There’s a difference between sexual objectification and sexiness, and in this instance I’d argue that Barbie represents the former, and Ken the latter. Ken’s body is less political than Barbie’s, because men’s bodies aren’t as politicized as women’s. As such, I think certain expectations are placed on women as a direct result of Barbie and other unrealistic portrayals in media, but that might be less true for men and Ken. I’d argue that women and girls see Ken dolls as a blank slate on which to project the personality traits they expect from a husband–despite, not because of, Ken’s bizarro proportions.
Again, men do deserve better Kens and more inclusive representation in general–but the reason why Barbie’s new designs are such a milestone, is that overall women’s bodies are more fetishized by society, and less diversely depicted in media, than men’s are.
We asked a former resident of a real-life (albeit many decades away from Peg’s) ladies’ home! The answers may surprise you.
There’s one isolated princess trying to get someone to marry her, but there are no women doing any other things. There are no women leading the townspeople to go against the Beast, no women bonding in the tavern together singing drinking songs, women giving each other directions, or women inventing things. Everybody who’s doing anything else, other than finding a husband in the movie, pretty much, is a male.
With so much conflict in the world, space exploration can be a beacon of hope. No one cares about race or religion or nationality in space travel. We’re all just part of Team Human.
I wonder what would happen if every woman stopped participating in that complicit silence in which we hide violence against ourselves.
I’m thrilled there’s a Marvel universe franchise with an equal female/male split. That’s a huge step forward. But Jessica Jones being perceived as a mostly female show points to a major perception problem, one women are so entrenched in already.
Thankfully, wherever Rey’s destination, her gender seems about as relevant to her quest as Luke’s was.
Part of the reason The Force Awakens has done well is that people have been seeing it over and over. The other reason it’s been making bank? Women like it.
Listen: Bret Easton Ellis’ voice has no place in this conversation. Publishing his thoughts on #IStandWithStoya isn’t even a matter of ‘hearing from both sides’ (a problematic philosophy in its own right), since Ellis is neither the accused or the accuser….[I]t’s an insult to women to publish the rape apologist ramblings of a man who is, at the absolute most, tangential to these accusations.
Women have always been drawn to genre. No one need “bring” us anywhere.
The Barbie Collection site sold out in less than 20 minutes, but you may still be able to find some on Amazon.