Courtney Charles is a New York-based artist and photographer whose goal is to “infuse the world with color and visions of the future.”
His new “Sexy Ken” series is all about breaking down gay stereotypes and traditional notions of masculinity.
“With the Ken series, I hope to show that there isn’t just one common ideal for the modern man,” Charles tells Out. “Regardless of who you are, you can still be the ‘plastic-perfect’ version of yourself.”
Related: That time Mattel made a gay Ken doll then freaked out when everyone else freaked out
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For the series, Charles took pictures of men then airbrushed away their nipples, crotches, and any imperfections to give them a glossy, glass-like doll appearance.
“Breaking down stereotypes has been a major factor in choosing the proper Ken theme,” he explains. “A black astronaut, an Asian cowboy, etc. For other Ken models, it has been a matter of embracing what one may consider a stereotype.”
Scroll down for a sampling of the “Sexy Ken” series…
Lacuevaman
now this gurls, is something you all can be proud of….
Vince
Some porn studio already did this.
BCbreeze
Plastic gay stereotypes!!! Come on Queerty… You only have one job to do, This may be the gayest shit I have seen in a while. Keep up the good work.
charlie_jackpot
Breaking down stereotypes by featuring conventionally attractive and gym fit men – well done!!!
tham
I’d love to see the casting call for that “Ken doll motif…looking for husky, out of shape, hairy men…a “turtle” from Entourage type body…”
tham
I love that they photoshop’d and removed the nipples. A nice added touch.
I don’t mind it, the production values seem pretty high.
ElPillo
It’s about building and playing with gay plastic stereotypes, not braking anything. That said, I like the broader idea and work although inconsistent: pool boy, DJ, ballet, pasha, and floating flamingo Kens aren’t good. Cowboy and shower Kens are fantastic.
dannysax
Some are kinda sexy, but I really hate the “stereotype” the artist presented that every gay guy loves wearing pink everything. Way too much pink shown here. The “workout Ken” is not the more masculine Ken I would expect, but a queenie stereotype. Blehhh!
Ashke113
So exactly what stereotype was broken?
Josh447
None. It’s a gay stereotype upgrade that makes things worse re the stereotypical gay look.
He embellished it to a more expanded level. Very childish.
Now there’s more negative galvanized fodor for LGBs to battle against. Not helpful.
Not amused.
cdizz
I had to go back and look for it, too, but then I noticed that the article mentioned “breaking down gay stereotypes and traditional notions of masculinity.” It looks like the artist was trying to achieve that with the juxtaposition of pink with more traditionally masculine professions (like sheriff) and men in what are often considered more feminine roles (like the ballet dancer). There’s also a DJ with car ears, which isn’t typically masculine either.
I do agree that if the artist wanted to commit to breaking down stereotypes, it would be good to take a stab at breaking down the stereotypes of beauty within the gay community. The stance of the artist seems fairly singular and does not attempt for much inclusivity beyond that focus, in my opinion.