Coming Of Age In Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll

Today, as a society we are beyond obsessed with our appearance then we would like to admit. Everyone wants something that they do not have, for example, longer hair, straighter teeth, etc. It does not come as a surprise to us that physical attractiveness is overwhelmingly import to our society. At about two years old, infants begin to recognize themselves in mirrors and just a few short years later females begin to dislike what they see. In 1971 there was a huge feminist movement which is where Marge Piercy got the inspiration to write a poem to point out what society has done to the minds of young women today. The theme of “Barbie Doll” is femininity and coming of age because it gives the audience a good idea what it is like to be a young women growing up in America and some of the

Adults are given a large amount of power and control over young women in the sense that they are very impressionable over their young minds. What young women in today’s society associate “normal” with is what they grasp from watching adult behaviors and values. Piercy illustrates this in her poem with neologism. “Girlchild” is a neologistic word that gets the audience thinking what it means to be both girl and child. Being a girl and being a child are both extremely hard things to face especially today. Being a women or girl in America means living up to the beauty standards that are set in place. In lines 5-6 in “Barbie Doll” the speaker is alluding the difficult battle that girls have when it comes to accepting their bodies. “Girlchild” has it all – health, intelligence, strength, sexuality, and dexterity. Nevertheless, her classmates still point out her imperfections, “You have a great big nose and fat legs.” (Line 6) All things they hear miserable adults talk about. They point out her appearance rather then her impeccable character and limitless talents beyond her