
Have you ever felt like you were being pressured to become someone you’re not? In 1973, Marge Piercy published “Barbie Doll;” a poem that revealed this exact feeling. During the time that Piercy’s poem was published, the second wave feminism movement was going on in America. It lasted from the early 1960’s to the late 1980’s. Women all over the country were fighting for equality with men. They wanted equal opportunities because they were tired of feeling like they had no importance in the world. Most importantly, they were tired of being dehumanized and treated as objects rather than human beings (Carl Brennan). By closely analyzing “Barbie Doll,” we can understand that although the second wave feminism movement began in 1960, the issues that the women faced during that time period are still going on in today’s culture. Through Marge Piercy’s use of figurative language, diction, and tone, we can also see that gender stereotypes and expectations begin at birth and never seem to end. 

Automatically when a child is born, the first thing we think of is to spoil that baby with some gifts and make sure that he or she is happy. Unfortunately, most of the time those gifts have a lot to do with gender stereotypes. In the first line of the poem, Piercy says that a “girlchild was born as usual”. This leads me to think that the girl was born as normal as could expect. Piercy goes on to say that the girlchild was “presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (lines 2-4). These lines reveal how “normal” society thinks it is to present children with such toys. At such a young age this girl is already being pressured into playing with toys that are going to shape who she will become. Sadly, the girl probably doesn’t even realize that it will affect her and neither do the adults who are giving her the toys. For example, when Piercy says that the girl was presented with dolls, miniature stoves, irons, and red lipstick, it makes me think about all of the stereotypes that women have to go through today. Women are expected to cook, clean, iron, and look a certain way to fit society’s standards of perfection. In this first stanza, the child is already given these things at such a young age. It seems like the adult in this poem is trying to shape the young girl into being a woman who is going to fit all of these stereotypes. In “The Social Barbie,” Xavier Readus explains this theory by saying that “usually when someone obtains gifts, it is a time of celebration; however, in this situation, the critical reader detects that the gifts are represented of a predetermined future. The destiny of the newborn is conceived from social norms and influences” (56). Also in the first stanza, Piercy jumps right into the topic of puberty. She talks about “the magic of puberty” (line 5) and the tone instantly changes because obviously, no one likes puberty. She states that the young girl’s classmates are now talking about her imperfections such as “big nose and fat legs” (line 6).  The young girl is now being criticized for her “imperfections”, when in reality, they aren’t imperfections at all. Society has shaped older and younger girls into believing that they have to reach a certain ideal beauty in order to be accepted. This is not okay because each girl is different and should be able to embrace her uniqueness without the feeling of being judged by society.

In the second stanza, Marge Piercy brings reality into focus as she mentions the way that the classmates react to the personality traits of the young girl. In lines 7-9, the author describes the girl as being “healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, abundant sexual drive, and manual dexterity.” The young girl has it all, yet her classmates only see her “imperfections”.  They only see her for what she looks like and not for who she actually is. The classmates have most likely picked this up from older adults. For example, in today’s society this happens every day. So many women are rejected because of what they look like on the outside without being able to prove who they really are on the inside. Piercy goes on to say that the young girl “went to and fro apologizing’ (line 10). This is twisted and heart wrenching because it is so accurate today. Women are being ridiculed for their appearance if they don’t have the perfect, curvy, skinny, tan body. It makes no sense for someone to have to apologize for the way that she looks. It shouldn’t be about what’s on the outside, yet all the classmates saw was “a fat nose on thick legs” (line 11). In “‘Barbie Doll’ and “G.I Joe”: Exploring Issues of Gender,” Robert Perrin describes this as a “depressing cycle” (83) that women are having to go through today. Women are steadily feeling the need to apologize for any inconvenience that they cause to the people who look at them. 

