The well-known Ken doll got a makeover at a local California bakery earlier this month and not everyone seems to be on board.
Freeport Bakery in Sacramento, Cali. posted a picture on their Facebook page on Aug. 13 of Ken dressed in Barbie’s clothing – a twist on the bakery’s popular cake – with the comment “Ken’s looking good.”
“I just thought the cake was beautiful,” said Marlene Goetzeler to NBC affiliate KCRA News about the dessert.
However, shortly after posting the photo, comments – both negative and positive – began pouring in.
“I think it is a disgrace to deface a Barbie doll like that, what is this world coming to?” said one person in the comment section, adding later on “you will never get my business.”
Another shared the picture of Ken and wrote “This has just ruined Barbie for me.”
The co-owner of the shop said she was stunned by what she read online.
“First, I was shocked, then I was surprised and then I was like, ‘Well, you can’t make everyone happy,’” Goetzeler told KCRA.
The image of Ken in a dress has caused dozens of people to comment about the ongoing intolerance and negativity towards the LGBTQ community, and in this specific case: cross-dressers.
According to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), a cross-dresser tends to refer to a heterosexual male who “occasionally wear clothes, makeup, and accessories culturally associated with women.”
GLAAD also stated cross-dressers choose to wear items associated with women as a “form of gender expression” and do not want or have a desire to permanently live or change their sex to that of a female.
All-in-all, there were a lot of positive comments too, including one message about how beautiful the cake looked.
“It’s beautiful!” the person wrote. “I love the colour scheme, the ruffles, all of it!”
Someone else added, “Ken is looking fierce and fab and absolutely delicious guys! Love it!”
According to KCRA, the customer who ordered the cake said it was for a friend’s birthday and all in good fun.
Goetzeler said that she has and will continue to delete all the negative comments posted to her bakery’s page.
Comments