weren’t being malicious in your anger, but a very well justified “What the hell are you talking about?!” tone.
#JusticeForKen
Also, that little “I hate Blaine” made me laugh.
Jezebel cannot make like its biblical namesake soon enough.
Obsessing over the anatomy of a DOLL is wild. Do people really not have anything else going on in their lives to which THAT is what they focus on?
The hate that the Barbie franchise gets as a whole, really annoys me. In a world where Bratz and LOLs exist, Barbie is somehow the oversexualized doll that is a terrible role model for children. Absolute clown world.
Right? When in fact all the Bratz dolls commercials were really sexual.
@@RedRoseSeptember22wait…how?
My mother straight-up hated Bratz and made me get rid of one I got as a gift since she deemed it inappropriate (tbh, it kind of was, imo). I didn't like them either, always thought they were ugly. MyScene and regular Barbies were my thing.
@@AnimaVox_ There is also these newish dolls that look like babies. They seriously look like they have babies dressed up like hookers.
I think they're called LOL baby dolls.
It astounds me that Barbie got so much hatred while the much more shallow (and IMO ugly) Bratz dolls were pretty much left alone. Then again, those people were probably just hating on Barbie because she was the more mainstream or at least the "Face" of the fashion doll industry and didn't bother to dig much deeper.
It's actually sad to think that way back when little girls wanted Barbie to have a boyfriend, because, well news flash, lots of women even today actually want relationships with men.
Unfortunately, the very sort of people who talk about Ken's phallic symbols and Barbie being a "strong independent woman" are the very same people who are trying to convince all little girls that all men are evil toxic abusers and women are better off without them, which was pretty much the entire point of the Barbie movie, and that is obviously a much better message to teach children, than working together and forming healthy relationships!
God I hate living here!
people who prefer
the OG Barbie movies ⬇️
Not a fan of Barbie, rather watch OG movies then the propaganda live action movie
Not a fan of Barbie, rather watch OG movies then the propaganda live action movie
Not a fan of Barbie, rather watch OG movies then the propaganda live action movie
she's the queen of the Waaaaaaves :D
(check her out, she's spinning that board around)
Omg Princess and the Pauper, 12 dancing princesses, the magic of pegasus, the fairytopia movies!!! 🤩 Those movies were my childhood, I could never find DVDs of most of them, I had to watch them whenever they appeared on TV.
I think that Freud would have a field day with all these women being so fixated on Ken's junk or lack thereof.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
As a psych student, MG Lord needs to lay off the Freud. Not even old Sigmund would read that deep into the symbolism of car keys.
I completely understand. I’m also tired of people saying He-Man is gay, despite him flirting with some girls.
He’s bi
Even if he didn’t, not having a girlfriend doesn’t make you gay.
@@KellogsR-ny7ug ahh I see. So basically he cant make up his damn mind and pick one. 💀🙏
It's clear that people don't understand Barbie anymore let alone Ken. It's sad.
This is a rabbit hole I never imagined jumping into to.
Regardless of what Ryan said, people just don’t appreciate Barbie or the doll industry enough.
Although it has become a very capitalist environment, lowering the quality of some dolls, doll making is still an artistry.
There is so much love and dedication that goes into these dolls, only for them to be bombarded with horrible comments about the dolls being “shallow, inappropriate, etc.”
People are literally so ignorant towards this type of art, it’s disgusting.
The irony here is that I always liked the original Ken but specifically disliked Ryan Gosling's Ken. Apparently, that's an unpopular opinion
There wasn't much to like about that movie. I think Ken was the least of the movie's problems.
Don’t worry, I didn’t like it either. I wish they’d picked a younger actor to play the role. But if you say that, people will accuse you of age shaming. Oh, excuse me if I don’t think it’s appropriate to have an actor who looks old enough to be Barbie’s father play a character who was originally created to be her boyfriend!
