Ken's Big Wardrobe Change In Barbie Is Inspired By An Action Movie Legend
This article contains spoilers for "Barbie."
In Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," Ken (Ryan Gosling) leaves Barbieland and falls in love with everything our patriarchal real world has to offer, from sleek buildings with men in tailored business suits to the sweaty gyms where men grunt loudly and flex their strength. On the gym walls, as a form of inspiration, there are posters of the "Rocky" movies and other images of Sylvester Stallone. Stallone is just one of the many robust male leaders, including presidents and cowboys, that Ken aspires to be, but once he sees the action movie legend wearing a luxurious fur coat, he realizes his destiny.
When he returns to Barbieland, Ken copies Sylvester Stallone's aesthetic by wearing a long, white fur coat, red boxing gloves, and diamond jewelry. He trades in his pastel-colored beach ensembles for a more bold and macho look. Much like the uproarious "Barbie" movie as a whole, there is a deeper meaning beneath the surface of this silly costume choice. The Herculean movie star Sylvester Stallone is the perfect icon to represent the stereotypical ideas of masculinity that Ken tries to emulate.
A hard body hero
During the 1980s, Sylvester Stallone was one of the definitive "hard body" actors (like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme) with chiseled physiques and rock-solid determination. These men personified a hypermasculine ideal that was very popular during Ronald Reagan's presidency in post-Vietnam War America. They were "men's men," and they became idols of machismo.
Known as the "Cowboy President," Reagan wanted to revive rugged individualism, assertiveness, and strength — so-called traditional values that many Americans felt were lost during the failed Vietnam War. The counterculture movement had completely transformed stereotypical gender norms, rejecting the aggressive violence of war and embracing emotional vulnerability and spirituality. Sylvester Stallone exemplified conservative, Reagan-era masculinity through his tough and taciturn performances in the "Rambo" and "Rocky" movies (which get more over the top with each installment). His characters illustrate conventional male qualities such as exceptional physical power, stoicism, and victory through violence. Through these heroic roles, Stallone was seen as the ultimate man, so it makes sense that Ken wants to embody him the most. The fact Stallone also had a penchant for wearing extravagant fur coats, a powerful fashion statement for the time, would especially appeal to a fashion doll like Ken.
Flaunting his success
Everything about the 1980s was big — big muscles, big explosions, and big bucks. "Greed is good," Gordon Gekko declared in "Wall Street," and ruthless capitalism defined the decade. Thanks to tax cuts for the wealthy, increased military spending, and a rise in the stock market, there was a significant economic boom. We can see this upward mobility in the "Rocky" series, where he ascends from humble blue-collar roots to a sprawling mansion with a talking robot.
The fur coats that Sylvester Stallone wears are a symbol of ostentatious wealth. In Ken's eyes, this outfit projects an image of a smart, successful type of man to look up to, someone who is better than you because he has the authority and power that fortune brings. Finances, like bonds and C&Ds, become one of the things that the Kens love to mansplain to the Barbies. Ken dresses up in an oversized and fluffy fur coat so that, like Sylvester Stallone, he can be a patriarchal role model, a "real" man that is a strong and commanding ruler of his own dream world.