Beauty In Marge Piercy's Poem Barbie Doll

In this poem “Barbie Doll” Marge Piercy expresses the deep dark secrets of what it is like for girls growing up in this society where beauty becomes the center of everything. This poem conveys the effect that society has on young girls and the major role it plays in the unrealistic images of beauty. The title of this poem “Barbie Doll” explains it all. Marge Piercy uses this image as a symbol of how the world looks at what represents perfection among women and their personal appearance. The poet addresses the brutal reality that society has upheld Barbie as a figure for all girls to aspire to look like. It also addresses the struggles that girls go through and the self esteem issues that they face through out there lives. The appearance that has been presented with the Barbie doll causes many girls to fail to achieve that specific appearance leading them down a path of unhealthy living.

In the first stanza Piercy goes on to talk about the stereotypical expectations that are placed on a girl from birth to adolescent and well onto adulthood. This part of the poem is a look into how most normal young girls are raised and the influences that are pushed onto them as they grow up. They are raised and “presented dolls that did pee-pee / and miniature GE stoves and irons / and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.”with this

symbol and image comes additional meanings. Piercy gives us a glance into the truth of today’s society here in America. She shows us that at a very young age girls are modeled to grow up with the impression that glitz and glamor is the way of life and that putting make-up on is important to be beautiful. It also goes into express the gender roles that are expected of girls to perform.
Piercy then goes on to talk about a sensitive and difficult time in a young girls life.

The time of a girls life where physical changes begin to happen, a time in which a child grows up to be a women. The comment “You have a great big nose and fat legs.” brings forth a sense of sadness and insecurities for the girlchild. It shows the realism of the expectation that is placed on society's norm causes the world to conform to its standards of what it beautiful and what is not. What lies with in this comment is the main issue that is addressed in Marge Piercy's poem. The critical judgment of those around are brought on by today’s social

norms.
The second stanza Lines seven through nine addresses the unfavorable internal beauty of a young girl through health, intelligence, strength, sexuality and manual dexterity. The girlchild has internal beauty that is something that society tends to over look and only reflects on the outward appearance. It addresses the idea that children learn through experience and expectations that are presented to them which leaves them to believe that beauty is only on the out ward appearance causing some children to be vulnerable to the way that society thinks is normal. “She went to an fro apologizing”. This line brings out the idea that the girlchild feels that the way she looks is something she had to apologize for, like it is something she had done wrong as to walk into the presents of someone who feels her looks are not attractive and places her to blame. The imagery used in line 11 “everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs” leads us to believe that for many children it was hard to over come the fact that the girlchild had some flaws in her appearance that lead everyone to focus on the outward appearance than what is truly on the inside.
As Piercy proceeds in the next stanza to show us the conformity that girls have to go through just to feel accepted. “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty, / exercise, diet, smile, and wheedle.” This shows that in order for a woman to maintain status in this society she has to put on a face for all the world to see. Until finally “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” This simile shows that her sunny disposition runs out over time due to the demands that are placed on her to act and be a certain way. Unable to achieve such high expectations and failure to be happy and content with herself the girl caves under the pressures of life and the expectations assumed by society and brings herself to death.
Piercy shows in the last stanza that there lay a girl free from the harsh cruel world and finally as beautiful as she always wanted. The hidden meaning in line 19th “In the casket displayed on satin she lay” shows satin is a connotation for beautiful.