We can't stop thinking about the Barbie movie.
Aside from the fact that the cast includes some of our faves, LGBTQ+ people have long had an affinity for Barbie, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that the doll represents the platonic ideal of heterosexuality. In a letter to Gerwig asking that the filming schedule be moved to allow her to be a part of the movie, Nef wrote, “We call ourselves ‘the dolls’ in the face of everything we know we are, never will be, hope to be. We yell the word because the word matters. And no doll matters more than Barbie.”
Although Mattel certainly hasn’t loved queer people back with the same vigour that, say, Bratz has over the years, queer people have adored Barbie and Ken for decades regardless. Below are just a few of the gayest moments in Barbie history.
Ken’s “buddy” Allan
Allan was introduced in 1964 as Ken’s Buddy™. And yes, Ken’s Buddy was indeed trademarked on the packaging. As though the word “buddy” wasn’t already rife with homoerotic subtext, one of Allan’s chief selling points was the fact that all of Ken’s clothes fit him. (And doesn’t that rainbow-striped shirt just scream “fruity?”)
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They tried to “no homo” Allan in the ’90s by having him marry Midge, Barbie’s own pal who was also introduced in the ’60s, per the Barbie fandom Wikipedia. But Allan’s beard ultimately landed him in hot water. In 2002, Mattel released the Happy Family set, which featured a pregnant Midge complete with detachable belly and a baby inside. Conservatives protested the doll, arguing that it promoted teen pregnancy, and eventually, she was removed from shelves. Now, Midge and Allan are making a comeback in the Barbie movie, with Ken’s Buddy™ played by none other than Michael Cera.
Earring Magic Ken
Mattel debuted this doll in 1993, after surveying a focus group of five-year-old girls who expressed that they wanted Ken to have a “cooler” look. That’s how we ended up with a Ken doll who has a single pierced ear, a purple mesh top, a leathery vest, and, crucially, a silver chain around his neck attached to a circular object that looks an awful lot like a cock ring. Although Mattel ardently denied that that was what the necklace was meant to be, columnist Dan Savage wrote for the Chicago Reader at the time that the cock ring was the queer accessory de rigueur for everyone, including lesbians.
Although Earring Magic Ken was only available on shelves for six months, it is reportedly the best selling Ken doll ever made — and frankly, if Mattel brought him back, we’d take five.
Barbie’s “Love Wins” photoshoot
In 2017, Barbie posed on Instagram wearing a “Love Wins'' T-shirt alongside a doll inspired by fashion blogger Aimee Song. In a caption to the post, Barbiel nodded to the fact that Song’s t-shirts benefit “different causes and non-profits.” Half of the proceeds from her “Love Wins” shirt went to the Trevor Project, according to her blog. “Such an inspiring initiative and fabulous few days I have spent with Aimee, she’s a doll!” Barbie wrote.
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In 2021, Twitter users rediscovered the photo and cited it as empirical evidence that Barbie has a girlfriend. In a since-deleted tweet, Song herself said, “I am the girlfriend,” according to Teen Vogue. Song also told Teen Vogue that she wanted to use the opportunity to have a doll modelled after her to represent Asians, align with her core values, and inspire children.
“When I submitted the Love Wins T-shirt as my clothing option, they were completely on board with this decision, and I had never felt so proud and inspired to continue influencing what values we look up to and idolize,” Song told the publication. “To see the doll trending on Twitter now, and in such a positive, normalized way, is just a reaffirmation of all the work and progress we’ve made for the LGBTQ+ community.”
Mattel’s gender-neutral dolls
Mattel released its first line of gender-neutral dolls, dubbed Creatable World, in 2019. Unlike Barbie and Ken, the dolls don’t have curves or muscles, and each comes with short hair, a longer wig, and variously gendered clothes and accessories. A video spot for the dolls shows kids of all genders playing with them as a narrator says, “In our world, dolls are as limitless as the kids who play with them.” The innovative line was “designed to keep labels out and invite everyone in.”
Naturally, the conservative Christian group One Million Moms got big mad about the dolls, writing in a petition that Creatable World “glorifies gender inclusivity and ignores one's biological sex.”
The first transgender Barbie
In 2022, Mattel came out with a doll fashioned-after actress Laverne Cox as part of the brand’s Tribute Collection, which pays homage to famous women throughout history. This also made her the first openly trans-Barbie doll (though you could feasibly argue that all Barbies are trans). The doll came out on Cox’s 50th birthday, and Mattel additionally announced that it was making a donation in the actress’ name to TransFamilySOS, which provides support to trans youth and their families.
Cox described the doll’s release as a “full circle moment” in an interview with People, sharing that “in an environment where trans children have been used as a political football,” she hoped the doll could “be a celebration of transness, and also a space for them to dream, understand and be reminded that trans is beautiful.”
This article was originally published on Them.
“I hope that people can look at this Barbie and dream big like I have in my career.”
