#earring magic Midge

[overly-distressed-mouse]

Okay I'm now home from watching the Barbie movie, so I have to bestow some knowledge upon you fuckers (aka me infodumping actual Barbie lore because there were a lot of references there).

So, first and foremost, in one scene, we see "Earring Ken" and "Growing up Skipper" (very short scene, don't worry if you missed it). But these were actual Barbie dolls released by Mattel way back whenever (See pictures below)

So, "Earring Ken" was actually "Earring Magic Ken". His whole thing was Mattel wanted to be cool and hip with the kids or whatever, so they created him. Except their idea of going out and finding inspiration and information as to what was "hip with the kids", was gay bars. And raves. As you can imagine, Earring Magic Ken did not stay on shelves too long (about 6 months) (though he did sell actually really well and I believe is still one of their most sold despite only being available for such a short time). I'm pretty sure his necklace charm could be swapped out too and also worn as actual earrings. HOWEVER, the part about Earring Magic Ken that kills me, is that because they went to gay bars, not only did they give him a mesh shirt and shit (as seen above), but the charm on his necklace? Is a cock ring. Did Mattel realize this? Probably the fuck not, but that's what it was💕

Growing up Skipper was also an actual doll, and just like in the movie, if you twisted her arm, she grew boobs. She also grew like an inch taller or something. I'm pretty sure she also was not on the shelf long, but she was introduced in the 1970s. So that's fun

Next up, Midge and Allan (who both play slightly bigger roles in the film but here's pictures anyways)

So Midge was Barbie's best friend, and was released specifically because Mattel found themselves faced with high demand for a pregnant Barbie doll. But of course, Barbie can never get married or be pregnant or have kids, because it ages her, and obviously seeming a little older means Barbie is suddenly worthless and unappealing (Woo patriarchy!). So their solution was Midge, who, ironically, ended up being everything Barbie couldn't (which is kind of funny since she's supposed to be able to be any and everything ever). So, them making her only personality trait in the movie her pregnancy, is kind of spot on. She did have actual dolls initially but then seemed to disappear for a while, having been replaced with other "Barbie's best friend!"'s. Actually they also replaced Barbie's siblings several times but that's another post. Midge did eventually return though in Life in the Dreamhouse (See below)

One thing they never mentioned in the movie, however, is that Allan was actually Midge's boyfriend. I don't have too much on him besides that but I think it's worth mentioning.

Anywho, there's my rant on some of the characters in the Barbie movie, if you made it this far, thanks :))

[amazing-spiderlad]

I wanna see a spinoff from the Barbie movie where Allan is just being his best gay friend self and supporting Midge as she gets ready to have her baby. And also earring magic Ken is Allan's boyfriend because that is just too good an opportunity for them to pass up.

[joanna-fake-name]

(Spoilers for the Barbie Movie)

Just saw the Barbie Movie. I am so normal about this. So completely normal. This will not consume the rest of my life from now until forever. So. Normal

[concerto-roblox]

just remembered this youtube thumbnail that was incredibly funny to me at 2am

[barbiesince59]

Earring Magic - 1992

[familyabolisher]

I've walked past the Barbie branded selfie booth, sat through the reel of old commercials that precede the previews, and watched Margot Robbie learn to cry, and I’m still not sure what “doing the thing and subverting the thing,” which Greta Gerwig claimed as the achievement of Barbie in a recent New York Times Magazine profile, could possibly mean. This was the second Gerwig profile the magazine has run. I wrote the first one, in 2017, which in hindsight appears like a warning shot in a publicity campaign that has cemented Gerwig’s reputation as so charming and pure of heart that any choice (we used to call them compromises) she makes is justified, a priori, by her innocence. This is a strange position for an adult to occupy, especially when the two-hour piece of branded content she is currently promoting hinges on a character who discovers that her own innocence is the false product of a fallen world. But—spoiler alert!—the point of Barbie’s “hero’s journey” is less to reconcile Barbie to death than to reconcile the viewer to culture in the age of IP.