@@avalasialove True. Maybe Seth Rogan would have been better
Don't worry you just have specific taste
There are discussions about Ken that can be had. I'd understand talks about classism, gender, and race in the Barbie and Ken world. But just claiming everything Ken owns equals penis envy is quite empty and ridiculous.
Ken was played up as the villain, but...look at what he was up against: An matriarchal society where Kens had no real representation, where not really allowed to have a sense of self-worth, and where any change a Ken made could be easily undone through a simple majority (albeit manipulated) vote along gender lines. Even after the Kens took over, the Barbieland society never crumbled, and many of the Barbies actually appreciated the change. It wasn't until the main Barbie came back to re-enforce the previous matriarchal mindset that the other Barbies suddenly changed their opinions on a Ken-run society. That's what people were noticing with this film.
Someone on Tumblr claimed that the movie demonstrates the problems of both the patriarchy and the matriarchy. Problem: The movie doesn’t acknowledge that Barbie is in the wrong until the very end of the movie. It’s the kind of plot where the main conflict could’ve been resolved or even prevented if the main character actually listed to the antagonist and didn’t treat him like s***! This trend is becoming frustratingly common in modern movies…
@@avalasialove That's true, but why are you listening to random people on Tumblr, and why did it take a random person on Tumblr for you to realize this about the film and the current movie industry?
It’s completely unintentional since Greta Gerwig is a feminist
@@brianaguilar8283 Intentional or not, the irony is inescapable.
@@L337M4573RK That was before I saw the movie. I wasn’t intentionally seeking it out, it just appeared in my home feed. As you know, it was practically inescapable. The things is, I actually wanted to like the movie. I liked the aesthetics and I’ve enjoyed some of Greta Gerwig’s other movies. Unfortunately, I ended up with a lecture about how hard it is to be a woman from the face of a multibillion dollar brand.
Thank you for this. I knew I appreciated Ken is back in the 2000s all the old Barbie movies. I really saw him as noble, chivalrous, and full of love for the one he loves. How any Barbie disrespects his heart is just wrong.
In the animated Barbie movies, Ken had as much character as Barbie.
Ken has always been there with Barbie. Heck he's had many appearances in movies and shows with Barbie featured. All the early 00's had Ken in a sort of way. All had personalities and charm which makes him the perfect complement for Barbie. I don't like his slander. I love Ken in the barbie movies and I like Ryan as Ken... But he's NOT in the group with others like... Idk... Derek or Julian or heck even Ken (Barbie fashion fairytale)
If they do a Barbie sequel which they most likely will, Lily should be the “villain” who isn’t a villain. Her identity was stolen and reputation was ruined all to make Barbie’s life better. Barbie feels terrible and tries to make it right.
Just kidding! That would paint Mattel in a bad light they can’t laugh their way out of. Still a gorgeous German non villain would be epic.
A great idea.
Just what I was thinking! Ruth Handler could be the twist villain. Then maybe Barbie has to come to terms with the fact that everything she thought she knew about Ruth was a lie and by extension she starts to think that her entire existence is a lie.
Eventually, she realizes that being created by a bad person doesn’t make her bad by extension.
I just wanna know, did the book author mentioned how many phallic objects Barbie came with (I didn't mean it to sound sus, but I'll leave it as is)? Like all the times she was a pop star and had microphone, guitars or drumsticks? Or the times she had stethoscope or syringe as a doctor or nurse? Or the various bottles, fruits and stuff she came with? Was that also a subliminal messege or was she just projecting her own insecurities? Just asking.
asking people of today to have memory, search history and be reasonnable ? Impossible ! On another note : Barbie had friends and family ?! Not just clones ? Damn....
I don’t think her parents were introduced until much later. But like the video said, her first friend was Midge who was introduced in 1963. Then came Teresa in 1988 followed by Nikki in 1996. Not only were they among Barbie’s first friends, they were among the first dolls of color. As for her sisters, Skipper was first introduced in 1964 followed by Tutti and Todd in 1965. Unfortunately, Tutti and Todd only lasted until 1971. Years later, in 1992, Stacie was released. Three years later came the release of Kelly whom most know as Chelsea today.
