“Barbie Doll”, written by Marge Piercy in the early 1970s, managed to make its mark on the feminist movement in America through its honesty and authenticity. Fighting for women’s rights and equality at the time, women found “Barbie Doll” to be an accurate depiction of women, how they were treated, and the expectations society held for them. Still a relevant issue in today’s world, feminism was initially questioned decades ago. Piercy writes a striking poem on the idea of what a woman is supposed to be physically and socially, creating more barriers between expectation and reality. The history of feminism and the inequality of women dates back quite a few years, however the issue is greatly seen in today’s world. The impact of feminism in the early days definitely contributes to the outlook on gender equality, or lack thereof, today. The research found on this topic is wide range, including the influence of dolls during childhood and how gender roles affect young children, however a new understanding of Piercy’s text, “Barbie Doll”, can be found through research performed regarding gender inequality and feminism. 

Throughout history, the U.S. has gone through quite a few movements fighting for equality of all persons. Particularly in the 70s, people were beginning to rebel and approach things that were against what society expected, rather than the stereotypical “norm”. Alexa A. Albert and Judith R. Porter share information through their writing in, “Children’s Gender-Role Stereotypes”, about gender roles in children. These authors explain how the development of gender roles begins at a young age, and therefore begin to make an impact on not only that individual, but society as a whole. They go on to write about the prominence of the impact culture makes on that individual and their development (Albert and Porter 186). Due to the diversity of culture, every individual will vary in the way they experience their sociological environment. Because every culture is different, the way each individual will grow as an intellectual will vary. By examining this research, it can be inferred that “Barbie Doll” was influenced by the movement of gender inequality. Coming out of the 60s, gender roles were still fresh in the minds of the people in the U.S. culture. Being that each generation influences the next, the children of this generation were surrounded by this idea that women held their own place in society – which was whatever society needed, or expected, them to be. Because gender roles were the accepted “norm”, “Barbie Doll” was most likely influenced off of the idea that women had to look a certain way, and furthermore fulfill their roles in society. 

Reflecting further on the feminist movement, it proved to be an important one due to the fact that it is still current today. The text is responding to the people who have been affected by the movement. Most would not even be aware that they were falling into the assumptions of women and their roles. For example, Piercy writes in the last stanza, “…Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said/Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending” (349). By commenting on the woman in the casket, who was cosmetically adjusted for her own funeral, an assumption is made on society altogether. This woman had her body mutilated to meet social expectations – to look “pretty”. This is an example of society anticipating women to live up to their desires. Furthermore, this text is responding to the people who waited to say the woman was pretty until she physically changed her looks in order to live up to it. 

Another aspect of gender roles that is often overlooked it the impact of dolls presented in children’s lives. Wagner-Ott presents the idea of dolls and their relation to body image issues in her study of Art Education. This is relevant due to the fact that the title of Piercy’s poem is “Barbie Doll”. The woman in the poem is seen as one with domestic duties, and feels that she is more worthy dead than alive. Although dolls are seen as an innocent toy for young children to use their imagination with, they are also presenting issues in gender and gender expectations. The children playing with these dolls are not fully aware that not everyone lives in a Barbie dream house, and not everyone has the same body type as Barbie. Piercy may also be responding to the development of the Barbie doll itself through her poetry. The influence that Barbie has had over so many generations is unparalleled. Not only has the doll developed into a much larger thing than it originally was, but has also influenced the way that young girls develop expectations on what they should look like what it is like to grow up. The expectations of a girl’s body type, the activities she is supposed to partake in, and what she is expected to live like can all possibly stem from Barbie. Even though a positive impact has been brought about with the doll, such negative influences can be brought about, aiming for a conflicting topic. Barbie being developed in the late 1950s, much like feminism, is still very present today (Wagner-Ott 248). 

When such important, but sensitive topics are touched on, there are a number of different ways that people respond. According to Anthony J. Scimone, the author of “Reading Poetry for Critical Reflection on Consumer Behavior”, students often respond to Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll” in similar ways. Triggering the emotions of both male and females, the poem is meant to provoke conversation on the topic – gaining the needed attention to end such brutal “expectations” for women to fulfill according to society. Scimone writes about how his students interpret the poem and how he then encourages them to further question the topic (34). This is important because if people continue to recognize the fact that gender inequality and stereotypes are remaining present in society, but fail to recognize the fact that action should be taken to move forward, it will be like a cycle that does not end. 

Feminism is very much present in society today, however some individuals may not know as much about it as they think they do. Discussing topics such as this one, it can turn into a problematic situation being that opinions may vary. While reading “Barbie Doll”, others who are not as sensitive to the subject may not analyze the poetry as much and therefore may not grasp a full understanding of the meaning behind false expectancies in women. Again, this can be problematic because the overall purpose of the poem is overlooked. People may not be completely familiar with the relevance of gender expectations and stereotypes. Although many students learn about the original gender issues in U.S. history classes, it is often overridden that the problem still stands today. 

In the second stanza of Piercy’s poem, she writes, “…Her good nature wore out/like a fan belt. So she cut off her nose and her legs/and offered them up” (349). What comes off as a harsh statement can be further analyzed as quite a sad statement. These lines allow the reader to visualize the harshness of gender expectations. Because the girl was previously ridiculed for her physical appearance, she feels the need to sacrifice her own needs, wants, or desires to please others and their expectations. By making this sacrifice of her body parts, she is also sacrificing her own happiness as a whole for the sake of others’ happiness. This can also be overlooked by many, as this is a very relevant issue as well. Many people in society stress the wants and expectations of others, far before their own. 

Overall, research behind gender inequality and stereotypes goes back in history and is still an ongoing process. Society continues to change in and of itself, however history has a trend to repeat itself. Research that goes beyond gender inequality and stereotypes, aiming to solve the problem greatly contributes to the development of an improved society. The combined research performed consisting of Albert and Porter, Wagner-Ott, and Scimone continues to enable readers to further interpret Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll”. The subject is a conflicting one, however has been picked apart for years now – all aiming to find the root of the issue and the best way to stop gender inequality and stereotypes. 