“Doing the thing and subverting the thing”: I haven’t finished working out the details, but I think the rough translation would be Getting rich and not feeling feel bad about it. (Or, for the viewer: Having a good time and not feeling bad about it.) One must labor under a rather reduced sense of the word “subvert” to be impressed with poking loving fun at product misfires such as Midge (the pregnant Barbie), Tanner (the dog who poops), and the Ken with the earring, especially given that the value of all these collectors’ items has, presumably, not decreased since the film opened. Barbie may feature a sassy tween sternly informing Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie that the tiny-waisted top-heavy billion-dollar business she represents has made girls “feel bad” about themselves, but if anyone uttered the word “anorexia,” I missed it. (There was a reason Todd Haynes told the story of Karen Carpenter’s life and death with Barbies, and it wasn’t because an uncanny piece of molded plastic has the magical power to resolve the contradictions of girlhood and global capitalism.) There’s a bit about Robbie going back into a box in the Mattel boardroom, but Barbies aren’t made in an executive suite; they come from factories in China. On the one hand, it’s weird for a film about a real-world commodity to unfold wholly in the realm of ideas and feelings, but then again, that’s pretty much the definition of branding. Mattel doesn’t care if we buy Barbie dolls—they’re happy to put the word “Barbie” on sunglasses and T-shirts, or license clips from the movie for an ad for Google. OK, here’s my review: When Gerwig first visited Mattel HQ in October 2019, the company’s stock was trading at less than twelve dollars a share. Today the price is $21.40. 

Christine Smallwood, Who Was Barbie?

[bazberkker]

I need Ncuti Gatwa’s Ken to be dressed like the infamous Cock Ring Magic Earring Ken at least once in the movie. If we’re bringing Midge and Allen back, let’s release all of the Barbies Mattel doesn’t want us to know about. Let Ken suck cock while he’s beaching other men off.

[ID: Picture is of a Ken doll from c.1990. His blonde hair is slicked back and dyed a bleached blonde, and he has a silver earring in one ear. He also wears a purple mesh shirt, a purple sleeveless leather jacket, black pants, black loafers, and a silver ring on a necklace.]

[npdclaraoswald]

The thing about taking away Cock Ring Ken's cock ring is that it's fine that the necklace says Barbie, that's not inaccurate. The purpose of the ring was not, despite how widely reported this is, a fashion choice, it was a place to hook on the earrings that all of the Earring Magic dolls came with- one of which said Barbie. The Barbies and the Midge in the line came with these hooks on their belts and their actual earrings, but because Ken didn't have hoop earrings, he got a hook on his jacket and on his necklace. So the necklace was designed to have something, including Barbie's name, attached to it.

But movie!Earring Magic Ken's necklace doesn't just say Barbie, it's "Barbie" attached at the chain, no hoop. They removed THE thing Earring Magic Ken is known for in the public eye! And they took the mesh shirt!

All the other costumes in this movie that are based on specific dolls are, to my memory, incredibly accurate, it's just this one that has major, noticeable deviations. And it's hard not to assume that it is because this one is wildly know for it's association with queerness.

[what-if-nct]

NCT Members who are Ken and Who are Allan

Johnny: Ken, perhaps the most Ken of them All.

Taeyong: Allan, 100% on the front line for all Barbies.

Yuta: Ken, no explanation needed.

Doyoung: Allan, he would not survive a day in the mojo dojo casa house.

Kun: Allan, he would fight construction workers to escape the hell of what Ken created.

Ten: Ken, but Earring Magic Ken.

Jaehyun: Ken, second most Ken of them all.

Winwin: Allan, he would have left the moment Ken walked back into Barbieland with his nonsense.

Jungwoo: Ken, pre patriarchy Ken. Just a sweet silly himbo.

Mark: He wants to be Ken but deep down is Allan.

Xiaojun: Allan, he just wants to be Midge's house husband and live in peace.

Hendery: Weird Barbie

Renjun: Allan, he'd burn "Ken" land to the ground.

