Barbie Girl By Sandra Piercy

Being our true self is much easier said than done. Outside influence and stereotypes often make us feel like we need to change ourselves, cover our identities, and follow certain expectations to please society. Whether we can constantly feel other peoples’ opinions cast on us, like in the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive”, feel the need to identify with people we usually wouldn’t, like in the story “‘Mericans” by Sandra Cisneros, or be ashamed of ourselves because of socially constructed standards, like in the poem “Barbie Girl” by Marge Piercy, this is an issue we have all faced at some point in our lives. Societal pressures force us to fit their ideal mould. We all want to be perfect in others’ eyes, however, this can leave our confidence

It is so easy to get caught up in meeting other people’s expectations that it’s hard to see our real personalities shine through. Piercy’s “Barbie Girl” begins with the reader learning about the girl’s natural gifts, as she was depicted as strong, smart, and had great “manual dexterity”. All of these descriptors were not seen as feminine and ladylike. Throughout the poem, we get a glimpse of how this girl was being trained to think and act differently than she naturally would. In this world, being quiet, always smiling, and dieting were some of the expectations for females that took away the girl’s motivation to openly be herself. In “‘Mericans”, the old grandmother greatly values her culture and is upset that her grandchildren do not feel the same. Being older and understanding herself and her values better, she isn’t affected by societal standards and chooses to follow her own beliefs. The kids don’t yet understand the importance of following your own ideas rather than the ideas of others, causing them to conform to social expectations. “Nosedive” also shows us many examples of this, where Lacie has evolved into thinking that other people’s standards should automatically apply to herself and that being a bit different was to be frowned upon. When interacting with others, Lacie always tried to change her personality to fit whoever she was talking to. Showing her true individualism would make her different, and that could be problematic for Lacie’s social status. To Lacie, it seemed as though the only solution was to be a person who was likable to all, a fake version of herself that was acceptable to all of society. When we push aside our backgrounds, our actions and beliefs are quickly replaced by something fake and