If you saw Candy Ken (otherwise known as Jakob Kasimir) on the street, you probably wouldn’t guess that this young, jacked Austrian kid has a closet full of tiaras and a penchant for covering his toned physique in Hello Kitty temporary tattoos. But then again, if your first introduction to him was via the Internet, you’d probably never guess that this human pastiche of masculine and feminine identity ever chose to present himself as anything but “candylicious.”
Impressions are a funny thing: just as quickly as we find ourselves making them, we quickly find out that we were completely wrong.
Over and over, we’re told that just like women, men suffer from the rigidity of gender expectations. Candy Ken is living proof that being a “normal” boy has its limitations. “There’s normal Ken and Candy Ken. Ken is always supposed to be wearing blue and looking muscular normal and basic but Candy Ken can do all the crazy things Ken is not allowed to do. He has everything he wants.”
While Ken started out as a photographer, he quickly found himself moving around to the other side of the lens because “my whole life, I tried finding someone like Candy Ken to photograph and do music videos for, but I couldn’t find them. I had to do it myself. I had people in front of the lens who bored me.”
And these days, the 22-year-old European isn’t just getting attention online, but attracting some of fashion’s biggest juggernautrs like Jeremy Scott and Diesel designer Nicola Formichetti. After stumbling upon Ken’s Instagram, Formichetti immediately bought Ken a plane ticket to Milan, photographing him for his soon-to-launch Japan-based fashion magazine Free.
“It was the biggest moment so far for me. I always say, “if you are real, they will find you.” Real recognizes real.”
While it’s unclear what the future holds for Candy Ken, the 22-year-old is adament that he wants to inspire a future generation of risk takers. “I know a lot of people think I’m just trying to provoke, but I’m not. I’m trying to get away from stereotypes and follow what my heart tells me and what really makes me happy. I’m trying to work with people like myself and find them.”
In the meantime, check out Candy Ken’s wide variety of rap music videos, and then just go ahead and hit the backspace key on your computer so you can re-read this article and remember what you liked about this guy in the first place.
This post, Breaking Down Stereotypes With Hello Kitty Enthusiast Candy Ken, by Maria Pasquini, appeared first on Galore.