Curvy Barbie Needs Dadbod Ken
Wouldn’t Ken look great with a little more meat on his bones?
There are three new Barbie body types — curvy, tall, and petite — to make room for in the Dream House, and their addition to the plastic world has been celebrated. But, as the Hollywood plot line goes, the protagoinist post-makeover usually gets a new man, too. So while Barbie and Ken have been together for decades and show no signs of splitting, perhaps it’s time her other half had some updates as well.
For years, women and girls have been advocating for additional Barbies that more closely resemble women and girls. That’s why there are now multiple shades of skin, various hairstyles, colors, and textures, and different careers ranging from coders to astronauts. Consumers finally succeeded in convincing Mattel to institute changes and the company spent two years developing the new dolls. But despite all their efforts to please their fanbase, some are disappointed that the brand didn’t take it one step further by introducing a male plus-size counterpart, or one with a dadbod.
Dadbod, which was coined by a female co-ed to describe her crushes on slightly overweight men, is defined as “a nice balance between a beer gut and working out”. She continues: “The dad bod says, ‘I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time.’ It’s not an overweight guy, but it isn’t one with washboard abs, either.” Since its formation, the term has become part of the vernacular and used as a way to describe the Leonardo DiCaprios of the world in a non-body shaming way when these still attractive stars pack on extra poundage.
Social media sounded off on the issue, picking up a new cause to petition to Mattel.
When will @Barbie agree to make a dadbod Ken? Put a stop to impossible male beauty standards. https://t.co/KzQDK9v6SF
— Tom Buchanan (@tmbuchanan2) January 28, 2016
Sooooo, when does Ken (or any other “boys” action figurine) get a #dadbod or the #freshman15? #Barbie
— Sladjana Tamindzic (@ImSladjana) January 28, 2016
I could care less about the new fat Barbie… What I wanna know is when are we getting the #dadbod Ken?!
— Robbie Antonio (@RobbieAntonio) January 28, 2016
If Ken doesn’t get a dadbod then this Barbie change is sexist
— Lori △?? (@lintile91) January 28, 2016
Curvy Barbie is cool or whatever but where is Dadbod Ken?
— Some Rando (@dannyc_sucks) January 28, 2016
Sources @Mattel say, according to research, #DadBod doesn’t exist. Ken’s proportions and perfect comb-over will stay the same. #Barbie
— Your Little Pony (@Tiffluv78) January 28, 2016
@Barbie great, so toys are all about reality now! Cool! Is her new mansion an average home? Does she drive a Camry?Does Ken have dadbod? ??
— Jennifer Calvin (@jennifarious) January 28, 2016
Societal body issues are generally relegated to just women (partly because women have a higher tendency to speak up), so it comes as no surprise that Ken’s figure wasn’t also adjusted. Although it would only make sense, in the name of feminism and to avoid sexist accusations on social media, to let Ken kick back on a La-Z-Boy, binge eat junk food, and sling back some beers and watch as his rock-hard abs become a convex one-pack.
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