The Mahele was created in 1848 by King Kamehameha III. It was when the land was divided between the king, ali’i, and maka’ainana because the foreigners started to demand land from the Hawaiians. King Kamehameha III was scared that the foreigners would start to force the land upon him if he doesn’t grant their wish. There was a lot of forcing upon in the Pacific Islands at the time from the French, which threatened King Kamehameha to create the Mahele. The Mahele, however, was not justified because the laws made lead to the people who owned land to have different rights, the price for taro land had gone up to an unreasonable amount, and the Hawaiian children had to eat a raw potato for their food source.
They both critique our culture’s misogyny and rigid standards of beauty. In “Losing Bodies”, Susie Orbach argues that modern Western beauty standards have a profoundly negative impact on women, encouraging women to take drastic measures to conform to the mainstream ideal of beauty. Duhamel refers to this in her poem, “The Limited Edition Platinum Barbie”. Orbach also claims that gender roles dictate what behavior is acceptable for women (248), as does Duhamel in her poem, “One Afternoon When Barbie Wanted to Join the Military”. Although these works express similar concerns, they are presented very differently.
As we know Beyoncé has the life, looks, and popularity that all women want in this world, but she tells us it’s okay to not be the “Perfect Woman”. Flawless and Run the World is two songs that says women are powerful and beautiful just the way they are. The sources I have used explain how women feel of images they see in the media. I
Intro: From 1940 to 1945, Allied Bombers fought tirelessly in the grey skies of Germany in a campaign known as Bomber Command. Bomber Command during World War 2 was a very controversial topic due to the effectiveness and morality of the overall campaign. Some historians like W.A.B. Douglas and B. Greenhous argue that Bomber Command was ineffective as its strategic air offensive was intended to win the war, or at the very least to shorten it significantly by destroying production facilities, which it failed at doing. Contrary, Richard Overy believes that Bomber Command was decently effective as the bombers were supposed to help the infantry and navy take down the Germans collectively, and they did by 1945.
The common theme throughout these two sources is, ‘We all need to learn to love ourselves for who we are, and beauty standards do not define the real beauty within our hearts’. This is shown through the symbol/motif of the two Barbies in “Barbie” by Gary Soto, and the dynamic character of the speaker in “Pretty Hurts” sang by Beyonce. All in all, this goes out as a message to anyone struggling, or are upset with their appearance. Beauty is NOT blonde hair, it’s NOT long legs, it’s NOT a skinny waist, but, beauty is most definitely is
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.
Gold was discovered in California in the year of 1948. This discovery prompted many people to pack up and journey to the “Golden Mountains” in hopes of becoming rich. Although everyone was excited because of the gold, the economy was affected in other indirect manners as well. While many people became filthy rich and were living the dream, many did not. But it was the shortage of jobs in other areas that presented major opportunities.
“Beauty is not defined by your physical features, it is defined by the heart inside your chest and the love that flows through it. ”- Imania Margia. This meaningful quote written by Imania Margia explains the true significance and message shown through both the short story “Barbie” written by Gary Soto and “Pretty Hurts” sang by Beyonce. The short story “Barbie” written by Gary Soto presents a young girl named Veronica who learned from a young age, that in order to be pretty, you must fit standards and stereotypes- Barbie stereotypes.
Everyone has their flaws as no human being is perfect nor will one ever be perfect either. “There are plenty of beautiful women that do not fit the projected form of beauty that we have been taught to idolize. Still, women constantly attempt to change the way their bodies are meant to be, in order to look like the edited models and airbrushed actresses we see in our favorite shows, movies and magazines.” (Curly) Women working behind magazine companies are playing apart in the downgrading of women as well and some don’t even know it. An average magazine cover is either a woman known to society as a very pretty or attractive woman, with a face full of makeup and on the side bringing attention to the main article of something like “find out the simple way to get this amazing body or how to lose weight in 10 days.”
With the constant fear of ridicule and discrimination, we still try and define ourselves, though we are always under the society’s scope. Marge Piercy, in her poem “Barbie Doll”, gives us a look at the influence of our surroundings and how something as innocent as a doll can trigger these insecurities. Our strive for acceptance and “perfection” can cause major emotional damage on anyone who identifies as a woman. Young girls look at these depictions of “perfect” bodies, such as a barbie doll for example, and compare themselves. In the poem “Barbie Doll”, Piercy talks about a young girl who she described as “...healthy, tested and intelligent...” (247) but, she was picked on by peers who said she had “a great big nose and fat legs.”
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.
A girl walks into the toy store and pulls into the doll section. She stares at the imitation doll and the Barbie doll standing next to it. She contemplates between picking the black hair doll and the perfect blonde doll. In a quick second, she grabbed the doll. The Barbie doll.
Although Barbie has conveyed many beliefs through the clothes and jobs she has had, the most controversial belief has been body image. Since first being brought out into the world, Barbie has had an unreasonably shaped body, with a small waist and large breasts. All of Barbie’s body features have impacted the way society expects women to look. But in 2016, Barbie had a dramatic makeover, she was released in different heights and body shapes, making her more suitable to the way women actually look. Barbie’s new look has made a positive impact on young girls and potentially society’s unrealistic expectations of
Even though the problem of women having to fit into this category is not that big of a problem in this century. However, there is a problem of women having to look like certain way to fit into this idea of what women should look like. There is this idea that a women has to look a certain way in order to be beautiful. I have become very vocal on this matter because I truly believe that every women is beautiful. I relate to Tessie Hutchinson from the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson.
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.
