Is it my destiny to live and die a life of blonde fragility?
What’s more of an incel than a dude with romantic feelings but just a smooth blob for a crotch? That’s just Ken, he thinks he’s a 10, but Barbie doesn’t want him.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “incel” is the truncated form of “involuntarily celibate,” referring to a group of boys and men, usually with strong opinions about politics, video games, and/or the media, who blame women and culture for not getting laid. Often associated with the far right, these individuals react to their sexless predicament with misogyny and red-or-black-pilled anger at women and the world. Their general vibe? “It’s not me, it’s you.” (The supreme irony is that awoman created the term “incel"and dictated their taxonomy.)
Possibly the greatest representation of this social illness comes with, believe it or not, the new filmBarbie. A movie that defied expectations on all sides of the political spectrum,Barbiefollows the stereotypical version of the titular doll as she and Ken leave Barbieland and enter the real world, with bizarre consequences.Greta Gerwig’s filmwas praised by liberals and despised by conservatives for its depiction of female empowerment, diversity, and apparent condescension toward men.
Except, it’s not really that cut-and-dry. It may seem that way on the surface and from the legions of haterswho have review-bombedBarbieand posted YouTube diatribes about it after only seeing the trailer or watching a Ben Shapiro or Critical Drinker video. In fact,Barbiedoesn’t hate men at all. It may actually be the perfect film for incels to watch, if they had some sense of self-awareness. That’s because Ken is an incel, but he grows out of it, with the film creating a blueprint for how angry men can transcend their lonely situation. But we’ll get there.
Thus, the caveat here is thatBarbieis certainly not a masterpiece, and while it’s extremely fun and well-made, it kind of feels like a grift, but hell, most things we’re sold are. It’s also just a movie about dolls. The film probably doesn’t warrant so much attention and divisive debates, but alas, it’s triggered something in our ongoing culture war. So let’s try and figure this out.
In the movie, we’re introduced to Barbieland, a colorful matriarchy made up of plastic people. These are the Barbie andKen dolls we all know(and Allan), and they all fit into their preconceived roles (Doctor Barbie, Judge Barbie, Lawyer Barbie, and so on). Most Barbies seem to have a corresponding Ken, though the Barbies live alone, because they’re ‘girl bosses,’ and the Kens seem to be relegated to a subservient underclass, though they mostly don’t seem to mind.
Haters should be taking note already. It seems that one of the major qualms people have withBarbierelates to the social hierarchy of Barbieland. The women are in charge, and Barbie doesn’t return Ken’s affection.Barbiedetractors look at this and believe that it’s supposed to be the idyllic paragon of society according to the filmmakers; they think that the film is promoting this matriarchy.
Barbie Doesn’t Choose Matriarchy
That’s clearly not the case, though, as the film proves that nobody in Barbieland is inherently happier under patriarchy or matriarchy. The Kens aren’t made out to be suffering (or aware of their suffering) under matriarchy. When Ken returns from the real world, he brings “patriarchy” to Barbieland and flips the script; suddenly the Kens are in charge of everything, and the Barbies stop being doctors and lawyers and instead live to rub Kens' feet and bring them beer.
And yet, the Barbies are pretty happy, and relieved that they don’t have to work. Ken obviously has a gaping hole in his plastic heart even under patriarchy, and crumbles when Barbie talks to him. He lost interest in patriarchy when he learned it wasn’t about horses. Ultimately, the Kens are more than happy to surrender their patriarchal control.
That’s becauseBarbieisn’t making a claim for a matriarchy. It even breaks down the stereotype that the patriarchy controls everything; as Ken walks into different businesses expecting a job just because he’s a man, he’s repeatedly turned down for not having any actual qualifications. Sure,Barbiedoesn’t think that men should rule the world, but it also doesn’t think women should rule the world, either.Barbieis ahumanist, existentialist film(and existentialism is a humanism). Its main critique is the way that ideologies dictate and complicate our lives, when life is already hard enough. Ideology controls our social interactions and presupposes our trajectory; Doctor Barbie didn’t choose to be a doctor, it was chosen for her, for instance. That’s why the ending is so poignant. Barbie chooses to choose.
Related:Barbie Review: Greta Gerwig Delivers a Dazzling Pink Blockbuster
Even though the matriarchy is restored in Barbieland, Barbie chooses to become a real human being rather than live in the plastic world of unchanging empowerment. She walks into the real world, with all its suffering and death, knowing full well that she could live as a veritable queen in Barbieland. Ultimately, the film chooses people over men or women, humanity over “matriarchy” or “patriarchy.”
