Ryan Gosling Drops Sad Himbo Anthem
Himbos have feelings, too. In “Just Ken,” the latest drop from the Barbie soundtrack, Ryan Gosling proves that men with hot, washboard abs and bleach-blond hair are more than mere eye candy, more than a simple accessory — like Barbie’s pink corvette and archival Chanel tweed — that she totes around her dream house. This Ken has feelings. “I just don’t know who I am without you,” the himbo representative says in the music video above. After Margot Robbie’s Barbie responds, “You’re Ken,” our muscular protagonist refutes her. “But it’s Barbie and Ken; there is no just Ken,” he retorts. As a sad classic-rock piano intro plays, Ken sings about his Sisyphean struggle to gain recognition during magic hour. “Doesn’t seem to matter what I do / I’m always No. 2,” he sings. “ I have feelings that I can’t explain / They’re drivin’ me insane.” In a montage of him playing sidekick alongside main character Barbie, he rides in the backseat of the tandem bike, his girlfriend doesn’t accept his affections, and he struggles in Barbie’s world. His fellow Kens rally around him, hinting at a dance number while our main Ken is manic and shirtless underneath a fur coat. “Is it my destiny to live and die a life of blond fragility?” he asks as the instruments come in with a roar. We guess Kenergy means being mired in existential angst no matter how empty your head is.
