The Internet Is Having A Whole Lot Of Fun With The New Ken Dolls
"Man-bun Ken doll just interrupted me to tell me that Bernie would have won."
In news that is incredibly 2017: the Ken doll has been given a progressive makeover. Barbie, or at least her boyfriend, Ken, is no longer a dated dudebro with blonde hair, blue eyes and a six pack. Now he’s woke, man-bunned and ethnically diverse.
Y’all, your fave is no longer problematic.
That new Ken doll has already ignored 2 of my texts while still liking my Instagram posts.
— Alison Leiby (@AlisonLeiby) June 20, 2017
The new range of dolls includes diverse skin tones, hairstyles and body types. Ken isn’t just a swoll gym bro, he’s also slim or “broad”. Ken isn’t just a dumbass beach volleyball player, he’s also a man-bunned vegan fuckboi. He’s the lusted-after, cornrowed head of your University Student Union. He’s a bespectacled sadboi who listens to Radiohead. He’s a fabulous peroxide prince who rocks fur-lined jackets.
With so many new men to peruse and judge, it’s unsurprising to learn that Twitter is practically in metldown over these Woke 2017 Kens.
this ken doll wants to know why there's no white history month pic.twitter.com/LISGhbv6qZ
— the blowout (@theblowout) June 20, 2017
The Ken doll with the man bun comes with a bottle of wine from Trader Joe's that it won't shut up about.
— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) June 20, 2017
Man-bun Ken doll just interrupted me to tell me that Bernie would have won. pic.twitter.com/Mnu8pAXV7F
— summer goth (@NicCageMatch) June 20, 2017
I bought this ken doll and then 10 minutes later he was banned for life from my improv theater. pic.twitter.com/4dSi3ecdMa
— Christina Cola (@poprocksandCola) June 20, 2017
The unveiling of the new Man Bun Ken doll makes me think of this wildly inappropriate meme. pic.twitter.com/eGwsH8aB9Q
— Laura (@Laura_Beth_02) June 20, 2017
Of course, the update copping the fiercest roasting is the Man Bun Ken, because there is nothing the internet loves to laugh about (while also sporting the style/salivating after a similarly coiffed barista) more than a man bun.
Does man bun Ken doll also come with a Soul Cycle membership, vintage record player, and $50,000 in student loan debt? pic.twitter.com/ulEwGSxxb1
— Emily Jashinsky (@emilyjashinsky) June 20, 2017
burn ithttps://t.co/UKnk2SlNT0
— Sammy Paul (@ICOEPR) June 20, 2017
The new "Man Bun" Ken doll comes with shirt, shoes, and keys to Barbie's car that he's driving until he "gets back on his feet again." pic.twitter.com/gYmXwR9WEc
— Benjamin Siemon (@BenjaminJS) June 20, 2017
The new Kens, of which there are 15 new styles, are also copping heat from news outlets who are generally divided about Ken 2.0(17). But could this new deep-thinking, deep-living Ken be the marker of some improved attitudes about diversity when it comes to the All-American Male? “The decision to give him some depth marks a new chapter for men, and dolls who are men,” Caity Weaver wrote for GQ.
The new Kens are joining a diverse Barbie line, to try to create dolls that better reflect our society. And as laughable as some of these Woke Ken Dolls are, that is actually a super noble goal. Cheers to a diverse Mattel!