English 102 - Becoming a Barbie Doll in Society
Ashley Chism
English 102
Professor Knowles
11/7/16
Becoming a Barbie Doll in Society
Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a Barbie Doll or wished you could have been a Barbie doll as a little girl? Barbie Dolls and Feminism have always played a role in society from the roaring 20’s to the present-day society. Our Society there is a want and a need to be for a woman to be perfect on the outside regardless of what her inside looks like. There is much importance and too much anxiety placed on women to surrender to the image of being the perfect women or being like a Barbie doll like the Russian Model Veleria Layanoka had plastic surgery and dieted just to look like a human Barbie doll, because she thought her modeling career would benefit from the change and more people would think she was beautiful. In the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, I see evidence to this idea in the poet’s use of irony, stereotyping, and her attitude towards the whole women and them trying to be perfect for today’s society, as she has a feminist point of view.
Many things today show irony including the poet’s uses irony mostly toward the end of them the poem. The thought was that people would say that a person is only worthy and beautiful after they are dead, and placed to be perfect. After the person is dead don’t you think it’s too late to tell them when they can’t hear it or feel your feeling toward them. For example, in the poem Piercy uses the phrase Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said,” (23) This phrase makes you think they only this person could have been pretty by having the” undertaker place them that way with his cosmetics painted, turned-up putty nose, and dressed in a pink and white nightie” (20-22). This pretty painted picture of women being perfect leads to the many stereotypes of women.
Stereotyping in 1971 when the poem was written; is that all women should have this perfect imagine, which is just imaginable. Marge Piercy’s her poem to prove that this is impossible except at death. Marge Piercy’s Barbie Doll proves that from a young age women are trained and modeled after the ideal American housewife and the world’s great doll ever.” Girlchild was born as usual and presented with dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (1-4). This lines in the poem proving that stereotyping for girl’s existence from birth and instilled in their lives from the being. Women must fit in the stereotyping of the perfect individual and they will only have the perfect look after they have passed away. “Consummation at last” (24) saying finally she has fit the stereotype. The author feels strongly against women stereotyping.
Marge felt that it was a crock that women should have an ideal way to took look or act or feel for society to accept them. Marge wrote in a time of the second-wave a feminism where women were coming into their own and felt they had to right to do the same job and a man. That woman shouldn’t have to look or act a certain way to get a job. Marge would only work with women and write with to prove a point. Piercy felt that women shouldn’t be stereotyped by anyone that we are all women and individuals, we all look different are shaped differently and have different backgrounds. What Piercy feel is that these are all women’s issues that women are dealing in the 1970’s and Now for that matter; as much to do with each other as much as the lack of women speaking in the media on all these issues. The war on women is also the war on children. Protect fetuses and the protection stops. Marge felt that equality was the most important thing not fitting in with everyone else. Equality, communication, and sexual compatibility are all elements she believed that make it possible to live with a man, or anyone is general. This poem shows that feminism is important to the author she was a very being feminist activist.
A little about the poem and Piercy’s feminist point of view. The poem Barbie Doll is a powerful poem. The name carries a lot of meaning because a Barbie doll has long been an icon in society. Although it is a children’s toy, a Barbie doll exemplifies a woman with a perfect body exonerating beauty. This poem portrays a summary of a life since birth to the end of life at a funeral. The main character in the poem never had a chance to live life to the fullest because she was always trying to please others and be accepted. She never got the chance to be herself which led her to lead a life of unhappiness. Barbie Doll is a sort of mocking poem of social appearance and acceptance. This poem attacks the female’s desire to look a certain way fit in with people around them. The entirety of Piercy’s devices supports her hilarious take on society powerful impact on a person’s life decisions and self-perceptions to fit with society and what it excepts them to be. The title perfectly describes the message that is trying to be portrayed.