Enough is Kenough
We’d like to call out recent quotes from the best male fragility has to offer, a la political commentator Ben Shapiro, "All you need to know about #BarbieTheMovie is that it unironically uses the word "patriarchy" more than 10 times." And Bill Maher's take, "I was hoping it wouldn't be preachy, man-hating, and a ZombieLie — alas, it was all three." First of all, who hurt you? May I remind concerned parties that this movie was released the same day as Oppenheimer, the very real-life story of how the male ego invented nuclear war, but by all means, get your panties in a twist over a doll.
Step aside, Roger Ebert, but we at ManServants, with our real-life Kens, loved it. Part of having a ManServant is feeling like you're playing in Barbie's dreamhouse. Our clients finally get to be waited on hand and foot, giving them a much-needed break from patriarchal confines that has them pouring another glass of wine.
Seated in a packed theater clad in pink, it's clear we're not the only ones who loved its lighthearted, candy-coated feminist message. It offers a taste of the impossible expectations placed on women, but it's an introduction many in the world still need. Patriarchy's proof is in the ticket sales as Greta Gerwig has just made history as the first female solo director to surpass $1 billion at the box office with Barbie. Sorry, fellas, but you'll have to mansplain The Godfather to us some other time.
Now I'm about to get into some spoilers, so if you don't want the movie ruined, stop right now, thank you very much.
Ken Goes Full Incel
Ken is superfluous to Barbie's main character energy. When they venture into the human world and discover patriarchy, Ken is thrilled to reap its advantages and goes full INCEL. He brings patriarchy back to Barbieland, where he and the other Kens take over. But like with women, patriarchy demands a performance of him as well. He controls the other Barbies, effectively brainwashing them to serve, competes with the other Kens, and ultimately gets used as a weapon against him.
Unsurprisingly, overpowering Barbies doesn't get Ken the girl or resolve the root of his struggles. The movie could have ended there with Barbieland restored to its sparkly glory but offered a redemption story instead. Barbie apologizes for treating Ken as an accessory and encourages his own introspection. After stepping into each other's shoes and switching roles, Barbie and Ken can now set out to figure out who they are outside the confines of a rigged, man-made system.
ManServants = Therapy
During our events, we call this live-action role play. Our clients get to become ladies of leisure and make their own rules, rules ManServants may then follow. Our ManServants, in turn, step into the caretaking duties of our clients—anticipating and approaching needs, stepping into simultaneous roles of bartender, butler, and personal photographer while looking very easy on the eyes. At the end of an event, they step back into the real world and are left with a greater appreciation for what the other does.
While we would never claim ManServants diving into a pool to serve champagne constitutes therapy, per se, it is therapeutic. Psychodrama, founded by Jacob L. Moreno, is used in psychotherapy, in which clients use role-playing, dramatization, and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Nonsexual fantasies aside, that's the sneaky feminist message behind our company.
The BBC calls Barbie "Deeply bizarre and anti-man." As movie-goers with common sense, we reject that. Barbie is not anti-man; it's pro-empathetic men. And we need that now more than ever. Because in real life, we still have a surge of men resisting true reflection, and without a choreographed dance-off, it's much less cute to witness.
With patriarchy as the status quo, introspection within relationships will always seem more of a "woman's thing," and that's why our clients want ManServants long after marriage. When the world can feel a little more co-ed, we evolve forward in a way that feels right for all partners. That's the real fantasy.
Patriarchy, patriarchy, patriarchy, patriarchy. We, the ladies of ManServants, have used the word "patriarchy" over 11 times in this article. Because we love to keep you on your Barbie toes, Ben Shapiro.
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