Two households (180 E. 88th Street, and Mojo Dojo Casa House, to be exact), both alike in toxic masculinity, in Fantasy and Fiction, is where we lay our scene…
The dramatic portrayal of these two tragic heroes (anti-heroes?) was nothing less than Shakespearean. Whether you were rooting for these Kens or cheering for their demise, the Kenergy certainly captured your attention…
Which leads me to the question I’ve been asking since the inception of my instagram account in 2015:
What’s in a Name?
That which we call a ‘Ken’ by any other name would be as complex…or wouldn’t he be?
In a brilliant display of nominative determinism, the meticulously chosen names in the HBO Series, Succession, offer insight into the characters' inner worlds, psychology, and in some cases, their fate.
Logan Roy's choice to name his son 'Kendall' sets up the entire dynamic of the show.
Born into abject poverty, Logan Roy had the dogged determination to build Waystar RoyCo from the ground up. Despite his humble beginnings, which Logan’s own name meaning “Little Hollow” suggests, through sheer force of will, he rose to become the master of his own destiny.
A ruthless, megalomaniacal figure would naturally be drawn to more powerful names for his children, as names tend to say more about the parents who choose them than they do about the kids who bear them.
Consciously, Logan may have been drawn to a name like Kendall because of its significant meaning ('Valley of the Kings') but subconsciously, he may have loved that the name Kendall was gender neutral, and perhaps even, effeminate.
Logan choosing this name for his son creates the dynamic that psychologically neuters Kendall from infancy, ensuring he will never be able to overthrow his father: forever destined to wander in the shadow of the Valley of Kings, never capable of ascending to the throne himself.
Kendall Roy's androgynous name poignantly encapsulates his ongoing emasculation by his imposing father, Logan. His name meaning becomes a metaphor for the character’s perpetual struggle to escape his father's towering and monumental shadow.
After the tragic final episode aired, the internet largely commended Jeremy Strong, the method actor who played Kendall Roy, for his portrayal of 'male vulnerability,' and yet, ironically, many jokingly labeled his character 'babygirl,' perhaps showing that--regardless of gender--we still largely interpret vulnerability as a display of femininity. The nickname “babygirl” further points to Ken’s enduring legacy as a helpless, infantile, and effeminate character.
It’s interesting to note that 2018, the year Succession made its triumphant debut, was the last year Kendall registered on the Top 1000 Most Popular Baby Names for boys. While Kendall is historically a masculine name, it has consistently gained favor amongst girls since the 1980s when androgynous names for girls came into style. While it’s been on the Top 1000 for boys since the turn of the 20th Century, recent celebrities like Kendall Jenner have popularized the name choice for girls.
Contrastingly, the popularity of the name Ken peaked in 1960, the year before Mattel released the Ken Doll. The name’s popularity steadily waned from 1960 to 1995 when it vanished from the Top 1000 Most Popular Baby Names. This could lead us to make similar conclusions about how, as a society, we interpret and perceive the names Kendall and Ken for boys. While in Barbie canon, Ken is actually a nickname for Kenneth, the name of real-life Barbie's little brother, it’s interesting to note the phonetic similarities between Kendall and Ken Doll.
Kenneth’s origins and meanings vary, but two etymological deep dives reveal the name comes from the Gaelic Caioneach meaning "handsome, comely," while the traditional Brythonic derivation, which is thought to be more of a folk interpretation, means “to be born from fire.”
The meaning “Born from Fire” makes sense when one considers that the numerology for “Ken” is an expression number 3, which is ruled by the fiery and auspicious planet Jupiter.
Three’s in numerology relate to communication and good fortune. They are social butterflies who are filled with joy & optimism. Naturally lucky, three’s gravitate toward artistic endeavors in an attempt to express their care-free and jovial attitudes.
Three’s have a sort of boundless optimism, and are geared towards expansion… They never want the party to end; they derive great pleasure from connecting with others, learning about different cultures, and traveling non-stop. Essentially, three’s are trying to collect as many friends, fun facts, and passport stamps in the shortest amount of time possible.