Jeno: Ken, when Ken was flexing, that is all.

Haechan: He's a Bratz doll.

Jaemin: Allan, he'd wear that pink jumpsuit to save the Barbies in a heartbeat.

Yangyang: Ken, dear goodness he's Ken.

Chenle: The CEO of Mattel.

Jisung: Allan, he too would be overwhelmed by the disaster Ken created.

[flagellant]

I remember the movie basically making the old point about “and there’s no women CEO’s :c” and it was like, are you kidding me? The planet is dying and your solution is to make sure some of the CEO’s destroying it are girlbosses?

Loved the movie mostly, especially the set design, but it felt like the message was an afterthought because it was the weakest part of the movie.

I've walked past the Barbie branded selfie booth, sat through the reel of old commercials that precede the previews, and watched Margot Robbie learn to cry, and I’m still not sure what “doing the thing and subverting the thing,” which Greta Gerwig claimed as the achievement of Barbie in a recent New York Times Magazine profile, could possibly mean. This was the second Gerwig profile the magazine has run. I wrote the first one, in 2017, which in hindsight appears like a warning shot in a publicity campaign that has cemented Gerwig’s reputation as so charming and pure of heart that any choice (we used to call them compromises) she makes is justified, a priori, by her innocence. This is a strange position for an adult to occupy, especially when the two-hour piece of branded content she is currently promoting hinges on a character who discovers that her own innocence is the false product of a fallen world. But—spoiler alert!—the point of Barbie’s “hero’s journey” is less to reconcile Barbie to death than to reconcile the viewer to culture in the age of IP.

“Doing the thing and subverting the thing”: I haven’t finished working out the details, but I think the rough translation would be Getting rich and not feeling feel bad about it. (Or, for the viewer: Having a good time and not feeling bad about it.) One must labor under a rather reduced sense of the word “subvert” to be impressed with poking loving fun at product misfires such as Midge (the pregnant Barbie), Tanner (the dog who poops), and the Ken with the earring, especially given that the value of all these collectors’ items has, presumably, not decreased since the film opened. Barbie may feature a sassy tween sternly informing Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie that the tiny-waisted top-heavy billion-dollar business she represents has made girls “feel bad” about themselves, but if anyone uttered the word “anorexia,” I missed it. (There was a reason Todd Haynes told the story of Karen Carpenter’s life and death with Barbies, and it wasn’t because an uncanny piece of molded plastic has the magical power to resolve the contradictions of girlhood and global capitalism.) There’s a bit about Robbie going back into a box in the Mattel boardroom, but Barbies aren’t made in an executive suite; they come from factories in China. On the one hand, it’s weird for a film about a real-world commodity to unfold wholly in the realm of ideas and feelings, but then again, that’s pretty much the definition of branding. Mattel doesn’t care if we buy Barbie dolls—they’re happy to put the word “Barbie” on sunglasses and T-shirts, or license clips from the movie for an ad for Google. OK, here’s my review: When Gerwig first visited Mattel HQ in October 2019, the company’s stock was trading at less than twelve dollars a share. Today the price is $21.40. 

Christine Smallwood, Who Was Barbie?

[thereaderarchive]

Birthday promises, part 2.

• for @drarrymicrofic prompt: changes (may'23) | words: 278 | read part 1 HERE.

"You haven't said it," Harry says when they finally arrive home, feeling petulant. It's close to midnight, and they haven't seen each other all day. Even Midge from the cafeteria remembered his birthday.

"Hey, Potter," Draco says, hugging him from behind, placing his head on Harry's shoulder. "Would you marry me?" He whispers in Harry's ear, sending a shiver running down his body. He turns in Draco's arms, mouth open wide in surprise. Draco waits with a practised pleasant smile, but Harry knows him too well. There is something in his eyes… fear, maybe?

Of what? They've been together for over a decade. A month after Malfoy's birthday- oh.

"Oh. You're asking."

