In an effort to show that Barbie was an influence in the making of at least one generations' views of women, authors have traced the importance of Barbie in suburbia.
Now, my question is, where are the articles on Ken? My second question is where are the Kens? The trouble with Ken is that he was pretty face with no personality. Why did we want Kens? We should have paired off the GI-Joes with the Barbies. At least they looked like men and were DOING something. Comments wanted.
Because of Barbie's lack of a family, her first relation was a male companion named Ken. The first advertisement for Ken said, "He's a doll!" (BillyBoy 40). Barbie's boyfriend was given an image of "innocence, cleanliness, extroverted playfulness, boyish masculinity, and a hint of shyness" (BillyBoy 40). To accompany this image, Ken came with teenage male essentials, such as a letter sweater, tuxedo, and a gray flannel suit. One of the biggest questions facing Mattel was how anatomically correct should Ken be. They finally determined that young girls did not need to be exposed to some realities of adulthood; therefore Ken was born with permanent underwear.
Ken's development portrays one of the expectations of 1950's women. It was necessary to create Ken because "women were considered failures without male companionship" (Johnson "Barbie's Effects on American Suburban Culture").
All propaganda involving Barbie and Ken portray them as the stereotypical teenage couple. The first television commercial for Ken takes place at a ball. Amid this romantic scene, Barbie spots Ken, and it's love at first sight. All of the ads for Barbie and her "handsome steady" are a reflection of the innocent qualities of courtship (Weiss "Toys Were Us"). Ken and Barbie had coordinating outfits for the "beach, fraternity dances, after-school sodas, etc" (BillyBoy 41). A magazine about Barbie and Ken's adventures was published. Barbie and Ken were seen as being so much in love that they could not go anywhere without each other (as seen in Figure 3). After Barbie helps Ken in the garden, she says, "I'd do it any time Ken, just so long as we're together" (BillyBoy 42). Compared to modern culture, this is an extremely cordial and sappy relationship. The Barbie and Ken comic book furthers the portrayal of male and female relations of the early 1960's before the hippie culture invaded.
In 1961, Mattel produced a record of songs about Ken performed by Barbie. Through this music, girls could learn about proper social manners when dating. Evident in the lyrics are the games girls would play, such as coyness and aloofness, in teenage relations. This record also reinforced Barbie as a realistic character helping to shape her personality (BillyBoy 44).
Hey, isn't GI Joe better for Barbie?