Barbie is widely known for her problematic body representation, she is tall, extremely thin, and has a very small waste (Uncu, 2019). Research shows that playing with dolls that represent such unrealistic body ideals can have an influence on children’s perception of their own body (Norton et al., 1996). When children only see women represented as looking like Barbie’s they will eventually strive to look like them. This can lead to dieting and eating disorders at a young age. As such, the proportions of dolls like Barbie create a vast disparity between those of the dolls and what children see and that of healthy adults. Thereby creating a false sense of body standards that children aim to achieve (Norton et al., 1996). But what about Ken?
As such, it is interesting to look at Ken and his body as he also represents a distorted version of what an adult man should look like. Since his debut, Ken is portrayed with an idealised physique – boasting well-defined muscles, a classic V-shaped torso accentuated by a trim waistline and broad shoulders, and proportions that emits a sense of physical perfection (Norton et al., 1996, p. 293; Boyd & Murnen, 2017). In fact, if Ken were a a real human putting on a shirt would prove nearly impossible due to his exaggerated physique (Croll, 2005). This portrayal suggests a societal preference for such an aesthetic, with many menaspiring towards a similar muscular physique (Boyd & Murnen, 2017).
Indeed, in the realm of media and fashion dolls, the depiction of Ken and similar icons often perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards, influencing children to pursue thinness through dieting and other unhealthy methods (Anschutz & Engels, 2010). As Ken is a toy for girls, playing with such a representation of a male body might affect how girls perceive men should look like. Therefore, also creating an unrealistic beauty standard of what they think their future partner should look like, thereby putting even more pressure on boys to look like Ken and be attractive to girls, and later women. This pursuit of ‘the perfect body’ often leads eating disorders and body dissatisfaction (Brownell & Napolitano, 1995; Dittmar et al., 2006). Indeed, research shows that over 30 % of men think their current size is too small (Croll, 2005). Which results in unhealthy weight control methods that include for example vomiting, taking laxatives, and diet pills (Croll, 2005). But also, excessive working out can be an affect hereof as men aim to fit this ideal body image of a muscular man(Croll, 2005).