Mikael Melo

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Ken Doll

When I was 10, I wanted to grow up to be just like Ken, little did I know what I really wanted was for somebody to call me attractive. Rather to simply state the fact that I'm inactive. And it didn't matter that I kicked my rear into gear and I had countless salads marinated with the phrase become better looking, because I turned out nothing like Ken. What Ken preached was that all boys should be tall, with golden sun kissed tan skin to go along with the pearly white smile and a Brazilian body wax over a chiseled chest. to be defined as a man. And I stand here now with absolutely none of those attributes. And although I can say I have heart that's probably bigger than my head I'm told that doesn't matter. Cause the only thing that should matter, is the size of my biceps. Or that "thing" in my pants. As a society, we put on so much pressure to be perfect. As girls are chasing that plastic definition of beauty that they see in billboards, us boys are holding our tongues cause we're told that having insecurities and feelings about our bodies isn't manly. Ken has twisted my vision and the world around me has become a blur. I've chased Barbie after Barbie after Barbie to realize that they all just want a Ken and if you're not a perfect ten then you're a malfunction of the factory and there's nothing you can do to change that. Cause your plastic has hardened into flesh. And there's no going back. Society prepares us for this world of war by important us that we are brave and strong but if we have insecurities and feelings then we are having weakness and if you care about the way you look then apparently that determines your sexuality. Mothers and fathers raise their sons to be the next Romeo and James dean, which sets unrealistic expectations on us boys to be perfect. Cause we're worried that one day Juliet and Audrey will just pass us by cause Barbie only sticks to the latest fashions. And I'm not saying it isn't hard to be Barbie, but people forget it's just as hard to be Ken. Cause not all boys grow up to be tall with golden sun kissed skin to go along with a pearly white smile and a Brazilian body wax on top of a chiseled chest. I might not be your definition of what a man should look like...but at least I'm not the definition of plastic. I'm not made of plastic, and no; I'm not Ken.

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