Next, in the third stanza, Piercy describes the girl as an adult who is now being advised on how she should behave.  She is being advised that she should be shy and sweet, to go exercise more, to go on a diet, smile, and always be flattery. This is not fair that this woman has to be told this. It is not fair that she has to try to become someone she is not. She should be able to be herself, because ultimately, that’s all that matters. At the end of this stanza, Piercy says that the woman “wore out like a fan belt” (lines 15-16). From this simile, we can see that the woman is tired from trying to be someone she is not. Piercy also explains that the woman has “cut off her nose and legs and offered them up” (lines 17-18). Xavier Readus explains that “Just as the tone changed from mild lines about personality to dramatic lines with analogy, an internal change in the mentality of the character has occurred once she actively listens to the social pressures” (56). The woman has given into the pressures of society and has come to the point where she is ready to kill herself in order to get rid of the “imperfections” and make everyone happy. It’s a sad situation, but in today’s society it happens often. Robert Perrin describes our culture today by saying that it is a society that “encourages patterned behaviors, that fails to recognize the innate values that people possess, that creates artificial demands, and that perpetuates unhealthy expectations” (84).  Perrin makes a solid point because not only are the expectations of women unfair, but they’re also leading women to be mentally unhealthy. 

Marge Piercy starts stanza four by explaining that even though the woman has died, the undertaker has changed things about her so that she will be presentable to the people at the funeral. In lines 20-22 Piercy says that the woman laid in the casket with the “undertaker’s cosmetics painted on, a turned up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie.” This goes to show that even though the woman was dead, she couldn’t get away from the fact that everyone wanted her to be something that she wasn’t. It is sickening to know that a woman can go as far as killing herself because of the way she looks, but it makes it even worse that while she is laying in her casket, she has been transformed into someone that looks “acceptable” to society. The woman couldn’t escape the constant pressure of being perfect, even after death. At the end of the poem everyone asked, “Doesn’t she look pretty?” (line 23). This line in itself shows just how cruel our society is today. After everything that the woman went through, these people are giving her what they think is a “compliment.” The tone in this stanza is sarcastic because obviously, that is the most insane thing to ask at a time like this. The woman killed herself because she wasn’t society’s definition of pretty. She killed herself because she could never fit the expectations of anyone. How are these people going to say she is pretty now? She is dead. She has a fake nose and her face is basically not even her own face. In the last two lines of the poem Piercy says, “Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending” (lines 24-25).  These last two lines make me sick to my stomach. Piercy’s tone is still very sarcastic as she talks about the people at the funeral. This is definitely not a happy ending to all. It’s actually the complete opposite. The woman in the casket walked through life hating who she was because she was never good enough. All of a sudden, now that she is dead, she has become good enough to everyone. She has become “pretty” in the eyes of society. 

The second wave feminism movement was conducted in the early 1960’s in order for women to gain social equality with men. By looking closely at “Barbie Doll,” we can see that the issues that women faced during the movement are some of the same issues that are still going on today. While women are going through the social pressures of pleasing everyone else, men are forced to please themselves. For example, men are always suspected to play sports and be the best they can be. They are also suspected to be smart, outgoing, and some are even suspected to be the leaders and take every opportunity that they can. They are supposed to be the head of the family, the president, the doctor, the pastor, and so much more. Men are rewarded and looked up to in today’s society. On the other hand, women are constantly fighting the battle of “perfection.” Society has made women believe that if they don’t do certain things, look a certain way, or act a certain way, then they aren’t good enough and will not be accepted. This feeling has driven many women to the point where they want to end their life so that they can get away from the pressures of society. Xavier Readus puts it this way: “Is it the goal of every person to symbolically emulate the size, shape, and symmetry of toys like the Barbie dolls and behave like females and males are supposed to behave? Heaven forbid! In Piercy’s view, there is no end to this but death to all” (Readus 57).  Many women and men do their best to fit society’s standards in order for everyone to be happy but it seems like no matter what, nothing is ever good enough. The world would be a much better place if everyone, no matter the gender, accepted people for who they are on the inside rather than what the look like on the outside.
