Barbie Doll Analysis
“Barbie Doll”: Staying True to Yourself
Society can take over the way people see themselves. In Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll,” a young girl was judged for her looks and being herself. Due to this young girl’s strong mind set, she tried to stay true to herself, but could only handle so much pressure. Throughout her entire life, she was being compared to a symbolic perfect Barbie Doll who had the beautiful cosmetic fixed face that everyone imagines girls to be, and the irony of how pretty everyone thought she was on her deathbed demonstrated how the standards in society make people second guess who they really are.
Perfection is an impossible achievement for a human; hence, when this “girlchild” is being compared to a “perfect,” …show more content…
Today’s world demonstrates girls as these skinny twigs that are always on diets to fit what they think society expects from them. Some are happy with their body and who they are, but regardless of what they think about themselves, there will always be people who try to knock them down. The young girl was described as: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (lines 7-9). The list of qualities above are examples of the way people are categorized and seen. The description of the girl gave a sense of imagery of how well rounded she was, except for the fact that she didn’t have the “Barbie body.” She was happy with who she was and her body, but when someone told her otherwise, she started questioning herself. The girl was, “ advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty, / exercise, diet, smile and wheedle” (lines 12-14). Those list of activities are what most people imagine Barbie to act like: play dumb and not be yourself. She was also told to eat less to be skinny, just like the Barbie image everyone expects. Due to all the insecurities society had given this poor young girl, she followed into the footsteps of a “Barbie” girl and lost herself on the way. Imagery of the fake Barbie girl everyone wanted to be was …show more content…
People should always try to stay true to themselves even when so many people are pressuring them to change. At the end of the poem where the young girl is described, “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with undertaker’s cosmetics painted on / a turned-up putty nose” (lines 19-21). In her casket, she is buried under makeup and fake cosmetics; ironically, all this work she got done to please everyone was only seen when she was dead. They also “packaged” her like a Barbie Doll, lying on satin, which is what she wanted to be in life. During her funeral, “dressed in a pink and white nightie. / Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said” (lines 22-23). The gown she wore in her deathbed, is similar to what Barbie wears and when she was dolled up to fit everyone’s expectations and finally got the approval she needed. This young girl went through her life always trying to get everyone’s approval when all she needed was her
Society can take over the way people see themselves. In Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll,” a young girl was judged for her looks and being herself. Due to this young girl’s strong mind set, she tried to stay true to herself, but could only handle so much pressure. Throughout her entire life, she was being compared to a symbolic perfect Barbie Doll who had the beautiful cosmetic fixed face that everyone imagines girls to be, and the irony of how pretty everyone thought she was on her deathbed demonstrated how the standards in society make people second guess who they really are.
Perfection is an impossible achievement for a human; hence, when this “girlchild” is being compared to a “perfect,” …show more content…
Today’s world demonstrates girls as these skinny twigs that are always on diets to fit what they think society expects from them. Some are happy with their body and who they are, but regardless of what they think about themselves, there will always be people who try to knock them down. The young girl was described as: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (lines 7-9). The list of qualities above are examples of the way people are categorized and seen. The description of the girl gave a sense of imagery of how well rounded she was, except for the fact that she didn’t have the “Barbie body.” She was happy with who she was and her body, but when someone told her otherwise, she started questioning herself. The girl was, “ advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty, / exercise, diet, smile and wheedle” (lines 12-14). Those list of activities are what most people imagine Barbie to act like: play dumb and not be yourself. She was also told to eat less to be skinny, just like the Barbie image everyone expects. Due to all the insecurities society had given this poor young girl, she followed into the footsteps of a “Barbie” girl and lost herself on the way. Imagery of the fake Barbie girl everyone wanted to be was …show more content…
People should always try to stay true to themselves even when so many people are pressuring them to change. At the end of the poem where the young girl is described, “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with undertaker’s cosmetics painted on / a turned-up putty nose” (lines 19-21). In her casket, she is buried under makeup and fake cosmetics; ironically, all this work she got done to please everyone was only seen when she was dead. They also “packaged” her like a Barbie Doll, lying on satin, which is what she wanted to be in life. During her funeral, “dressed in a pink and white nightie. / Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said” (lines 22-23). The gown she wore in her deathbed, is similar to what Barbie wears and when she was dolled up to fit everyone’s expectations and finally got the approval she needed. This young girl went through her life always trying to get everyone’s approval when all she needed was her