Step aside Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, there are new Barbies and Kens in town.
Director Greta Gerwig's Barbie is this summer's breakout hit, having grossed more than US$800 million (S$1.08 billion) worldwide.
Moviegoers dressed to the nines in their best pink outfit to catch the film after it hit local cinemas on July 20, while fashion brands like Cotton On, Gap, Kipling and Crocs collaborated with toy company Mattel to sell Barbiecore merchandise.
Local politicians and entertainers have also jumped on the Barbie hype train, creating "barbie-fied" versions of themselves using an artificial intelligence generator, BaiRBIE.me.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/ChanChunSing.SG/posts/843877360430347/[/embed]
In a Facebook post on Friday, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing posted a photo of himself as Ken – with slicked back brown hair, wearing a black shirt with the two top buttons undone and rolled-up sleeves.
Chan quipped: "What I would look like, Barbie-fied. Ken or not?"
He added: "Education Minister must lead by example, cannot unbutton top button to show chest."
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvg0RD0yKe0/[/embed]
In an Instagram post on Friday, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah joined in the fun and posted a photo of herself as Barbie, with long curly hair, pink power blazer and grey pants, while lugging pink and white luggage.
Fellow politician, Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng, had a more serious message when he posted a photo of himself as Ken on Facebook on Saturday, alongside a photo of himself at the hospital.
Baey, who is senior parliamentary secretary for transport as well as sustainability and the environment, said he discovered that he had three benign polyps after going for a colonoscopy, and is encouraging others to get screened as well.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/yamkeng/posts/10231705961215215[/embed]
"The photo I used for this latest AI craze was taken last week when I went for a colonoscopy," said Baey.
"AI can always project the Ken and Barbie in us, looking good, young and fit. However, it is our responsibility to make use of modern medical technology to go for screening depending on our own risk profile."
Actor Mark Lee, who played a drag queen in the 2020 local film Number 1, posted a photo of himself as Barbie on Instagram on Saturday.
He joked that the character design for the 2026 sequel to Number 1 has been confirmed.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CvhRiq_rMcw/[/embed]
Singer-songwriters Benjamin Kheng and Derrick Hoh also generated photos of themselves as both Ken and Barbie – with the latter featuring a comically and disproportionately large head on top of a slender doll frame.
Kheng quipped that he is "Benough" in his caption, a pun on his name and a nod towards the self-affirming slogan in the movie that Ken comes to terms with, "I am Kenough."
Hoh named his doll counterpart Den, and added: "He's got the looks, the style, and the smooth moves. Just know that it's the complete opposite in real life."
ALSO READ: Everything's pink: How Barbiecore fashion has fuelled a movie's buzz
This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.