"I'm asking," Draco says, burying his nose in Harry's neck, his mouth warm leaving a soft kiss there. "I promised, didn't I?"

Harry remembers that day, from a time when he didn't know if Draco had a job (he had, as a broom designer at the time or, as Pansy called it, harassing the Nimbus' owners with doodles until he got an entry job as a carpenter for a few years); or if he was drunk (he was).

"Would you give me an answer sometime this century?" He asks, still hiding in Harry's neck. He's nervous, Harry notices.

"Yes. I'll marry you. Of course, I do. I do." Harry says, kissing Draco's face. Draco squeezes him harder before stepping back, going down on one knee and taking a little box from his pocket. Harry knows Draco handcrafted the wood ring himself.

"It's beautiful." Not only that, it feels… magical when it touches Harry's skin. "What type of wood is it? Seems familiar."

"Hawthorn. Happy birthday, Harry."

A little something for the other birthday boy.

[jellymeduza]

September, October and November updates

2nd of September 2023: scholarship for having a parent in Education - added two more versions to make this mod compatible with @picknmixsims’ Driving Licence: Meduza_CJ-djsbadgescholarships_Education_Driving and Meduza_CJ-djsbadgescholarships_Education_Driving_5Points. You can read more about the update here.

12th of September 2023: scholarship for having a parent in Education - fixed dialogs in “DrivingLicence” versions

24th of September 2023: swimmable boats - added boats that let your Sims catch @sunmoon-starfactory​ salt water fish. They require their Gone Fishin’ 2.0 set. They can be used with boats that let Sims catch EAxis fish. However, fishing system is different from Sun&Moon’s fishing system. Chances of catching fish are based on fishing badge instead of body skill. Additionally, Sims use EAxis lures instead of Sun&Moon’s ones.

1st of October 2023: medieval shopping racks - now shopping racks (both slaved and standalone versions) have got proper empty state

17th of October 2023: useable ghost grave, useable ghost urn - this update was supposed to get rid of ghosts appearing like a bats while in the grave. It turned out the person who reported the error, was missing Midge's fairyglowball file.

24th of October 2023: ask to WooHoo in Walk-In Closet, Sims can WooHoo in vampire coffin, flyable TS4 rocket, TS3 fairy houses with more options - updated to support public woohoo wants and memories. Social plug-in (Meduza_AskToWooHoo_social) also recognises new woohoo spot (on a pirate ship).

2nd of November 2023: witches can gain energy by meditating, witches can practise magic - now menus are gender-sensitive: women have these actions under Witch.../, while men have them under Wizard.../

5th of November 2023: scholarship for having a parent in Education - improved code to avoid more errors

22nd of November 2023: Doctor Strange’s rotating orb - now the orb rotates exactly around its axis, so it doesn’t spin in circles anymore

26th of November 2023: custom skinned werewolf fix - added 2 new versions of the custom overlay. These versions will let your custom skinned Sims’ skintone show on their palms, ears and feet. They won’t pick up defaults you have. CHOOSE ONE version of the overlay: 1) S3 werewolf skintone with transparent ears, palms and feet using EAxis eyes; 2) S3 werewolf skintone with transparent ears, palms and feet using Phobia’s eyes (based on my default); 3) S3 werewolf skintone (texture-referenced).

[cashthecomposer]

Please reblog! The more vibes the better! (And I think it goes without saying that if you need to specify a particular Barbie or Ken or other being, such as Earring Magic Ken or Weird Barbie) put it in the tags.

[barbiebattle]

Barbie Battle 25

Diplomat Barbie vs Ryan Gosling Ken

Physicist Barbie vs Ncuti Gatwa Ken

Pulitzer Prize Barbie vs Allan

President Barbie vs Aaron

Gloria vs Gloria's Husband

Kingsley Ben-Adir Ken vs Supreme Court Justice Barbie

Barbie Video Girl vs Sasha

John Cena Ken vs Scott Evans Ken

Sugar Daddy Ken vs Growing Up Skipper

Lawyer Barbie vs Author Barbie

Weird Barbie vs Mermaid Barbie

Earring Magic Ken vs Simu Liu Ken

Barbara/Stereotypical Barbie vs Ruth Handler

Midge vs Skipper

Doctor Barbie vs The Narrator

Teen Talk Barbie vs Mattel CEO

[skiplo-wave]

Man... I would love to recollect all my old Barbie dolls. The memories! These are the dolls I had, I was a 90s kid, back when Barbie's clothes always transformed.

