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Michael Cera’s character in the “Barbie” movie has a very gay past

Michael Cera as Allan in Barbie
Michael Cera as Allan in Barbie Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Earlier this week, we presented you with compelling evidence that director Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie movie is going to be very, very gay. Now new details have emerged that bolster our already extremely airtight case.

The evidence in question concerns Michael Cera’s character, “Allan,” who has been dogged by speculation about his relationship with Ken since at least 2020.

As LGBTQ Nation previously reported, the vast majority of the characters in Barbie are based on various iterations of the iconic doll released by toy company Mattel over the years, from Dr. Barbie (Hari Nef) to Mermaid Barbie (Dua Lipa). But Gerwig has also drawn inspiration from a few long-forgotten Barbie characters from the 1960s, including Emerald Fennell’s “Midge” and Cera’s “Allan.”

According to GQ, the Allan was first introduced in 1964, but discontinued only a few years later. The doll’s original packaging described him as Ken’s “buddy” and noted that “all of Ken’s clothes fit him!”

As recently as 2020, gay Twitter rediscovered Allan and questioned just how close he and his “buddy” Ken really were. Images of the doll’s packaging posted by queer webcomic creator Lacey show Allan in an open rainbow button-down shirt and short-shorts, with Ken standing behind giving him a come-hither look.

“Wow, buddy, that short-sleeved rainbow button-up of mine looks great on you, my buddy,” Lacey wrote.

“And is he taking it off or putting it on?” one user replied. “Insert ‘It’d look better on my floor’ joke.”

“Was that like, code for Ken’s boyfriend?” another user replied.

Others quickly declared that they were “shipping” Ken and Allan.

As previously noted, the latest Barbie teaser ends with a very suggestive moment in which the film’s Kens (Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir) challenge each other to a “beach-off.” The clip cuts to a shot of Cera’s Allan, in that familiar rainbow shirt, looking like a deer in headlights. Could he possibly be paralyzed by all the homoerotic nonsense occurring in front of him, desperately longing to join in, but terrified of what it might reveal about him? Who’s to say?

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