B.C.’s premier and the mayor of the province’s most populous city were in sync Tuesday for one of the week’s most crucial (non-political) decisions: Halloween outfits.
Premier David Eby, appearing Tuesday morning at the provincial legislature in Victoria, and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, chairing a city council meeting at the same time, both dressed in identical neon pink Ken doll costumes.
Ken, the male counterpart of the Barbie doll, was first introduced by American toy company Mattel more than 50 years ago, but Ken costumes are popular this Halloween after Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie became 2023’s highest grossing film.
In the legislature Tuesday, the entire B.C. NDP caucus rolled with the Barbie theme, with Eby donning retro 80s neon to channel Ken rolling down the Venice Beach boardwalk. Brittny Anderson, the MLA for Nelson-Creston, matched his Kenergy with her own roller Barbie getup.
Other MLAs went as different iterations of Barbie and Ken including Roly Russell and Aman Singh who wore fur coats, a nod to the moment in the movie where Ken turns the Barbie dream house into his “mojo dojo casa house.” Spencer Chandra Herbert dressed as Allan, Ken’s short-lived best friend.
In the Vancouver council meeting, three of Sim’s ABC Vancouver colleagues also appeared in costume: Coun. Peter Meiszner was dressed as a pirate, Coun. Lisa Dominato was Wonder Woman, and Coun. Lenny Zhou was Jon Snow, a character from the series Game of Thrones. OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle was Rosie the Riveter, and Green Coun. Pete Fry was a beatnik, wearing a black beret and fake goatee.
After Vancouver council recessed for a lunch break, Sim said he had seen a photo of Eby’s Ken costume on the internet earlier, but he promised that they had not co-ordinated outfits.
Asked which politician wore the costume better, Sim quickly replied it was definitely Eby.
Sim gave the win to his counterpart from the senior government in Victoria, he said, because “they hold the purse strings.”
— With files from Katie DeRosa
