Barbie arrived in theaters on July 21 and brought with it an entirely new perspective on the iconic Mattel dolls, Barbie and Ken. In the film, while the Barbie dolls embody themes of female empowerment and the restraining nature of sexism and the patriarchy, the Kens embody male fragility and insecurity and how the patriarchy fuels such things. At the same time, Greta Gerwig frames these themes in a way that is utterly hilarious and entertaining. Pretty much every time the Kens so much as just walk onscreen, the theater will be doubling over with laughter at their mannerisms, voices, and ridiculous outfits, and because they just so perfectly capture everything wrong with insecure, impressionable men.
However, the Kens aren’t all bad. When they’re not being swayed by harmful rhetoric, they actually do quite a good job at breaking male stereotypes. They’re not scared to show emotion, fear, and pain or to be very invested in their fashion, or to hype each other up. They don’t mind letting the women run the world while they “beach,” and they have dance-offs instead of fistfights. Basically, they’ve got Kenergy. The meaning of Kenergy has been one of the internet’s greatest mysteries since Barbie promotions began. Whatever it is, though, it doesn’t seem to necessarily be a bad thing.
Yes, it might hint at the Kens’ lack of intelligence, but it also touches on the part of them that is optimistic, confident, adorable, and untainted by toxic masculinity. Here is every Ken in the Barbie movie ranked from worst (but still amazing) to best, according to their Kenergy.
8. Scott Evans Ken
Scott Evans is a fantastic Ken in Barbie. For one, he’s arguably the most adorable Ken, and his flamboyancy and dance moves are on point. While Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu are the main Kens, Evans works well as one of the side Kens who just follow the leads of the main Kens and have exaggerated reactions to everything. The only problem with Evans’ Ken is that his role is a bit too small in Barbie. He gets overshadowed by the other Kens and just isn’t as prevalent as some of the side Kens. Without any particularly memorable or hilarious scenes featuring Evans’ Ken, it’s a little hard to judge his Kenergy.
7. Magic Earring Ken
Tom Stourton makes a surprise cameo in Barbie as Magic Earring Ken. Magic Earring Ken is the official name Mattel gave the discontinued toy, but he has since gone on to be called Gay Ken and Cock Ring Ken. The first nickname was because he unwittingly became a gay icon after being introduced in 1993, and the latter was because he wore a necklace that very accidentally resembled a cock ring. Barbie fixes the cock ring confusion by giving Magic Earring Ken a simple Barbie necklace instead. However, Stourton still boasts the iconic purple leather vest and singular earring.
His striking getup, along with his beach blond hair and the fact that he’s hiding out with Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) to avoid the other Kens, is giving us some pretty strong Kenergy vibes. Again, though, his appearance is too brief to see how he measures up against the other Kens.
6. Sugar Daddy Ken
Rob Brydon’s Sugar Daddy Ken joined Stourton’s Magic Earring Ken in a brief cameo in Barbie. He is another discontinued Ken chilling with Weird Barbie while refusing to be a part of Kendom. Additionally, he’s very polite and patient while explaining that his name doesn’t mean anything inappropriate. It’s just that he has a little fluffy white dog named Sugar, and he is Sugar’s daddy. His appearance in Barbie was far too brief, but his suave mannerisms, stylish green blazer, and the pride he has in being Sugar’s daddy are giving big Kenergy.
5. Kenmaid
John Cena’s Kenmaid was another Ken cameo in Barbie that was just too good. Initially, Dua Lipa is the Mermaid Barbie who says, “Hi, Barbie,” every time Barbie visits the beach. However, after the Kens take over, Cena in a wig takes on Mermaid Barbie’s job and becomes Kenmaid. He is everything you would imagine a Kenmaid would be—a merman with flowing blond hair, seashell necklaces, and fins. When the Kens took over, the positions of President and Supreme Court Justices were open, but that this Ken decided to take over Mermaid Barbie’s job as Kenmaid shows that he has a lot of Kenergy.
4. Ncuti Gatwa Ken
Ncuti Gatwa’s Ken has some serious Kenergy going on in Barbie. He’s one of the side Kens who does Ryan Gosling’s Ken’s bidding. However, he has a bit of personality himself. You can tell the whole time that he’s not really interested in ruling Barbieland, and he definitely can’t fight, he’s just cool with being Barbie’s and Ken’s BFF. Additionally, he has a unique sense of style. He usually goes for a sexy cowboy look with his cowboy hat and sleeveless denim jacket, but he’s noticeably lacking in cowboyish mannerisms. Gatwa’s Ken is unathletic, complacent, does everything just for looks, and really screams Kenergy.
3. Simu Liu Ken
Simu Liu is one of the most prominent Kens in Barbie and is the rival of Gosling’s Ken. He pretty perfectly sums up what being a Ken means. Just look at that smug little smile in the picture above, he is practically bursting with cockiness despite having literally nothing to be cocky about. Liu’s Ken doesn’t even seem to be all that into Barbie, he just needs attention and jumps at every opportunity to get in someone else’s face and puff his chest out. However, when push comes to shove, he’s just as scared as the rest of the Kens. That’s why in the blink of an eye, he goes from Gosling’s Ken’s worst enemy to his BFF multiple times in the film. This fairly uncool, attention-seeking, cocky Ken, who thinks he’s more confident than he actually is, displays some textbook Kenergy.
2. Kingsley Ben-Adir Ken
Kingsley Ben Adir’s Ken is the absolute opposite of toxic masculinity, and he’s one of the most innocent and hilarious Kens in Barbie. He knows very well that he’s a side Ken, but he’s perfectly alright with that. He’d much rather hold Gosling’s Ken’s drink and ice cream than get in on “beaching” anyone or dancing. Still, because of his loyalty to his best friend Ken, he is forced to get into the action sometimes, but he usually hides behind Ken, crawls on the ground, or just waves his little flag until the scary parts are over. Really, though, Ben-Adir’s Ken just wants to be Ken’s bestie, go out for ice cream, and work some low-level job for Barbie, and then he’ll be content. He’s Kenergy in its purest form.
1. Ryan Gosling Ken
Of course, no one has as much Kenergy as Gosling, who is really THE Ken of Barbie. He’s the stereotypical Ken who exists to just be around Barbie, show off his abs, and wear eye-popping outfits. While he takes pride in his job, which is just “beach,” he mainly exists to be around Barbie and wants all of her attention. Hence, whenever he doesn’t get her attention or she reprimands him, we get a little bit of a harmless manbaby tantrum. Ken tries his hardest to be intimidating and douchy, but ultimately, he just can’t help but cry or break out into song to express his feelings. He’s really just a self-obsessed, overly emotional little teddy bear who is the very definition of Kenergy.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