Like the social butterflies that they are, they pollinate and spread celebration and wisdom wherever they go. But all of this fluttering & flitting about can feel…dare I say… *feminine.* Which brings us back to the most important point about Ken Doll.
In The Barbie Movie, Ken is emasculated, powerless, and codependent. His only happiness is derived from the gaze and acknowledgement of Barbie. In some ways, this feels historically representative of the plight of women. For most of recent history, men lived out in the world: in a society of their own creation, where they could be anything they wanted to be. Men were everything. Women were just women.
The movie showcased how difficult and demanding it is to live in the Real World as a woman, and how meaningless and purposeless it is to live in Barbie Land as Ken. The movie's allegory flips the roles between the Real World and Barbie Land, evoking empathy for the challenges women face while questioning the purposelessness of Ken's existence in Barbie's domain.
For generations, people have laughed about how Barbie would prefer the company of GI Joe than of Ken; so finding out that Ken Doll was named after real-life Barbie’s real-life brother makes some sense…
NO WONDER THEY NEVER HAD SEXUAL CHEMISTRY!...
Or should I say, KENistry ;)
This adds to the general sense that Ken is kind of a sexless android who was designed to be “Barbie’s Companion,” rather than “Barbie’s Hot Love Interest” or “Barbie’s Partner” or even “Barbie’s Husband.” Even though their romantic relations are implied, “companion” has a very banal, sexless tone. Ken is a neutered plastic doll, anatomically devoid of anything even approximating male sex organs.
It is implied that when Barbie and Ken get to the Real World, they also get real genitals, as evidenced by the final line of the film, “I’m here to see my gynecologist.” So this means, it wasn’t until Ken got to the real world and “grew some balls” (to put it bluntly) that he realized that he too could have a sense of mission and purpose within the confines of Barbie Land. He too could own a home (the “Mojo Dojo Casa House,” as he named it). He could express his feelings by taking Barbie on a date and serenading her with his guitar. For the first time since his creation, he had a sense of agency.
Ken’s journey to self actualization is juvenile, rebellious, obstinate, messy, and patriarchal. At times, he even appears to be the villain of the entire story. But the movie is hardly an anti-men manifesto; instead, it is a call for men to rise up, and to embody the KENERGY that we see at the end of the movie where the Kens recognize that they must seek purpose outside of their romantic relationships with the Barbies; To find the light inside. To remember who they truly are. To escape the societal matrix that keeps them confined and limited to the most superficial and unfulfilling jobs, interactions, and relationships.
Just as Kendall Roy sees his dreams crumble when WayStar RoyCo is sold out from under him due to his sister's betrayal, leaving him jobless, family-less, and defeated, Ken Doll sees Kendom dismantled by a plot orchestrated by Barbie. As Barbie Land is reinstated, Ken must watch the woman he loves depart for The Real World. Both characters experience heart-wrenching endings, marked by unfulfilled ambitions and betrayals from the women they love.
Despite the bleakness, there's a stark contrast in the aftermath of these two Kens' respective journeys. Kendall is left with nothing but a void of emptiness, as he stares out across the murky, frigid, choppy waters of the Upper New York Bay. Ken Doll's future seems sunny, promising, and full of jovial activities with friends living in Barbie Land. As Succession leaves us witnessing--what feels like--Kendall's final sunset, The Barbie Movie instills hope for Ken Doll's further evolution towards a more enlightened form of masculinity.
This could leave audiences with a grim and unfavorable perception of the name ‘Ken.’ But according to the 100 year rule, which proposes that “old fashioned” baby names cycle back into popularity approximately every 100 years, Ken isn’t due for revival until 2060.
Perhaps within the next 37 years, we will have a Barbie Movie Sequel, “The Ken Movie,” that exemplifies masculine vulnerability as precisely that: masculine. A movie that shows us what Ken’s been up to in Barbie Land since Barbie left him. A movie that shows the innate strength of character and will to overcome even the greatest betrayals and heartaches. A movie that glorifies the hard, laborious, painstaking work men have to go through to mature and self-actualize. Perhaps such a movie will exalt the name Ken, and we’ll see the name’s initiation back into the Top 1000 Most Popular Baby Names.