Mattel debuted its new line of Ken dolls, and the company gave Barbie’s boyfriend a serious makeover. The new Ken dolls are joining an equally diverse group of Barbies in the brand’s “Fashionista” line.
The toy company hopes that these modern-day iterations of America’s favorite dolls will help turn around what has been a difficult year for the company. NPR assesses the challenge, “Sales for the brand fell 13 percent to $123 million dollars in the first quarter this year, from $141 million the year before.”
Mattel is betting that embracing body diversity will help boost sales in a country of increasingly diverse consumers. Fashionista Barbie arrived last year, and now Ken is catching up. Barbie comes in different body shapes (petite, tall, curvy) and Ken has different builds (broad, slim, original). Both dolls come in a range of skin colors, hair colors, and hair styles.
One of those hair styles is getting a lot of attention. Yep, Ken has a manbun. Now please direct your attention to the outfit. The shirt is…busy, I guess. The shoes are definitely TOMS, though I can’t prove it. But the real superstar of this outfit is the shorts. The children of America are going to grow up believing that acid wash jorts are a morally acceptable fashion choice. Are we supposed to stand idly by and let this happen?
Another Ken wears thick-rim glasses, shiny shoes (why?), and what appears to be grey jeggings, if you look closely. He probably works at a startup. This Ken seems like he goes by “Kenneth,” but just to be ironic.
Here’s a slim Ken, wearing a shirt that every twenty-something male seems to own. You have seen this shirt before. This Ken looks like he went to Coachella, but only for the Instagram opportunities.
Mattel couldn’t have possibly made these Kens look more like Millennial stereotypes — unless they sold them with student debt and avocado toast. Two of the Kens wear short-sleeved flannel shirts. Another wears a skinny tie, and one has mirrored aviator glasses.
Barbie, on the other hand, has the wardrobe I wish I had. There’s a peplum dress for the office, and a floral sundress for brunch! And then there’s this Barbie, who not only has Kate Middleton hair, but also clearly summers on Nantucket (and yeah, she uses “summer” as a verb).
This Barbie gets not only buffalo check and ankle-strap heels, but also a statement necklace. Another Barbie wears a cowboy hat, bedazzled shirt, and leopard print skirt, but I’m just going to assume she picked out that combo after heavy pregaming for Skipper’s Nashville bachelorette party.
If the end goal is to have Barbie and Ken be entirely realistic, Mattel needs to come out with a Barbie who wears only yoga pants, and a Ken with a DadBod. But is that really what we, as consumers, want? Dolls are for make-believe, for playing pretend in a world where every girl has a pink convertible and a dream house. The whole thing is aspirational, so idealized versions make sense. Mattel is showing kids (and parents) that anyone – regardless of body type, race, hairstyle, choice of jorts – can be that ideal. Good for them.