@@avalasialove That's instructive. I was sure Barbie only had one-off adventure, occasionnal firends and family in and out of canon. At the same time, I'm not the target demographic.
With all this Barbie hype in the media, sometimes I feel like I’m the only girl who didn’t like the Barbie movie. I wish I could tell my sister about all the qualms I have with the movie and the issues surrounding the brand. But she loved the movie and she’d get pretty defensive if I repeated any of the information I learned. Honestly, hearing about Ruth Handler and how she treated other people has soured my feelings on the Barbie brand.
You’re not, you’ll find a lot of TH-cam reviews from other women who hated the movie too
Not a big surprise a lot of the people that hate Ken are just closeted perverts. Imagine men writing about Barbie with a baseball outfit calling the glove the "Vagina she clearly lacked" _That wouldn't be weird at all, said with sarcasm._ Everyone associated with this franchise seems to become an egomaniac, the only ones that didn't were the namesakes for the characters and they ended up Miserable.
Even though I have no personal intrest in the franchise and hobby you exsplaining its history and challenging what some of these weirdos are saying is intresting.
Keep up the great work
I didn't know People Hated Ken This Badly. Seriously Leave that guy Alone.
Kennough is Kennough!
...I always thought that Ken was as much part of Barbie as Barbie was to Ken. He was also the doll my cousins use to give me when I was forced to play house when we were like 10.
40 works in 70 years. This is half a year of full-time employment in one profession.
THANK YOU! This is what I’ve been saying for a long time, and while I enjoy Ryan’s portrayal of Ken good god it was cringy to see what he and some of the crew were saying because it just shows that they didn’t do their deep research. I just want all this to go away tbh, as someone who’s been a Barbie fan for 20 years all this fake stuff being popular to talk about is irritating to see.
Ken is the type of Guy would work to the bone in order to satisfy his partner. Then find out Barbie runs around cheating on him
Social media ruined celebrities. We can see how narcissistic and needy they are. Destroys the whole illusion.
Good. We’re better off not looking up to these mentally ill, morally bereft a-holes.
Social media didn't ruin celebrities. It just ruined the way we see celebrities. Social media helped show the true colors of celebrities. They've always been awful people. But they can't exactly hide it on social media.
I never understood why so many people are obsessed with a children toy even has a kid i heard the argument that barbie is bad for girls I wonder why do they care its a doll just let me play with my toys
Being heated is fine and being angry and talking about things is an entire genre of reviewing things, if anything you should get more angry. On to the topic of the video, it just seems like people are attacking things because they are popular, like if they have to get people to focus on what they want to say and so make the harshest statement they can to do so.
I actually liked her angry rants, it makes her feel more passionate about the topic.
Anatomically correct dolls, with genitalia and nipples, are fine if you're catering to adults, but not to kids, especially ones not old enough to understand sexuality. And it honestly wouldn't surprise me one bit if the people commenting on Ken's willy(or lack thereof) are also the type that want to put porn in elementary school libraries.
I think it's weird that they think a doll having breasts is ok. But not a doll with a penis. Both are kind of creepy if you ask me. And yes, as a boy, when I saw a naked barbie doll, I found it kind of sexual.
I think there's a difference between genitalia and like, vague shapes. If Barbie has vague breasts (which, some dolls have just one slope instead of two separate mounds and I think it's probably better). I think it's ok for Ken to have a vague bulge. But he doesn't really need it, because breasts are impossible to miss in a woman's silhouette while trousers simply don't show much anatomical detail, so in the context of playing dress up with dolls it's absolutely fine and issue-free (you'd have thought???).
