

In “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy there is a young ‘girlchild’(Piercy l. 1) who faces the struggles of gender stereotypes .Marge Piercy was considered a radical feminist amongst the new period of second wave feminism. Second wave feminism  has “contributed a great deal to current understandings of gender” (Cohler 140). During the 1970s, From a young age, girls were coerced into liking things that society said they should; this includes thing such as playing with dolls, kitchen sets, and wearing make up. In relation to this poem, gender stereotypes were still very strong during these times and especially enforced amongst women. Even at such a young age this girlchild is pressured to conform to the standards that society has preset for her. These gender roles aligned with the views of femininity vs. masculinity during this time period- and arguably still persist today. Through various references in “Barbie Doll” Piercy is able to show the problem of gender roles and stereotypes during the 1970s.  

The time period that Piercy’s poem was written in was a time during the movement of second wave feminism. Second wave feminism started in the United States around 1960 and lasted until the start of the 1980s. During this time period women were still not seen as equals to men. Gender roles were still very present amongst society. Second wave feminism aimed to change issues dealing with new things such as “sexuality, the workplace and family” (The Wilson Quarterly 139). This is shown in Marge Piercy’s poem through the presentation of gender stereotypical items to the girlchild.

Since the girlchild was born, she was given various toys that pressures her towards gender roles of a woman. She was given “dolls that did pee-pee.”(Piercy l. 2) Young girls being given dolls is the beginning of the pressure towards being a mother. When a child is given dolls as a girl and not as a boy it shows them that, as a girl, they should not only enjoy being a mother but accept that it is a part of how they should be. While many girls do enjoy playing with dolls and want to embrace motherhood, this is not a characteristic of all girls. This assumption that all girls want dolls is what causes it to become a gender stereotype. Second wave feminism was heavily trying to change these stereotypes in order to help women embrace their own individuality and realize they do not have to conform to how society says they should be.

As the poem continues, the girlchild is flooded with the “usual” feminine items and expectations. The poem captures this flood by repeating “and” in the opening stanza. The next items the girlchild was given were “miniature GE stoves and irons” (Piercy 3). These household items reference to the fact that during this time period it was still typical for women to keep up the households rather than the men. However, a study from Indiana University proved that even today women are still more likely to keep up households, even when they earn more money than their partners. Young boys were not given appliances as toys, only girls. Through presenting these items to girls at such a young age it causes them to think that these household jobs are only meant for them. Second wave feminism saw a problem in this. When girls grow up with such pressures it is how gender roles form and that is what feminists such as Piercy wanted to change.

Girls were also held to unreasonable standards of femininity in respect to physical appearance. Piercy also mentions that girls are given “lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (Piercy 4). When girls are given make up starting at such a young age it makes them believe that they need to wear it. If girls only learn that the standard is for them to wear make up, whether it be through possessions or growing up seeing women wear makeup, then they will grow up thinking that they need to wear makeup in order to be a feminine woman. This is another example of how society forms gender stereotypes through shaping young girls to think they have to be a certain way.

During second wave feminism, a large goal was to stop shaming female sexuality. Many feminists during this time realized that sexuality is “a source of both women’s oppression and their liberation” (Cohler 141). Piercy also touches on this subject by saying that the girlchild had an “abundant sexual drive” (Piercy l. 9). Even though this young girl had a strong sense of sexuality she still “went to and fro apologizing” (Piercy l. 10). This shows how during this time period women were expected to hide their sexuality. This almost oppression caused a gap between boys and girls. Piercy’s reference to this issue is directly related to how second wave feminism aimed to help girls and women embrace their sexuality. 

 Another issue that second wave feminism dealt with was body images of women. Piercy shows this by saying that all people saw of girlchild was that she had “fat nose on thick legs” (Piercy l. 11). Even though she had many other qualities such as “healthy, tested intelligent / possessed strong arms and back” (Piercy l. 7-8), those were not considered desirable. This is due to, as Piercy shows, girls growing up only being judged for physical things that they are unable to change as opposed to other attributes that may not be physical. When girls are told that their personality and intelligence does not matter, only their body,  starting at such a young age it causes them to have a negative look at their own body image. 

Second wave feminism also strived to change the standards that women are held to. Girls are told to do certain things such as “play coy” (Piercy l. 12) and “exercise, diet, smile, and wheedle” (l. 13).  These standards were unrealistic and unfair to women. The standards of society at this time were oppressive due to the fact that it made women’s regular emotions seems as if they were undesirable for them. Not only does it not let girls express themselves fully, during this time it was also seen as exhausting. Piercy shows this by saying that the girlchild’s “good nature wore out like a fan belt” (Piercy l. 15). This is a particularly interesting simile—since a fan belt, more often than not, snaps in a violent manner, which mirrors how the pressures on her cause her to “snap.” When a young girl is constantly being held to certain standards eventually her sense of individuality wears out. 

Piercy also shows the downfall of these stereotypes. At the end of the poem the girlchild finally conforms to the way people tell her to by “cutting off her nose and legs” (Piercy l. 17) and having “cosmetics painted on” (Piercy l. 20). She then goes on to say that this ironically was a “happy ending” (Piercy l. 25). There is no mistaking the final image of the poem: The girlchild is objectified by being painted up, dressed up, and placed on satin—not unlike that of a typical, impossibly proportioned and “perfect” Barbie Doll on the shelf—waiting to be purchased and spelling a similar fate to the unsuspecting child. She becomes the boxed up “pretty” doll only after she sacrifices her individuality to male standards. This shows how women would conform to the pressures and change themselves in order to reach happiness-a false happiness. This is exactly what second wave feminism was aiming to change by promoting individuality amongst women.

Gender roles and stereotypes are an issue due to the way that they facilitate the oppression of individuality. Young children being told that they need to act and be a certain way starting from the time that they play with toys is what causes these issues. When a girl grows up thinking they are only allowed to be a mother and homemaker is when they lose their ambitions to be anything that they want. Marge Piercy along with the rest of second wave feminism saw the problem with these stereotypes.

All of these various references throughout this poem show that gender stereotypes and roles were problems that were occurring while it was written. Second wave feminism aimed to eliminate these issues. Women and girls of all ages were being pressured to conform to certain gender roles and stereotypes that were implemented by society. Through the poem “Barbie Doll,” Marge Piercy was able to point out the problems women were facing during the 1970s. The problems that Piercy points out, although from the 1970s, are still relevant today. Through this poem, even women today can learn that no matter what society is placing as standards, conforming does not always guarantee happiness. 
