Flip the Script: Not fitting in — Allan

Day One hundred-three:

Not fitting in — Allan

And then there was Allan.

By Jim Palmer

There has been a lot of discussion about who Allan was meant to represent in the Barbie movie. The Allan doll was named after the son-in-law of Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler. The first Allan doll was released in 1964. He was marketed as Ken’s friend. In the Barbie movie, who Allan represented to me is someone who doesn’t fit in… someone who is always on the outside looking in, someone who no one takes the time to really get to know, someone who doesn’t feel they belong, someone for whom the labels and categories don’t make sense, someone that is hardly noticed, someone who wants to be accepted, celebrated, desired and loved for who they are, someone who is likely to befriend the marginalized, victimized and oppressed because they can relate. The Allan character in the Barbie movie deeply touched my heart, and I could relate to this character in many ways. It’s that feeling that you weren’t really made for this world and there is no place where you truly seem to fit. I always have my radar up for Allans. I consider it to be one of the greatest gifts in life to express to an Allan how special, worthy, and loved they are.