@@Cationna I don't know. I have a couple of nieces. One is 4 and the other is 2. They like to play with Barbies. And often they like to undress them. I just wonder if, when they see breasts, if it will cause them to question things, or ask uncomfortable questions about breasts. Or maybe they think all breasts should look the same
@@nerychristian I see where you're coming from, but from a girl's point of view, breasts are for feeding babies. Even if you don't have younger siblings or cousins girls above the age of like. 5 probably know about it and it's a normal part of their world. So there isn't really much shock value or problem with questioning the existence of this part of female anatomy. Which, I suppose there's no real problem for kids to know about pregnancy in an age-appropriate way, about the baby first growing in mother's tummy (and if they ask how it gets there, which, they don't necessary, there are correct ways of addressing that too) and later being fed with her milk. I don't think it's necessarily problematic or sexualising to acknowledge what kids see anyway from outside, that women have those on them. It might or might not lead to "questioning", but there are answers to these questions.
That's why I've found your perspective as a boy very interesting and thought-provoking. I would suggest it might be saying more about adults around you that you connected breasts with sex and it was an issue. Idk, I'm not sure, I can't put myself fully into the position of a boy. It's definitely very important to talk about since boys might play with Barbies too and they shouldn't be harmed. But I do feel there is and should be a substantial difference between how we talk to children about the details of downstairs anatomical differences and how we acknowledge obvious things like men have facial hair, women have breasts (again, they barely need addressing really, it's just there).
My conclusion is, we should be having more children, if you have younger siblings you learn about stuff in an organic, healthy, and neutral way 😂
In my country people joke that Max Steel is Barbie boyfriend
I think some people like to complain and ruin things for fun.
3:04 I think Johnson just wanted an adult doll for her to look at, but was too embarrassed to admit it. I mean why else would she think that young girls would scratch the paint off to see the crotch
I never had a legitimate Ken doll. I only had two. Allan (Midge’s husband) and Prince Stefan from the Barbie Rapunzel movie.
Barbie’s boyfriend a majority of the time for me was Max Steel. My brother’s “action figure” that I would steal and was the James bond of the Mattel world.
I had the options to play either, “house” with house husband Allan, “fairy tail fantasy” with Prince Stefan, or “choose your own adventure” with Max Steel.
I was a little jealous of Max Steel cause he was just more manly and cooler than all the other men dolls targeted towards girls. There was even a secret agent Barbie video game I used to have that would match perfectly with Max Steel. Ken honestly sounded more manly back in the day with his rifle/hunter gear. He would’ve gotten a lot more popularity if they had teamed him up with or taken inspiration from characters like Max Steel.
Honestly, the fact that this is you getting heated says a lot about your character, because you still came across very put together! Shows you are a very chill person I think
What? I loved Ken! And as a kid I didn’t think about what’s under his pants. And was GI Joe anatomically correct? I don’t think so.🤦♀️
I guess it didn’t matter with GI Joe because they always had sculpted on clothes
@@brianaguilar8283 I’m pretty sure it’s referencing the 60s joes who we’re pretty much badass ken dolls.
This really intrigues me. And this is coming from a guy who isn’t all into ken despite collecting Barbie. I’m more of a Gi Joe kind of guy, but you brought up some interesting points that make me feel somewhat sympathetic towards Kenny boy. Love this.
The idea that someone can be that concerned with the politics of something rather than the thing itself and why it's enjoyed is truly sad and pathetic to me.
That's a shame about poor Ken, but sadly not that surprising. Not counting gender politics and weird obsessions with kids toys, but a lot of franchises aimed at young audiences tend to get easily dismissed by outsiders til something "cool" with them comes around i.e. oh Lord, the superhero genre with all the misconceptions people still perpetuate and certain characters being disrespected all the time due to corny portayals like Aquaman or the Robins in general. What's funny is you're right that if Ken wasn't a safe, non-violent male toy figure for little girls to play with and instead more like a G.I. Joe he would be "toxic" instead of "wimpy" which is BS. Lots of men are put under pressure to be "manly" in real life otherwise they're insulted but will be no matter what it seems. Also love how these type of people will complain about boy franchises only having a "token girl" character but don't seem to realize girl franchises will have their "token boy" too.
Superhero isn’t a genre
"it's weird that they named Barbie and Ken after a brother and sister" Well don't forget that Harry Potter named his daughter and son: Lily and James, after his parents...
Feel like it shouldn’t have to be said, but Hadler and her kids were real people, Harry Potter is a fictional character.
Harry Potter is real to millions though. he is more relevant than ruth handler and her kids.@@madamplatypus313
You are right, and since Barbie doesn't have an oficial lore popular media, a lot of the other characters got sideline pretty hard.
I can recognize some of the characters of the first cgi movies, but none before that
Great job, J. Totally agree with you.
I think you kept a level head, and when you were angry, you had valid reasons for it. From the videos I've seen you talking about Disney, Marvel, Barbie, and so on, it's very refreshing that you're not screaming expletives at the camera like a lot of the other TH-camrs I watch. I'm not even really into Barbie, I just wanted to hear your takes, you have a lot of very good, well articulated points in your videos, often pointing out flaws in what is commonly perceived or heard.
My take on the subject is that people nitpick and tear apart whatever has a big enough name to grab attention. So if people talking smack about Barbie gets them attention, they'll do it over talking smack about something less popular, like the Bratz dolls, which aren't as universally renowned by comparison. Popularity's a double edged sword like that. I remember Pokemon got attacked by basically everything at one point back when it was at its peak.
People find reasons to cause a fuss, but these are the vocal minority. They're not the majority of people's opinions, they're just the loudest. But the loudest can change the opinions of others still through sheer volume and repetition, so best we fight against it, I feel.
I get the strong impression that M G Lord(sp?) was really hard up and projecting her thirst onto a plastic toy.
When I read 'weird and creepy attacks' I thought Mary Sue readers were taking scissors to Ken dolls in an EVS way. This is somehow worse.
Really love your work. I know Stacie! (or was it Stacy?) I've gotten a lot of insight into Barbie because of you. I know I had at least one Midge doll and a couple other side characters (though I've forgotten their names) and I had a couple of Ken Dolls. I had quite a few Barbies growing up, but it didn't feel right not having a Ken to go with them. It was nice for those fake dates, as much as it was fun learning to braid hair on a Barbie doll.
Toy Story 3 Ken > Barbie movie Ken
Also, Toy Story 3 Barbie >>>>>>>> Barbie movie Barbie
Screw Margot Robbie!
It’s not getting heated, it’s righteous indignation! By all means have my like and subscribe… and I guess this comment! Hope it helps!
"Barbie's too sexy!"
"WHY DOESN'T KEN HAVE A PENIS!?"
Bonus: I actually have a funny story about Barbie. My sister had a bunch of Barbie and Ken (some of them might have just been other characters) dolls growing up, and apparently when she was really little she would strip them all naked, our mom asked her why she did that, and my sister apparently said: "because babies are born naked"
I'm happy I'm subscribed to your channel. Simply for the fact is the little documentaries you do are like a extra cake you get after a great meal and they say it's for free.
... Would you care to elaborate on the Blaine hatred?
Basically people protecting their personal problems and self insecurities on kids toys.
People love to read way too deep into things and see what isn’t there. It’s an unfortunate trend, but at least I’m pretty sure it’s a vocal minority.
I hate people who comment first
It's Blaine. He's desperate for recognition.
3:32 I mean considering the quantity of dolls manufactured? 1 cent is a crazy amount of money to be able to shave off
I love your videos because we can see the love and dedication you have for each subject ❤
I will stick to…..
Sweet Valley High(90s sitcom)
Clueless
Jawbreaker
Legally Blonde
Mean Girls
Easy A
Barbie Life in The Dream House
As my “Barbie content”
Never knew what people saw in this flick….
