MERRY KEN-MAS! 🎄🕶

Thank you for the early Christmas gift, Mr. Gosling

Hey girl,

Have you seen the video for the Christmas version of “I’m Just Ken” yet?

I logged on this morning and the first thing that hit my feed was this “Kristmas” take on the hit song from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie. Naturally, I had to drop everything and watch it immediately.

Maybe I’m just getting soft as the festive season settles in, but the minute I saw Ryan Gosling step up to the mic and put on Ken’s signature shades (“The world can have Ken’s voice, but only Barbie can have his eyes,” he claims), I got a bit emotional. I will put some of the blame on the soft and cozy studio setting, which came complete with random splashes of tinsel, a plate of cookies, and rainbow-coloured Christmas lights strung from every available surface.

This year has been a particularly rough one, as the pandemic rages on (yes, it’s still out there) and we mourn the loss of so many innocent lives in Gaza while battling a rise in both Islamophobia and antisemitism around the world. Maybe this is my inner Barbie talking, but I truly believe we have to take our moments of joy when they come, as they help us power up for whatever lies ahead. As “they” say, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Yes, I know that these new versions of “I’m Just Ken” is just another attempt to cash in on the Barbie craze, especially as Ryan heads into awards season with visions of a Best Supporting Actor trophies swimming in his head. And of course I see that wrapping it with a seasonally appropriate bow is manipulative, pulling on our collectively Christmas-obsessed heartstrings. But did I need a little pick-me-up this morning, as I struggled to get out bed and prepare to face another day filled with people pretending everything is okay? Yes. Yes I did.

Truth be told, I don’t know that I’ll be listening to “I’m Just Ken (Merry Kristmas Barbie)” for years to come. Hell, it probably won’t get much play outside of this week. That said, it really has me thinking about the fact that we need a spooky Christmas album from Ryan’s band Dead Man’s Bones. Because while I love Ken, I love the real man behind the tan even more.

I better stop before things get too sappy and I pivot to recommending you make your family watch The Nice Guys followed by Blue Valentine this holiday season. I’ll just leave you with this message from the king of blond fragility: Merry Christmas, Barbie. Wherever you are. ❤️