My husband and I plan on having an intimate celebration with a few family members in honor of our children’s birthday this weekend. I was looking for cake ideas when I stumbled across a Ken doll wearing a pink ball gown, tiara and floral sash.
It turns out people aren't happy with Freeport Bakery, the Sacramento, Calif., bakery behind the dessert.
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The bakery’s co-owner Marlene Goetzele is shocked that, while it may not be something you see every day, the cake would offend anyone. She posted it on Facebook because it was a pretty cake, much like what she does with other beautiful cakes they make.
“We do same-sex marriage cakes, so it wasn’t that big of a deal,” she told The Daily News. “I actually naively just thought it was a really great cake.”
She didn't initially intend for Ken to be transgender or make a political statement, but social media has interpreted it that way.
"You can dress up a plastic doll but sorry to burst your bubble. A person’s DNA determines their sex,” one commenter said. Comments like this came flooding in and Goetzele saw a big jump in unlikes in just a couple of days.
“I don’t ask people why they’re buying a cake. I don’t say, ‘Are you gay? Are you transgender?’ It’s not something that comes up,” she told Huffington Post. “We’re in the business of spreading joy―that’s what we do."
The bakery fired back with this status update:
“Facebook Friends, After posting this we had a ton of people unliking our Facebook page. I deleted the rude remarks, thank goodness not too many. Our customer was thrilled. Share this for us!”
Embedded content: https://www.facebook.com/freeportbakery/posts/10154378908736322
The bakery has since received overwhelming support. One fan wrote, "Joined because, frankly, Ken looks awesome.”
Another commented, “This cake would make a special day for someone going through major changes. God loves all his children. Sad people are quick to judge. I wish everyone would learn to live and let live. I'm from Kansas and am glad there are people such as yourself in this would. Stand up and be a light. Always.”
It’s about time that people realize that we live in a world that’s changing. A transgender ken doll cake doesn’t surprise me one bit. Toy companies like Mattel have made it clear that their dolls are not necessarily geared toward a specific gender. You may remember the Moschino Barbie commercial breaking boundaries by featuring a boy in it. Well, this is no different.
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This cake could be a celebration centerpiece for many occasions, including a child’s birthday party. For their birthdays, our daughter decided on a princess theme, while our son chose Thomas the Tank Engine accents. They didn't seem bothered by the cake when I showed a photo of it to them. My daughter laughed and said, "Oh my gosh! I love it!" My son didn't really say anything. Instead, when I asked him if he liked it he said, "No. Can we have a Popsicle?"
His mind was clearly elsewhere.