But what about Ken? Does the movie hate Ken, and men?
Stereotypical Barbie and Incel Ken
Just like the lives of each Barbie were chosen for them, the nature of Ken’s existence was enforced upon him from the beginning. He was made to be Barbie’s boyfriend. However, the relationships in Barbieland aren’t sexual, because nobody has genitalia. In a sense, sex doesn’t exist here, just gender. Barbie wasn’t made to have sex with Ken, and Ken doesn’t have a penis anyway; talk about involuntary celibacy. Stereotypical Barbie begins to feel more and more like a human throughout the film, and doesn’t return Ken’s affections, frustrating the poor guy.
All of this is expressed in Ken’s delightful musical number. Would a film which hates men devote a lengthy, spectacular musical number to a bunch of guys, and let Ryan Gosling steal the film? Regardless, it must be said, “I’m Just Ken” is the perfect incel anthem:
I have feelings that I can’t explain
Drivin' me insane
All my life, been so polite
But I’ll sleep alone tonight
‘Cause I’m just Ken
Anywhere else I’d be a ten
I’m just Ken
Where I see love, she sees a friend
What will it take for her to see the man behind the tan and fight for me?
Ken’s whole patriarchy scheme is essentially just a way of lashing out against Barbie for not wanting to be with him. Like incels, his ideology is actually just a consequence of his bitterness and loneliness. Yet, the film never makes him an outright villain.Barbiecould’ve very easily turned Ken into a nefarious baddie or just a complete joke without a personality, and it would’ve if it actually hated men. Instead, it makes Ken likable to audiences who sympathize with marginalized people.
As Matt Pearce writes forThe Los Angeles Times:
“Gosling’s Ken lives in a pink and plastic country that’s named for somebody else, and his sole desire is to win the attention of a woman who doesn’t love him. Ken’s job is “Beach” in a land with no water; to the extent labor is even real in Barbieland, Ken isn’t allowed to do any. He’s surplus labor in a post-scarcity society, and the only thing for a Ken to do is get in the way of the propertied ruling class. A movie that actually hated men would have left things there.”
In the end, Ken grows and learns that he can’t just simp after some girl; he can’t base his existence off an attraction to someone or a backlash to them when they don’t return his affection. He’s confronted with self-awareness (“Ken is me!” he exclaims) and discovers that he has a purpose and life beyond Barbie. As he sings, “I’m just Ken (and I’m enough).”
“A man discovers that he’s worth more than just a ‘boyfriend’ and has a personality beyond merely loving a woman.” How could this ever be termed misandrist? If anything, this is empowering rhetoric for men, and a great reminder for everyone alike that we contain multitudes and don’t need to be defined by predetermined roles and other people. He’s Kenough. The fact that a movie about Barbie gives this much of a character arc and this much compassion and interest in a Ken doll is a testament to the film’s humanism and embrace of both men and women.
Related:Barbie Has a Deeper Meaning, and Most Fans Completely Missed It
Barbie World
But of course, the film is predominantly about women — because it’s a Barbie movie. It’s not meant for children (it’s PG-13), and it’s not really meant for men, because it’s about Barbie dolls, but men could benefit greatly from seeing it. No,Barbieis meant for women or teenagers who are growing into womanhood — surprise! It’s about how the Barbie doll has become a symbol of how complicated the presuppositions of womanhood. Like the Barbie doll, women are told that they can be self-sufficient and independent, but they should also be thin and perfectly beautiful, but they also shouldn’t be arrogant or compete with other women, etc.
It’s all summarized in the speech given by America Ferrera’s character in the film, which is about as honest and exasperated as anyone has ever been about women’s ‘roles’ in society. Yes, it kind of feels like the preachy fulminations of an exhausted woman, but that’s because it is. This is a mother who grew up with Barbies, and her tirade is directed at social expectations and the history of Barbie itself, more than it is against men and patriarchy. This same mother wants a Barbie that’s ordinary, that’s just doing her best; she’s over the perfect plastic image of Barbie.
That’s the target ofBarbie’s critique — the idea of Barbie itself (which is why Barbie chooses to not be an idea, but a human instead), and what Barbie represents (imposed social expectations). It’s a reckoning, but a kind and compassionate one, not a cynical one. The film isn’t trying to shatter the patriarchy and instate a matriarchy, but rather show how neither of those ideologies make people happy, and that human existence is so much more complicated than saying “men rule the world” or “women should rule the world.” It’s not a Barbie world. It’s a world Barbie wants to be a part of.
