Meaning In Marge Piercy's 'Barbie Doll'

In Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll”, she claims that even if a girl has great attributions (“She was healthy, tested intelligent”), society will only focus on her flaws (“great big nose and fats legs”). Piercy emphasizes the judgement on girls by describing a teenager who died undergoing plastic surgery because her imperfections were called ugly, and only after her death did people say, “Doesn’t she look pretty?” Piercy uses irony by describing her death as a “happy ending” in order to stop othesr from criticizing female imperfections while encouraging women that they should accept their individuality rather than fix it. Using a dark, twisted tone by describing a girl that finally obtains beauty and happiness by dying during plastic surgery,

So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up.” Based on the stereotypes for females today to be pretty, polite and skinny, this girl in the poem was having her identity taken away while she was trying to

“Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy is about a girl who is a normal child growing up; playing with dolls, miniature kitchen items and pretend make-up. It quickly takes an interesting turn when a pubescent child makes fun of her nose and legs and she was advised to exercise and diet despite the fact that she was intelligent and healthy. The poem continues on by the girl cutting her legs and nose and a bizarre visual of her laying in a casket with an ending that states “to every woman a happy ending”( Piercy 791). This poem was written by Piercy in 1969 a year in which many women liberation groups were forming and the breaking of womanly roles was taking place. The poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy,

Negative self-image among women has been a struggle in society for a long period of time. Social media, magazines, and the pressures of society has caused many young girls to feel bad about themselves because they do not look like the clothing model on the runway or the bathing suit model on the front of a magazine. Females grow up with the pressures of having to be in shape, wearing the best clothes, and putting on a full face of makeup for a male to find them attractive. Society has deemed that only "fit" women are beautiful, and that idea has caused women to harm themselves, develop anorexia, and feel insecure of themselves daily. Two works of literature that discuss the struggles women face from society is Marge Piercy's poem "Barbie Doll"

"To every woman a happy ending." Sarcastically spoken by Marge Piercy. Reality is society always put expectations on people since the beginning of time. Throughout history there had been individuals who stood up to society expectations. We all heard about the marches, revolutions, and speaking out to the community.

… lipsticks the color of cherry candy" (Piercy line 4) was given to her so she looked beautiful and concealed any imperfections she had. The "… magic of puberty" (Piercy line 5) caused a fellow classmate to criticize her. Her classmate exclaimed, "You have a great big nose and fat legs" (Piercy line 6). The child suddenly became mindful of her looks and questioned her beauty or lack thereof.

Marge Piercy was a poet who lived through the second wave of feminism in the early 1960’s. Furious that feminism existed, she published a poem in 1971 that changed the outlook of many people even to this day. Her poem, “Barbie Doll” was written about a young girl who kills herself while trying to change herself to fit society’s standards. The poem describes her as a normal, happy young girl who had a tough run in with puberty. Society started to expect her to change and look more appealing. Piercy uses some literary terms like imagery, symbolism, and simile to express the theme that you shouldn’t change yourself to fit society’s standards.

Marge Percy “Barbie Doll” is a social commentary about the demanding pressures that the mass media produces about how women should look like and what type of body they should have. Women in the 1970s faced high standards and these standards still go on to this day. These high demands lead women to go above and beyond to meet standards that society has placed upon them. Some of these drastic measures can lead to consequences. In “Barbie Doll” the main character decided to undergo plastic surgery to fix her “big nose” and “fat legs”. Unfortunately she ended up dying in her struggle to meet the standard that the media has placed on her at an exceptionally young age. Her untimely death is a symbol and the theme of the poem that these women will work themselves to death to meet societies demands and most of the time it is all for nothing. All this women wanted was people to accept the way she looked and not critique her looks and it was not until her funeral day, when it no longer mattered, that she finally got that acceptance.

The Poem “Barbie Doll (1969)” by Marge Piercy describes a story of a girl who was controlled by society's belief of beauty. Marge Piercy was what we call today a “Feminist” she fought for what is right and what should done. “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy is a narrative poem. The central memo of this work is that area is obsessed alongside appearances.

The standards of women since early history has always been set to an unrealistic bar, that make girls around the world feel insecure and unworthy of being beautiful. Society has cemented views of women and what they “should” look and act like based on things like makeup, body figure, clothing, etc. Women from all places are urged to alter their appearances in order to fall into the category of beautiful. The impulse for women to “paint their face” is due to the fear of other people not seeing them as attractive (Warren par. 7). The perfect female is thought to have flawless skin, perfect make up, and a slim body. Hiding behind a full face of makeup discriminates women themselves, as it hides their genuine glamor and disguises their true

The poem, "Barbie Doll," written by Marge Piercy tells the story of a young girl growing up through the adolescence stage characterized by appearances and barbarity. The author uses imagery and fluctuating tone to describe the struggles the girl is experiencing during her teenage years, and the affects that can happen. The title of this poem is a good description of how most societies expect others, especially girls to look. Constantly, people are mocked for their appearance and expected to represent a "barbie-doll"-like figure. Few are "blessed" with this description. The female gender is positioned into the stereotype that women should be thin and beautiful. With this girl, the effects were detrimental. The first stanza describes the

“Powder your nose, paint your toes, line your lips and keep ‘em closed. Cross your legs, dot your “I’s” and never let them see you cry.” (Lambert) From the pink nursery, to the first real doll, to finding clothes to “fit your figure”, all while learning how to be the perfect wife and mother, women are constantly faced with the struggle of epitomizing the perfect woman. “Barbie Doll”, a poem by Marge Piercy, written during the second wave of feminism, focuses on the gender and social expectations of women that begin during the “sex reveal” sonogram at 12 weeks. Gender equality and roles are a topic of debate with roots extending to the beginning of time.

The last few lines seem to attribute her depression to her age, and maybe the fact that she never got to enjoy her childhood, her young years, and she despises seeing herself grow old in the reflection of the lake.

“ideals are developmentally ingrained in children and adolescents”( Englis 1). The idea of beauty and ideal looks are engraved into people at a young age. The little girl being given a Barbie doll shows this in the poem. The idea of beauty and how a woman should act are represented in the Barbie doll. The primary take away is beauty is not everything.