Just goes to show that adults are dumb when it comes to toys made for children especially toys targeted to little girls
3:33 That's one extra cent PER DOLL, multiplied by hundreds of millions of dolls…
So Ken is a “wimp” just because he is not a soldier or a wrestler… 🙄 it’s not like G.I Joe or He-Man were anatomically correct… it boils down to Ken not being in control of Barbie or being the central character, and of course thats coding for “wimp”.
Oh yeh nothing more falic then a set of CAR KEYS
Did you know there are women who’re actually breaking up with their boyfriends after seeing this movie? They’re acting as though this movie has some profound wisdom about who and what a boyfriend should be. Thus, if he didn’t like the movie it must mean that he’s a toxic misogynist who should be kicked to the curb. I mean, whatever happened to just talking things out like healthy couples? Or even respecting each-other’s differences? I don’t want to be one of those annoying people who blame fiction for society’s issues, but it’s not easy.
Why are they putting down Barbie for having a boyfriend? Well it’s because they themselves can’t get one
I would bet that Ryan Gosling's tweet was just sarcastic boastfulness, like how a heel pro wrestler will claim to be the greatest champion of all time, despite winning the title yesterday. 🏆😆
Gosling was just having fun with his character's surprise success.
It sounds like the movie could've been a lot more interesting if it didn't focus on all the shallow political stuff and instead focused on this deeper social stuff.
Michael Keaton as Ken >>> Ryan Gosling as Ken
Without any context I did think Gosling’s comment was funny. It’s something I would say ironically.
I have no interest in Barbie but it's so baffling to see how much hate this franchise for how big it is I don't even get why, they're DOLLS I'm glad I grew up with Sly Cooper
People are unnecessarily mean to Ken. Also, I, too, hate Blaine and his sister Summer for hooking them up.
Please make a video about characters that deserved better just like Ken, who are treated like they nobodies when they are more than world think about whether it is female or male and Great video by the way.
I would say both. Side effect of the first curse.
3:40 AW that sucks! didn't know that :'(
Ahhh, M.G Lord is just an eccentric old biddy. She elated over ruining the Jem and the Holograms franchise as if she were franchise's villain in disguise. If that is not unhappy old prune, then look no further.
The woman who made Barbie insisting they Ken had privates is REALLY creepy.
Why would she want that?
It’s for kids!
Ken will always iconic. I didn’t hate Gosling’s version, but Life in the Dreamhouse version is the best out of all of them for me
I think that some people just want something to complain about regarding Ken. They'll complain no matter what he is because they're a solution hunting a problem to push their ideas.
Nothing says "tearing down the patriarchy with feminist analysis" like obsessing over a toy's lack of genitalia...
When im listening to jay talk, i notice all the double standars commits that men faces
Its kind of sadly hilarious that even though Barbie is best known for arguments about whether or not she objectifies women, Ken is probably the best example of men being objectified ever and nobody even gives a shit.
I feel like everytime someone talks about the Barbie movie, I’m getting schizophrenia,
“It’s empowering”, no, it’s a corporate products
“Ken is a male rights figure now!”, no, it’s a corporate product
“Barbie is a working woman!”, NO, it’s a CORPORATE PRODUCT
“Barbie is a feminist icon”, NO ITS A CORPORATE PRODUCT
I think he's just joking around, particularly with the voice of an angel bit.
What does he mean people didn't care about Ken? People ALWAYS loved Ken!
He's one of the most popular Street Fighter characters!
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Can you review Godzilla minus one with spoilers just put spoilers in the title
I still think the movie should've had our Lord and Saviour, RRRRRRRRaquelle.
Funny….. been collecting Barbies for over 30 years…. Always liked Ken…. HATE THE MOVIE…. In recent years I have been collecting more “vintage” and current ken dolls way more than Barbie…. Movie had nothing to do with this ….
Ken was brave, smart and had multiple careers as well but the movie reduces his character to an acessory.
People take way too much into this ken Doll