The poem, “Barbie Doll,” by Marge Piercy, implicitly criticizes the way that women are mixed into stereotypical roles from the time they are young.
This poem makes it clear this standard of perfection is impossible to achieve--at least not while one is alive--and starts with something relatively careless at a young age, a Barbie doll. The Barbie doll, one of the best-selling “toys” of all time, has become an icon of U. S. culture for the way it idealizes the female body. Young girls all around the world attempt to model themselves after this “perfect” woman.The urge to become a disproportionate female with a painted on smile overshadows the ideal to love yourself as you are.
However, this goal is unachievable. Piercy is trying to rebel against society’s deriding ideals. The ironic tone of this poem implies that America’s stereotypes for women are ultimately destructive. While the audience that Piercy is trying to reach is America, the poem is specifically telling a story about a young girl, so it is reaching out to young girls through the story and the theme. ‘Barbie Doll’ goes in depth through the situations and hardships of being a teenage girl.Though the poem was written in 1973, these distorted views of beauty still hold true.
We, as teenage girls, are bombarded with visuals which both tell us who to be and how to act. As children, we are presented with plastic toy kitchen sets, dolls with pink dresses, and makeup kits. As teenagers, there are magazines advertisements and clothing stores, all catering to the anorexic, size zero, “sexy” woman. Before we have even had a chance to establish who we are as a person, we are cast into a plastic mold that society believes we should fit in.By providing examples of objects that America is familiar with, this allows the readers to relate to the story better.
In the poem, the main character has not been given a name. This is because the story is not actually about one girl in particular. Rather, she stands for all the young women in our society. This story is meant to alert the reader of the dangers of gender stereotyping. The young girl Piercy writes about is experiencing troubles with being accepted by the people around her.
She tries everything to be accepted by society but it is not enough.Since Piercy has written the poem free verse, it carries with more of a story-like flow. The second stanza explains that though this young lady is perfectly healthy and happy on the inside, her outward appearance does not please those around her. Consequently, as the poem transitions into the third stanza, she is bullied and peer pressured until the point where she is no longer a healthy, happy girl. In that girls place is another, one that is unhealthy, full of pain, and deeply depressed, all for the sake of beauty.However, it isn’t until the last verse that Piercy reveals the true theme of her poem-society is unable to accept this girl unless she fits their standards of perfection.
Though it seems a bit long, the readers see that this is indeed true. The girl, having completely given up, commits suicide by cutting off her nose and legs, the very objects of her ridicule. In death, she finds her acceptance and perfection. In the casket displayed on satin she lay with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on, a turned-up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending. (23-25) The irony in the ending is that there is no happy ending in this story.
The young girl is unknowingly forced into accepting society’s standards. The “turned up putty nose” and the “pink and white nightie” are symbols of how our culture views the ideals for women. She was never judged for her personality or what she may have had to offer the world, because now that she looks pretty, her society is appeased and appreciative. The sad truth is that this type of tragedy is still prevalent 38 years later, maybe to even more of an extremity.Through this poem, Piercy is trying to break free of these degrading ideals and convey the argument that the desire to be accepted severely damages one’s self-esteem.
As young women, we should be loved and supported for who we are. In trying to become a “Barbie Doll,” we lose sight of our true beauty until we become nothing more than an empty shell. Society’s expectations should have no influence on who we are. If we are judged, we should not be judged because we do not fit in a certain mold; we should be judged by our own virtues and principles.
