Barbie’s had a makeover – now meet ‘dad-bod’ Ken
The general consensus across social media last week was universal support for Mattel’s latest Fashionistas Line, which brought Barbie into 2016 with a range of realistic body shapes for the iconic doll.
And not wanting to leave out Ken, fashion website Lyst have enlisted artist Jamie Phillips to create a range of dolls that capture men in a range of different ethnicities, shapes and sizes, reports Mashable.
Lyst’s editorial director Katherine Ormerod said “men need plastic role models too”. “Ken has been a top menswear influencer for over 50 years, but like Barbie, he needs a makeover every now and again,” she said.
Within the collection are Ken dolls in a range of shapes and sizes. Alongside the ‘hipster’ Ken is ‘dad-bod’ Ken and ‘balding’ Ken – and while the dolls are just mock-ups for now, the clothes they’re dressed in available for online purchase, while Lyst hopes they might start selling the dolls themselves soon.
To perfect Ken’s modern-day look, Lyst reportedly collated their most popular products from the last 12 months and combined the results with customer demographics.
“We’ve been inundated with requests for us to produce and sell the dolls, which gives a real insight into the appeal of the more diverse Kens,” said Ormerod.
“Hipster Ken seems to be the favourite by a long way. We think it might be down to the pin-up Barbie tattoo on his forearm.”
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