Colt vs Ken
Contains spoilers for The Fall Guy (2024) and Barbie (2023).
From conversations with friends and servers to posts on the internet, it’s a common opinion that people did not think Ryan Gosling was particularly attractive until he played Colt Seavers in the new movie The Fall Guy. Compared to his previous role as Ken in last summer’s Barbie, something about Colt caught viewers’ attention. Between the scruffy, lovestruck stuntman trying to win back the affection of his coworker Jody and the intentionally flawless, year-round beach-bodied doll brought to life pining for his long-term, long-distance, low-commitment casual girlfriend Barbie, many would likely assume Ken would have won the hearts of audiences. However, not even a man designed to be perfect could compare with the likes of Colt. Colt’s competence, confidence, and respect won over Jody and the people in the theater which has greater implications for the effects of men’s media representation.
Competence
From the beginning of The Fall Guy, we can see that Colt is a talented stuntman. Despite the movie starting with him injuring his back in a stunt accident (which turns out was not an accident), we see this repeatedly throughout the film. He examines the sand on the beach to determine the safety of the cannon roll stunt, uses his stunt knowledge to help save others from danger, and even knows when a stunt is too dangerous to attempt, preferring to find stairs when jumping onto a boat was deemed too risky.
Colt’s competence doesn’t just revolve around his work, though. He is also a well-rounded human being outside of his work, taking care of himself and functioning on his own when he takes a break from his stunt work due to his injury. He is a functional human being outside of his work and away from the woman he loves.
Compare this with Ken in Barbie. Beach Ken’s only job is to be attractive at the beach. Even when he tries to surf to impress Barbie, he fails and injures himself. Once injured, he needs the Barbies to take care of him. He is entirely reliant on Barbie. Even when the Kens rebel and start their own way of life in Barbieland, everything is a mess.
There is certainly a lack of support for men in the world, and normalizing men needing help, not always being strong, and not dealing with life on their own is important. However, the complete reliance on the Barbies that we see from the Kens is not helping any of them. Putting all the pressure on the Barbies to provide not only material and emotional support but also a sense of purpose is too much to ask of an individual. Colt, however, has found a sense of purpose outside of Jody through his passion for his stunt work. In Ken’s world, the idea that men should constantly be pursuing romantic relationships hinders any achievement or joy outside of that, and Colt having that source of fulfillment outside of his romantic life with Jody alleviates the stress that caused many of the problems between Barbie and Ken.
Confidence
A by-product of Colt’s competence is his confidence. His identity as a stuntman means a lot to him and he is proud of the work he has done and the achievements he has accomplished. He talks with earned pride about his ability to do the Miami Vice boat jump through a ring of fire with his hands tied behind his back. His pride in himself is not because he is full of himself, as Iggy Star accused him of, but because he knows what he is good at and can appreciate the abilities and achievements he’s acquired throughout his work.
Not only this, but he is confident in himself as a person. Even when he repeatedly claims that he’s “just” the stunt guy, he doesn’t diminish the value he brings to others’ lives and work. He has his moments where his confidence wavers, especially after his near-death injury where he disappears for months on end, but it took almost dying for him to lose faith in himself. Under normal circumstances, he knows who he is and isn’t afraid to share that with people.
On the other hand, Ken’s entire life is spent with shattered confidence in himself and his place in the world. He is constantly trying to compete with the other Kens for Barbie’s affection. His job, beach, is all about standing on the beach looking physically attractive. He fails to successfully lead Barbieland once in control. This lack of confidence prevents Ken from doing anything that brings him joy, from choosing how to style his hair, how he dresses, and even how he spends his evenings, often waiting until Barbie wants him around. As a result, he hasn’t developed a personality, skills, or anything that makes him an interesting person. This external pressure to be someone specific for the goal of being Barbie’s Ken takes a toll on him and is reminiscent of the pressures men face in real life.
If Matt Senger’s Instagram comments are any indication, there is still backlash to this day against men who find confidence outside of traditional masculinity. Appearing traditionally “masculine” is still necessary to prevent comments calling a guy gay simply for his appearance. This implies a man can only be free from the goal of finding a partner and the actions society deems necessary for that when he is not attracted to women. This pressure often undermines what some men want to wear and feel comfortable in, and the comments reflect how much people find Matt’s confidence in how HE wants to dress not only admirable but attractive. By pressuring men to exist for a potential partner and sticking to a narrow definition of how that should be done, guys are holding themselves and others back from potential confidence that everyone can find enjoyable.
Respect
The final, most striking difference between the two Gosling characters is their respect for their love interests. With Colt, he understands that he messed up with Jody and hurt her feelings. He disappeared without an explanation, leaving her in emotional turmoil. When he shows up out of the blue on the set of Metalstorm, he tries his best to rekindle their love but doesn’t push past her boundaries. He says that he would love another chance, not demanding it from her. He does what he can to make it up to her in the ways she wants, whether it be agreeing to attend karaoke or being lit on fire repeatedly. He wants to be with her but is doing it on her terms, in whatever way feels comfortable for her.
In contrast, Ken repeatedly attempts to pressure Barbie into a relationship that she doesn’t want because they’re Barbie and Ken and they’re boyfriend and girlfriend. He assumes that because of the norms presented to them their feelings on the situation don’t matter. Barbie being uncomfortable isn’t as important as them doing what boyfriend and girlfriend are supposed to do. This ultimately continues to drive Barbie away. Ken thinks that by doing the right things, he is owed the experiences he wants, which is not in line with Barbie’s interests. As unfortunate as this situation is, the experiences of Ken once again mirror the experiences of many men in modern society because the representations of healthy masculinity in media are so limited.
Media Representation
It's easy to blame individual men for behaviors like Ken’s, but men are often presented with harmful representations of masculinity through media. Toyetic media (media designed around the sale of merchandise) is still rampant, with companies profiting off toys from violent media, at the expense of young, impressionable boys having well-rounded role models to look up to. Young girls are getting better characters as role models, but boys have not gotten the same treatment, as there is no financial incentive for better media representation. Without these changes, the media young boys consume has lasting effects on their lives, leading to people like Ken who lack competence, confidence, and respect for others, ultimately hindering them and instilling behaviors in them that harm others.
Conclusion
What started as a breakdown of differences between the attractiveness of two characters portrayed by Ryan Gosling shows how narrow and limiting media representation can set boys and men up for problems later in life, whether it’s struggling to find and maintain relationships with others or with oneself. At the end of the day, it’s not about the outward appearances of these two men, as they’re both played by the same actor. What really sets these men apart is who they are internally and how that manifests in their lives. We are failing young boys from the start by depriving them of good role models to look up to and media representations that show them how to succeed in the future, or that there even is a future for men without the pursuit of a partner. While Colt is not perfect by any means and is constantly involved in violent situations, he is a good man who is trying his best to be the best version of himself he can be, and that is something that has drawn the attention of many individuals who happen to experience The Fall Guy. Colt Seavers is a step forward in media representation for men, much to the enjoyment of everyone it seems, so the next time a guy feels pressured to conform to traditional masculinity, hopefully he can remember how many people love a man who can cry while “chilling down” to Taylor Swift.
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