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Perfection In Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll

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In the 1970s, the world of American women was restricted in almost every way possible. Women were expected to play a strict role in the cruel society of America. Hidden beneath the hopes and dreams of equality women faced depression and self-depreciation. Marge Piercy was one of the few that spoke out about this quiet issue. Although women's rights movements were in full throttle women still faced the constant battle with society, the idea of perfection. In Piercy's poem “Barbie Doll” she writes of how growing up is hard enough without superficial insinuation. Piercy's poem explores a story many can relate, how puberty and other harsh elements of the world can weaken a young girl's mind and spirit.
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Scott, Anne Firor. Women in American Life. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1970. Shi, David E. and Mayer, Holly A. For The Record.

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This insecurity may develop over time to a low self-esteem. Society makes it seem that women have to be beautiful, skinny housewives that are dependent on men. Barbie is contributing to these ideals. “Because we don’t have money for a stupid-looking boy doll when we’d both rather ask for a new Barbie outfit next Christmas.” The little girl feels pressured by not having a Ken doll, but at the same time all of the little girls would rather ask for a new outfit with accessories than a new Ken

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From being Rosie the Riveter, an integral part of the United States victory in World War II to women who should “do their duty” by returning to their homes, where they could serve their husbands and “repopulate the ranks” (Women 's History in the U.S. | National Woman 's Party). This was the social setting for women after the war, one that did not sit well with the feminist movement. The revolutionary women in this discriminatory time fought for their right to express their sexuality without hypocritical judgement from others, the right to choose their own destiny for their own lives, the right to self and to discover who they are as an individual and not as a gender and not how to be a perfect housewife as they were taught but how to be themselves.

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The poem Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy is a short poem that talks about a little girl who is born just like any other little girl. She plays with dolls and little ovens and messes around with makeup. She is fine and unbothered with her life till she hits puberty. Around that age she has a classmate tell her “you have a big nose and fat legs.” She was a girl who was healthy, strong, and intelligent but, she was apologizing to everyone for what they saw.

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As Ruth Rosen explains throughout her book, The World Split Open, the Women’s Rights Movement certainly resulted in significant changes in the way Americans perceived the woman’s role in a variety of situations. From home to academia to politics, the women’s movement helped to make the changes necessary so that women would be respected and treated as equals in any field they chose to pursue. Of the changes that stemmed from the movement in the 1970s, the unity and collaboration that exists among women is one of the most historically significant because of the way it influenced so many women from vastly different lifestyles. To begin, Rosen often discussed the “nameless” problems that plagued women throughout the 1950s and into the 60s. Too often, millions of

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The poem Barbie doll by Marge Piercy is about a little girl who grows up only to kill herself for not living up to society’s standards. The speaker shows how she had a normal childhood and was happy playing with here baby dolls and toy stove. However, during puberty, her body changed and everyone noticed. She was criticized for her “fat nose and thick legs”. She tried to change by dieting and exercising, but soon tired of doing so.

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The year was 1959 a pivotal period of cultural changes underway an unknown teenage fashion model, from humble beginnings named Barbie, was introduced to the world, and an icon was born. Barbie is the most well-known doll in the world. She is a worldwide fashion dream and pop culture icon for all girls. Barbie has since transformed into a best friend, confidante, and a fearless adventurer. The Most Collectible Doll in the world has secured her place in pop culture history through yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

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The freedom of being able to change Barbie’s clothes into her various wardrobes sold gives the young children playing with her the sense of individuality. Although Barbie has brought a lot of controversy to the table within the years it has been on the shelf, her portrayal has not changed because after all she is just a doll,

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“Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, makes me feel some type of way in an uncertain sense. I feel like our society tries to make it seem as if a woman has to be perfect on the outside. Its so much pressure put on women, from weight loss commercials even to what guys post on insta-gram with a caption of “Hot” or heart eyes. Its almost as if society is saying of well if you don’t look like this then you don’t look good. That isn’t the case at all, the bigger problem is the fact that women are starting to be so insecure and so uptight within their selves they cant even see there true beauty at finest.

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In her book, The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan exposes the “problem that has no name,” which is the sense of dissatisfaction and unfulfillment experienced by many women in the 1950s and 1960s. This problem stems from the societal expectation that women should find fulfillment solely through their roles as wives and mothers. As Friedan writes, “The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States” (Friedan 476).

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In the poem “Barbie Doll”, written by Marge Piercy, there is a clear theme of the expectations of women in society. The poem starts by talking about a girl that was normal until she was judge when she hit puberty for having, “A great big nose and fat legs” (Piercy 533). This comment follows her for the rest of her life, until it is implied that she could no longer take the harsh criticism she felt from the world “her good nature wore out”, and because of this, she committed suicide “she cut off her nose and her legs/ and offered them up” (Piercy 534). Finally when she dies, everyone comments how pretty she looks, and the poem finishes with, “To every woman a happy ending” (Piercy 534).

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Barbie dolls extend girls an invitation to a ‘‘plastic society’’ that doesn't accept the genuineness each of us possesses. They present a role model impossible to accomplish. The characters didn't have names, they could hold a symbolic representation of society’s judgment. The girls had the first dolls just like they wanted, but they desired to cover all of the imperfections on the dolls damaged in the fire with new clothes such as the ‘‘Prom Pink outfit’’ (Cisneros). Thereupon, no one would notice the

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Piercy is known for her feminist writings. She often, in her novels and poems, focuses on feminism and other social concerns with varying settings. Some of her famous works are Woman on the Edge of Time (1976), He, She and It (1991), To be of Use (1973), Summer people (1989), The Longings of Women (1994), The moon is always female (1980), Circles on the water (1982), Art of Blessing the Day (1992) and Early Grrrl (1999). All of her books share a focus on women’s lives.

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The poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy suggests that girls are fatally and ultimately entrapped by society's definition of what feminine beauty and behavior is. In our society we believe that women should be perfect. We want women to be as flawless as a Barbie doll and in doing so we create many struggles for women because no one can ever achieve that goal. The poem gives off a sense of irony when “society” compares a young girl to a Barbie doll. Our society has an ideal that was created by the influences of popular media and culture that is impossible for anyone to reach.

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But where did it all start and how did you get to this position? You’re five years old when you receive your first Barbie doll. Your innocent mind looks at the plastic figure as just a symbol of inspiration or a relatable toy used on the playground

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