It seems that as time goes on, there will always be an uncertainty of acceptance in some way. So many women in today's society constantly critique and judge themselves and all they have to offer, simply because of other people's thoughts and reactions. It is easy enough to say that the reason for all of this unnecessary self-judgment has to do with the fact that every woman today can so easily compare herself to anyone else through the Internet or social media. However, this issue has been around for over 50 years, a time when the Internet wasn't even a thing; therefore, it's not just looking at other people's pictures and profile that cause women to question themselves. The problem lay among the idea that society has so firmly developed a template for "what" a woman is, that it's become almost impossible to break away from that without receiving some sort of negative judgment in return. The fight against this type of criticism, the thrive for gender equality and acceptance, was the main topic of every situation beginning in the 1960s, lasting through the early 1980s- second-wave feminism. This movement strived for the equality of women to men in the United States in all parts of life: employment, education, salary, etc. One can't achieve equality without receiving acceptance, and that was very hard for women during the time period. 

Marge Piercy, born in Detroit in 1936, grew up in a neighborhood that was not accepting when it came to race-diversity. Piercy always accepted the fact that she came from a Jewish family, even though she was very often bullied because of her religion. Growing up, her father would constantly try to convince Marge that she was not Jewish, trying to protect the family against anti-Semitic discrimination, but it was pretty much impossible. This had an everlasting effect on Marge, and as she grew up, she recognized the discrimination of other minority groups, one of those being women. Marge always supported the equality and acceptance of women. She was a part of many groups and organizations promoting women's equality, such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). In 1973, Marge wrote the poem, "Barbie Doll." The poem depicts the life of a girl from birth to death and how the judgment and lack of acceptance from others prevented her from achieving what she hoped to in life. The poem starts off talking about how a girl was born into this world with nothing wrong with her; she played with the same toys any other little girl played with. It then goes on to tell how she was introduced to "GE stoves and irons" (334). This statement shows the readers that the girl was introduced to the tools she would need to be familiar with in order to become what the world at the time knew women to be- housewives. Reading on, it becomes obvious that the girl's life changed forever. The poem states, "Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs" (334). This is the turning point for the main character in the poem. Before the comment about her appearance was made, she was happy and saw nothing wrong with herself. She was being raised as every other girl was at the time. The poem states that she was very healthy and smart, but she could no longer see herself for how she actually was; all she could see was her "fat nose on thick legs" (335). She tried to play it off by smiling through the pain and acting shy, but she knew she would never be happy with herself again unless she changed her appearance. She eventually cut off her nose and legs, taking her own life. As she lay in her coffin, people complimented her beauty. The poem ends with, "Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending" (335). The closing line of the poem in sarcastic, yet, unfortunately, true in many circumstances. Many women do not find peace or happiness until they finally fit in with what society wants them to be, and even then, they are not truly, genuinely happy. "Barbie Doll" represents how feminism affected women's views on themselves. Marge used physical appearance and beauty to illustrate how during second-wave feminism, women wanted education, great knowledge, and careers, but the expectations of society forced many to fall under the pressure of what was going on around them and just become unhappy housewives. 

In 1971, Jo Freeman, editor of the "Voice of Women's Libertarian Movement," released her article "The BITCH Manifesto." The article describes the ways in which confident women, the ones who did not fall to the stereotypes of the "common" women, were looked upon in society at the time. The article quotes Simone de Beauvoir, a French writer and feminist, and states, " man is defined as a human being and woman is defined as a female. Whenever she tries to behave as a human being she is accused of trying to emulate the male." This quote is really the backbone of the entire article. "The BITCH Manifesto" describes what the world during the time of second-wave feminism believed a bitch to be- an "aggressive, assertive, domineering, overbearing" woman, who could not state her mind or stand up for her own beliefs because by doing so, she was simply just mimicking men and making a fool of herself and all other women trying to achieve equality. "The BITCH Manifesto" takes a different approach on equality and acceptance of women than "Barbie Doll" does. The poem is a way to almost make women today feel guilty for the times they have hidden who they truly are, showing that by doing so, they will not gain any happiness. The article takes a more aggressive approach, almost sarcastically arguing that women can and should be more independent, and that there is nothing wrong with being perceived as a bitch; in fact, being a bitch only makes one stronger. "The BITCH Manifesto" takes a new interpretation on "Barbie Doll" by implying that expressing confidence, regardless of the hostility, is what is necessary to achieve what one wants in life, not suffering in silence. 

In July of 2014, Lisa Sandford, 23 year old Australian feminist, stumbled across a Tumblr page titled, "Women Against Feminism." This page consists of pictures of hundred of women from all over the world holding up homemade signs stating why they do not need feminism. One woman on the page held up a sign that stated, "I don't need feminism because I believe in equality, not entitlements or supremacy." In regards to "Barbie Doll," the Tumblr page takes a completely different interpretation of feminism. The poem argues the need for acceptance, and as previously stated, uses physical appearance to show that. Without acceptance, or any sort of praise, many women feel they have no place in this world, and that is why they believed the feminist movement would help- it would create a world where praise and acceptance of women became the norm. And with that, equality would be evident. That being said, the Tumblr page takes an approach similar to "The BITCH Manifesto," being that it is a bit more aggressive. The women on the Tumblr page use their signs to show that acceptance is not necessarily the issue, as "Barbie Doll," implies. While equality remains the goal of both the poem and the women on the Tumblr page, the signs lead many to believe that acceptance is something that only seems to satisfy certain women- the less confident ones. Acceptance is not what women are fighting for; all that matter is that women accept themselves. Women are not asking for special treatment, and they are not asking to gain control over anyone. All they are asking for is that women be treated equally to men. If women want an excessive education or big business office jobs, they should be able to do so. Lisa Sandford mentioned how she appreciates all the choices she has been given in life, and when the time is right, she will become a stay at home mother for her kids. The selection of equal of choices is what women are asking for, and as long as they are happy with the choices they have made, that is what matters. 

While women should have equal opportunity and choices in this world, the Tumblr page represents the most accurate expression of how women should see themselves today. There is no need for self-judgment like in "Barbie Doll," and women who stand up for themselves do not need to be categorized like in "The BITCH Manifesto." It has become evident enough that not everyone will receive acceptance from everyone else, but as lone as one accepts his or herself and is given an equal opportunity to all, improvement is made. 

