“Toymaker
Mattel’s Ken dolls now come in three different body types: broad, slim and
original. There are new cultural tweaks, too: An African-American Ken comes
with cornrows, an Asian Ken rocks a sharp, design-director look and
another version of the figure sports a man bun.”
Not quite so promoted but also available:
the “broad” version, a 40-ish Ken doll that looks like a slightly
better-dressed version of every dad you know, complete with flagging physique.
If they were selling these things to boys, they’d offer a couch, big-screen TV and a Denver Broncos jersey as accessories. But since they’re still primarily marketed to girls, I suppose an authentic Ken Sr. ought to come with lawnmower and a pair of garbage bags to lug to the curb on Tuesday morning.
What Is and What Might Be
It’s not hard to figure out what’s driving
this, along with other media initiatives: the suspicion that providing a mirror
in which today’s young men and women can “see themselves” — toys that
reflect what we commonly see around us rather than some kind of male or female ideal — could turn out to be
a goldmine. A cash cow. An economic bonanza.
But when we talk about “seeing ourselves”,
what we really mean is that all aspiration to be better than we are today is effectively
history. What we are asking for is validation of our present status, a state of
being that is easy as pie (since it’s our default) and is often not
particularly desirable. The anti-“fat shaming” movement is another symptom of
this mentality.
Humiliating
the Obese
Now, I’m not for a moment suggesting that
the calculated humiliation of the obese is somehow a Christian virtue. Let’s
not start that. But what I am saying is that the Christian life is about a
whole lot more than simply accepting what we are and, God forbid, celebrating it. Urk. Try as we might to
squirm against the notion, the Lord Jesus did not save you and he did not save
me so that we can start feeling peachy about our present character and behavior
and just leave it at that.
Because some of that stuff I’m carrying
around inside me has simply got to change.
Take this line from the apostle Paul: “Aim for perfect harmony.” That sounds like a lot of unnecessary work in an environment where everyone
around us is telling us we can just demand that others be content with whatever
we may offer them today. Best you’re
gonna get, pal. Deal.
But the KJV renders the same Greek phrase, “Be
perfect.” The ISV says, “Keep on growing to maturity.” Even the fast-and-loose
God’s Word translation has to concede that an honest rendering of the Greek
original at bare minimum demands “Make sure that you improve.”
Feelgood
Panaceas and Transformation
Whatever feelgood panaceas the world is
prepared to offer us, the Christian life is fundamentally about change, and
about allowing ourselves to be transformed by the indwelling Spirit of God for his glory.
In short, the “broad” version of Ken does
not provide acceptable shorthand for my state of being in Christ. Neither does “man-bun
Ken”, “dreadlock Ken” or any other version extant.
We are called to a standard for which there
is no convenient shorthand and no quick fix.
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