Is there a gay barbie
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Wanting to resemble the soldier, I slashed my cheek with a tennis ball can lid so I could have a matching scar. How have Barbie and the queer and trans communities become inherently linked over the last half-century? In coming out, their experience has not always been affirming. They also educate, provoke dialogue, and provide representation that was long denied in mainstream toys.
—Follow Mary McCarthy on Bluesky and Instagram.
A doll!
Named after Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler’s son-in-law, Allan was designed to fit into Ken’s clothes and eventually became Midge’s husband in the early ’90s. He is the author of several travel books, and a novel, “The Voyeur.” His work has appeared in The New York Times, Bloomberg News, Gay City News, and many other publications.
The process of hunting for rare dolls or accessories can be exhilarating, fostering a sense of achievement and camaraderie within the community. In my head, I thought, “It’s OK for a boy to play with a doll if it’s a boy too.” The neighbours were a sports-loving family full of boys who acted the way boys should act. Also, speaking for myself, the pink convertible and queer-coded Ken, with his magic earrings and chiseled chest didn’t hurt either.
In the 1990s, when I lived in New Brunswick, New Jersey, while getting a master’s at Rutgers, I literally cooked in my own kitschy Barbie Dream Kitchen, a dreamy 1950s-themed room complete with pink vintage appliances, a pink dinette set and pink Fiesta Ware. Others remember being affected by the way that, even when Barbie’s world is multiracial, it elevates the blondest of white people.
To see the doll trending on Twitter now, and in such a positive, normalized way, is just a reaffirmation of all the work and progress we’ve made for the LGBTQ+ community.”
Last year, Mattel created a Laverne Cox doll for her 50th birthday as part of its Signature Tribute collection. Collecting Barbie dolls allows enthusiasts to participate in a broader dialogue about consumerism, gender roles, and the evolving nature of play and identity in contemporary society.
In fact, the largest billboard for the movie I saw on a recent trip to Sydney was in the gay neighbourhood Darlinghurst, with native Australian Margot Robbie decked out in Barbie’s classic 1959 black and white swimsuit, rising over the area’s rainbow flags.
When I became a gay uncle ― or “guncle” ― to my niece Evangelia, I got the chance to indulge in my Barbie obsession (one that my sisters still share) all over again.
Because Barbie obviously isn’t real (no matter what the new movie tells us), I can’t thank her for everything I’ve gained from my relationship with her, but, luckily I did get to thank another huge influence in my young gay doll-loving life.
In 2012, I met Marlo Thomas at the premiere of Evita on Broadway.
What’s wrong with you?
This wasn’t the only time there was a strong reaction to my playing with dolls. It’s the company’s first official transgender doll, not counting its gender-neutral and arguably non-binary line. The world of Barbie, more so in 2024, serves diversity in appearance and a spectrum of personal expression and beauty ideals—there is much work to be done in decentering their problematic history, but Mattel is taking steps—offering collectors a way to explore and celebrate different facets of themselves.
I’m not sure who I’d be without my adventures with her, even if we got into trouble or made people anxious. Some of this research might now be considered outdated if not homophobic, even if it was advanced for its time, like Richard Green’s 1987 book examining “The Sissy Boy Phenomenon” based on 15 years of research. Consider the drag queen Trixie Mattel (Brian Michael Firkus), a Native American performer whose name literally contains the toy company’s name and whose pink aesthetic is inspired by Barbie at every turn.
For years, the ripped gowns sat in a drawer ― a reminder of both my tantrum and my transgression into a shameful desire deemed inappropriate for my gender. Collecting Barbie was, until recently, rebellious of the toxic masculinity and homophobia rampant in their experiences. Collecting Barbie dolls can foster a sense of community and connection among gay men, as well as collectors at large, across all intersections of race, gender, ethnicity, and experience.
She said we could be anything we wanted, so I pick and choose my Barbie moments. I had a lovely Christmas in 1992, thanks to affirming parents.