Crypto community reacts to Barbie star saying Bitcoin talk exudes Ken energy

Over the past 24 hours, voices in the crypto community, such as Michael Saylor and Layah Heilpern, have been dissecting Barbie actor Margot Robbie's intent when she likened Bitcoin chat to Barbie's co-star, Ken.
Ciaran Lyons
Posted by Ciaran Lyons July 30, 2023 3 Mins Read
Over the past 24 hours, voices in the crypto community, such as Michael Saylor and Layah Heilpern, have been dissecting Barbie actor Margot Robbie's intent when she likened Bitcoin chat to Barbie's co-star, Ken.

Australian actress Margot Robbie, who is playing the lead in the new Barbie movie, has caused quite a stir within the crypto community after stating that simply talking about Bitcoin (BTC) gives off Ken vibes.

In the last 24 hours, the crypto community on Twitter, including Microstrategy's Michael Saylor and social media influencer Layah Heilpern, showed a mixed response to Robbie’s statement about Bitcoin that she made in an interview with Fandango on June 22.

Robbie revealed that every time she overheard her husband Tom Ackerley and television producer David Heymen discussing Bitcoin on set, it brought to mind the traits of Ken, the fictional co-star character in Barbie, portrayed by Ryan Gosling. 

“When David and Tom would start talking about Bitcoin or something, Gretta and I would be like you’re being such Kens!”

Along with Saylor declaring that Bitcoin is in fact “Big Ken Energy,” several other prominent figures in the crypto industry shared their thoughts on Robbie's comment.

Related: Bitcoin spending copies history as metric flags ‘1st stage bull market’

Crypto influencer Lea Thompson, better known to her 225,000 Twitter followers as Girl Gone Crypto, stated that she is “so bullish” after hearing Robbie’s comments on Bitcoin.

Meanwhile, Layah Heilpern perceived Robbie's comments differently, suggesting that she interpreted it as an insult towards men who talk about Bitcoin.

Heilpern explained to her 621,400 Twitter followers on July 30 that Robbie was implying that male Bitcoin enthusiasts are “weak and pathetic.”

However, a United States psychologist indicates that having “Ken energy” could be a sign of someone who is selfless and has the ability to adapt to different situations.

Dr Mark Travers, lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, stated in a July 13 Forbes report, that the character of Ken challenges traditional gender stereotypes.

“In a universe which revolves around Barbie, Ken has only a supportive role to play, and he plays it gladly” Travers stated, adding:

“Barbie is and comes before everything, we see male counterpart Ken relegated to the uni-dimensional and purely aesthetic role that women have often been confined to in the past, in a flippant and parody-like manner.”

Robbie stated in the interview that it is hard to define what makes a Ken, or what gives off Ken energy, as it can be subjective. 

“It is not something you can define; it is just something you can sense” Robbie stated.

With a sense of optimism, Steven Lubka, a managing director at Swan Bitcoin, perceived Robbie's comment as a positive for the crypto community. 

Lubka told his 20,200 Twitter followers on July 29 that "we are so back."

Robbie's comments on Bitcoin were brief and neutral, taking place at a time when there are ongoing legal actions against celebrities who have promoted crypto recently.

Most recently, NBA Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler sought to be removed from the $1 billion class-action lawsuit alleging the promotion of unregistered securities by cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

In a July 24 filing, Butler's lawyers argued that the tweets he appeared in did not promote the named securities, and therefore could not have helped promote them. 

Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, along with Youtubers Ben Armstrong (BitBoy Crypto) and Graham Stephan, are also challenging similiar allegations in the same lawsuit.

Magazine: Crypto winter can take a toll on hodlers’ mental health

Tags: