The Theme Of Outward Appearance In Barbie, Utahna Faith's Toasters

Humans are capable of many expressions of emotion, but holding this ability also allows for many people to hide what they are truly feeling within their own minds. Those who shield their emotions from others around them frequently do so in order to protect either themselves or their loved ones from the pains that may occur in life, both in a society and in a family. In Pamela Painter’s Toasters, Jose Padua’s poem Barbie, Utahna Faith’s short story All Girl Band, and George the Poet’s One Number, the recurring theme of outward appearances not reflecting the mindset of the speakers is illustrated.
In her short story, Toasters, Pamela Painter is able to effectively portray a mother’s heartbreaking decision to conceal the truth of her marriage

from her son by outwardly appearing as though nothing has changed. At the beginning of the story, the narrator is folding laundry while her son, Joey, observes the usual fight between the married couple next door, as “things [are] thrown … and grievances [are] screamed” (217). Joey seems quite amused by the violence displayed by the couple, unaware of the intricacies of marriage and the difficulty of keeping the love alive between two people. The mother, on the other hand, observes not the actions of the duo but rather the cause of the fights in the first place, as she is distracted by the money problems her family is experiencing, mentioning to readers that her husband, Harry, had been “losing too much money” with his gambling problems (217). As the story continues and the narrator reveals that she and Harry are once more fighting, she worries over her need to let Joey know what has been happening to his parents. As the story comes to a close, the mother mentions that she applauds the Angelos’ manner of fighting, with “everything flying out the windows and doors except the two of them” (217). Using the symbol of toasters, one found clean and pristine in Joey’s house and another thrown out the window of the Angelos’s house, the author is able to relate to readers that outward appearances are not always what they appear to be, but rather are what people want others to see. On the outside, Joey’s parents look as though they are in a happy marriage, just as their toaster is spotless, but their marriage is slowly falling apart, whereas the Angelos’ toaster has been tossed around and is likely dirty, but their marriage is actually fairly healthy. Having kept the silent fighting between her and Joey’s father a secret, the narrator is able to protect Joey from the pain that she is going through. Even if it may hurt someone to appear as though things are fine, in doing so they may be able to spare another person the same agony.
Many women feel as though they are not fully accepted into society unless they appear as men want them to, shown in Jose Padua’s poem Barbie. In life, women as a whole are expected to be dainty, wear dresses and skirts, and appear happy at all times, and any deviation from this ideal aesthetic is looked down upon. Padua’s poem is used entirely as a metaphor for how society views women in that they all live in an idealized culture run by men, and the speaker is trying to say that society itself is one big playhouse in which “[women] live in [men’s] dollhouse” (1.2). In addition to the general arena in which women are seen, girls also dress highly dependent upon who will see them. If a woman will only be seen by fellow women, she generally does not dress in a particularly special fashion, but once a woman knows that a male will see her, she primps herself so as to appeal more to him, catering to his desires of how she should appear, as “[men] change [women’s] clothes” (1.3). Everybody has a breaking point, however, and when a woman realizes that she is only living as the image of what those around her expect, she snaps, as the speaker says “[she] would/kill [them] all” (2.2-3). This poem illustrates how regardless of how they are feeling internally, many women feel as though they need to conform to the ideals of the society around them. Throughout the world’s culture, the ones in power, quite frequently men, are able to choose how the populace is most suitable to outwardly appear, all the while undermining the individuality and mental state of the citizens.
In addition to the pressures from men directed towards the appearance of women, many teenagers also feel a need to conceal their individuality from those around them, as evidenced in Utahna Faith’s short story All Girl Band.

The world of young adults is a complicated landscape, with cliques and a desire to fit in. This push for conformity stretches not only through behavior, but more noticeably through the apparel worn by youths. At the beginning of the story, the narrator states that she and her friends are in “trouble,” but they “do not know what [they did], and [they are] sure [they] did not mean to do it” (103). This fear of the unknown continues throughout the entirety of the story, and readers can infer that the crime the girls have committed was simply dressing out of the norm for their age. The narrator also mentions that she is “white-skinned, ebony-haired, red-lipped, and ethereal,” far different than the expectation for her being “suntanned, golden-haired, peach-lipped, and earthbound” like her mother had been (103). As time repeats itself, so too do the fashion trends popular among the masses, and the look that the narrator’s mother portrayed was the same as the look her daughter is expected to adhere to. This is not the case, though, and because of her and her band’s choices in clothes, the narrator feels ostracized by not only her peers but her father as well, who “looks at [them] without moving his mouth or turning his head” as they leave the house (104). This reaction, or lack thereof, indicates that the father disapproves of the choices his daughter has made about how she dresses, but feels as though it is not his place to criticize her. The ending line does an excellent job at summarizing the angst felt by most teens as the narrator and her band feel as though “[they] are right to turn [themselves] in” to the pressures exerted by their peers to comply to what is expected of them (104). Just as women’s individuality is torn down by the pressures

of men to dress a certain way, forcing them to relinquish their individuality, teens also feel the same stresses exerted on them by their peers as well as society as a whole. This short story exhibits not how a girl chose to hide her inner self and project what was expected via her outward appearance, but rather the consequences that arise when one does not change their outside image. When someone in life chooses to stick to who they are and express that so others can see them as they truly are, more often than not, they find themselves criticized and hurt by others. A person’s individuality should be celebrated, but instead society looks down on overt distinctiveness.
In George the Poet’s One Number, the speaker feels the need to conceal his excitement about the new opportunities he is presented with in order to continue being a part of the community he grew up in. When one thinks of a low income or poverty-stricken area, the first thought that comes to mind is usually of little to no education held by the members of that community. At the start of the poem, the speaker tells the audience that he is “the exception to the rule,” the only person in his neighborhood to be accepted at a higher-education school (5). He tells readers of how many of the people in the community turn to illegal activity in order to support their families rather than working hard to get an education in order to succeed in a good job. The choice of the speaker to attend university is unprecedented to those around him, and he feels uncomfortable with his intellect, noting that “[this opportunity]’s not what [he] wanted” (14). He is not saying to the audience that he is not happy with the chance he was given, but rather that he did not want to be shunned by the people he grew up with. As the poem continues, and the speaker talks of what being at the university feels like, he mentions that “it was far from home in more ways than one,” implying that not only was he physically distanced from the community but also emotionally separated from those he loves (16). In this way, the speaker feels as though he has betrayed his community, but later mentions that in areas such as the one he grew up in, people must “save [themselves] or get left in the lost community” (19). Even though the feeling of abandoning what was essentially his family within the neighborhood crept up inside of him, the speaker indicates that it was necessary in order to make a name for himself and to live the best life he possibly could. Stereotypes are harmful to everyone, both to the victims of false beliefs and those who spread the stereotypes themselves, as they exacerbate the differences between people rather than celebrating the common unifier of being human. These stereotypes frequently lead to strife between political, social, economic, and racial differences, and as the speaker of this poem illustrated, the stereotypes held not only by those within a community but also those outside of it can harm any who attempt to break the stereotype.
In the four works presented, the authors are all able to emphasize that while many people put up a false appearance for the sake of others, even though it may initially be to protect them, the dishonesty frequently provides more pain than necessary. The only exception to this idea is the first work, in which a mother protected her son from the pain of his parents separating. By hiding such an arduous fact from a loved one, the mother is able to justify why she needed to outwardly appear as though everything was fine even if she was suffering on the inside. Conversely, in the next two works, women and teenagers are highlighted as being puppets who conform to societal expectations of their appearance. Both are expected to dress modestly in dresses, looking the same as any other woman or teen, but these views are detrimental to their mental health as their individuality is slowly lost. In the last example, a man must push against the stereotype held against him by not only outsiders but also those within his community. He outwardly appears as though he is grateful for the chances he is given, but in his mind he is wasting away as he is forced to change his life for the better.