Party In Pink Barbie ---- This Barbie was my favorite because she had green eyes! (1991)

Southern Beauty Barbie ---- Because of course, I live in the south lol. (1991)

Dressin' Up With Mickey Barbie & Friends Gift Set (1991)

All American Barbie, Kira, Christie, Teresa and Ken (1991)

Birthday Surprise Barbie (1991)

American Beauty Queen Barbie (1991)

Southern Belle Barbie (1991)

Wedding Day Midge, Alan, Barbie and Ken Wedding Party Complete Set (1991)

Lights & Lace Barbie (1991)

Totally Hair Barbie (1991)

Barbie Teen Scene Jazzie (1991)

Denim 'N Lace Barbie ---- ANOTHER FAVORITE. (1992)

Peach Blossom Barbie (1992)

Dream Bride Barbie (1992)

Sparkle Eyes Barbie (1992)

Rollerblade Barbie (1992) ---- The dangerous one that got taken off the shelves lol.

Fountain Mermaid Barbie (1993)

Caboodles Barbie (1993)

Earring Magic Barbie (1993)

Paint 'N Dazzle Barbie (1993)

Western Stampin' Barbie (1993)

Glitter Beach Barbie (1993)

Dance 'N Twirl Barbie (1994)

Astronaut Barbie (1994)

Dr. BarbieE (1994)

Camp Barbie (1994)

Sun Jewel Barbie, Shani, Kira, Teresa, Skipper, Ken and Steven (1994)

I know I had a bunch of other ones. These here are my core memory dolls. I loved the Sun Jewel and Camp Barbies.

:o

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

Barbie

Greta Gerwig’s BARBIE (2023, Max) is an anomaly. It’s a film created to help market a toy, but it also has a solid basis in feminism and performance theory. Gerwig’s approach flirts with subversion, and if it never quite goes all the way, it’s an enjoyable ride with some lovely buoyant moments. It opens with a funny send-up of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) featuring little girls in a desert landscape destroying their baby dolls after the appearance of a giant Barbie in their midst. We then move to Barbieland, where the Barbies and Kens live along with some discontinued models like Midge, Allen and Magic Earring Ken. Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) starts worrying about death and develops cellulite, which suggests a negative influence from someone playing with her in the real world. So she travels there with her boyfriend, Beach Ken (Ryan Gosling, who’s very funny). There each starts a journey of discovery.

Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach throw in a lot of good, silly stuff and envision the collision of toy and real world very thoroughly. As a director, Gerwig works well with a large ensemble cast including Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell and a surprisingly beatific Rhea Pearlman. But there are also places where it feels like we have to pay for the silliness. When Barbie and Ken return to Barbieland, the action drags a bit, and there’s a scene in which the two discuss identity that borders on the preachy. There’s also a chase scene with some evil executives that could be better staged. It feels almost perfunctory and lacks the balletic wonder of Chaplin, Keaton or Preston Sturges. And after setting the film up as a musical, Gerwig and Baumbach make us wait an awfully long time between numbers. But things perk up a lot when America Ferrera, who’s quite wonderful, delivers “the monologue,” which, for all its political points she wisely plays spontaneously. It’s less a lecture than her own moment of discovery. And the staging and performance of “I’m Just Ken” and the montage under “What Was I Made For” are spot on.

I don’t know whether it was somebody’s comment on the invisibility of women or a rebellion against the film’s feminist message, but whoever did the closed captions for Max refers to Ferrara throughout not by her character’s name, Gloria, but as “Sasha’s mother.”