Barbie and Ken broke up dramatically
Not all unions are meant to be forever, and in 2004, Mattels VP of marketing released a statement saying that “Like other celebrity couples, their Hollywood romance has come to an end.” Barbie moved on with an Australian doll named Blaine, who enjoyed boogie boarding as a hobby. Sadly, Blaine was discontinued in 2006, and Ken was re-released with a new look in an effort to win back Barbie. This occurred because many Barbie fans were unhappy about the breakup of the ‘it’ couple and wanted them to be the endgame. In 2011, they got back together.
Barbie’s ambitions are more impressive than Ken’s
Barbie has a ton of iconic careers, inspiring women to have greater economic opportunities. The entire Barbie line’s resume is impressive and includes jobs like veterinarian, astronaut, and surgeon. On the other hand, Ken has had a few careers but has mostly been a beach bum. While Barbie has many assets like boats, cars, and the Dreamhouse, Ken will always live in her shadow since his girl has always been the breadwinner.
The Ken and Barbie relationship has been used for problematic concepts about gender
In reality, they’re just dolls! But they also symbolize a lot more, and although Ruth Handler’s original intentions were good, Barbie has been used as a pawn to depict some upsetting gender stereotypes. In a commercial in the 80s, an ad showed two girls playing with Magic Curl Barbie, a curly-haired doll who could have straight hair with a unique styling product. One of the girls said Barbie should change her style since Ken prefers it straight, and when her friend says Barbie prefers her curly locks instead, the other replies that Barbie should make Ken a sandwich! Not very empowering.
Although there have been upsides and downsides to this doll (especially when it comes to Ken), she’s made many children feel more empowered and represented over the years, and that’s not a bad legacy to leave behind.
