“You can’t judge a book by its cover” is a phrase I try to live out in my life, and I believe a reading of Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” (1971) can be judged differently after a study of the cultural context at the time. The times in which certain works were written are more often than not quite influential to the text, and a knowledge of those times proves quite beneficial in the studying of author’s works. “Barbie Doll” is a work that was constructed during the peak of early feminism, and the author’s background, the conditions of the time and a reading of the poem after research on early feminism make a second reading of this work able to capable of demonstrating the power that historical/cultural context have on a writer/work. Texts written during the times of historical/cultural movements are fascinating to read about due to the impact certain moments in history can have on authors and their writings. Yet, without a knowledge of the events of the times of certain works, readers can feel “left out” of the work because they are not sure what the author is attempting to illustrate, so a reexamination of a work after a study of events during a said time period proves to be beneficial, and this is obvious in Piercy’s poem. 

Marge Piercy grew up in a working-class, Detroit neighborhood that was marked by racial tensions. She was active in student movements at a younger age, and her works focused on gender, class, environmentalism, etc., but primarily: women’s lives. Piercy has a great care for the opportunity for women to have equality to men, and that is easily noticeable in “Barbie Doll”. An important aspect of Piercy’s writing this poem is the fact that she is a woman. By being a part of the feminist movement herself, Piercy is able to back-up her work with first-hand experiences of her demand for equality. Also, Piercy’s other writings on social problems are extremely important to this text. Piercy has written about several social components she finds problematic, and these have helped to prepare her for writing about certain social stigmas(like equality). Another important, maybe even overlooked, aspect of Piercy’s writing is that she has experienced a wave of feminism already. A few years before “Barbie Doll” was published, the first-wave of feminism had occurred, thus giving Piercy a first-hand look into the feministic culture. This gives the author credibility because she must obviously know what she is talking about if she has already encountered feminist ideals, and her writing is in the peak of the time of the fight for equality. Lastly, Piercy’s growing up in a rather rough, working-class neighborhood is important as she had a “front-row seat” to watching the workforce operate, so she could realize the differences of the male and female place in the labor society. An understanding of Marge Piercy’s background is critical in the examination of this text and its feministic tone due to the credibility that Piercy has on the subject. 

“Barbie Doll” was published at the pinnacle of “second-wave” feminism, and the tone of the poem was built around the time. Second-wave feminism focused on the broader topics of the social and cultural barriers that women faced at the time. Equal opportunity was wanted by all women, no matter the circumstance. While first-wave feminism was more towards the legalities of equality for women, the second-wave was important for the “behind-the-scenes” aspects of equal opportunity. It is quite easy for something to look nice on paper (women’s legal rights), but outside of the legal realm, women still felt they were being treated unfairly. Whether it be through the household or still at the workforce, women wanted a change. This particular wave began with protests of the Miss America pageant, which is quite interesting with regards to this poem as the text is about the ridicule of a young girl (which sounds an awful lot like a beauty pageant). For there to be a thorough understanding of this poem, one must be familiar with the unhappiness women had at the time on the subject of equality. If one wave of feminism was not enough to exemplify the dissatisfaction of women, the second certainly made an impact on society, and with that in mind the tone of “Barbie Doll” is better understood. (Marge Piercy “Barbie Doll” The Carolina Reader)

After researching the background of Piercy and the feminist ideals, a reading of this text is very intriguing as multiple lines begin to stand out. For example, “She went to and fro apologizing”(348). Here, Piercy is using this young girl as an example for girls everywhere, as at the time many women felt they were expected to be perfect little women making no mistakes. Another example of this kind of mentality is in, “She was advised to play coy”(349). In this quotation, the young girl is advised to simply be a girl who tries to be attractive or get attention, which is really a slap in the face as that is asking a woman to disregard her thoughts, feelings, etc., and simply be a “trophy wife” for men. The poem’s tone takes a sudden dark turn with, “So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up”(349). Piercy’s change in tone is important because she is demonstrating that women are completely over their current status and while it may not be a drastic action, the author’s use of more negative tones is noticeable as not many authors of her type would do such a thing. The quotation also is proving the concept that women should look basically perfect, and should go through great lengths to look so. When reading this poem after researching the cultural aspects of the time, many lines begin to be interpreted differently, and that is why one should research into historical incidents around the time of an author’s work. (Martha Rampton Four Waves of Feminism November 19, 2016)

By understanding the role of feminism in the late nineteenth century, this poem is able to be interpreted more smoothly. I believe it is important for us as readers to look into the affects that historical/cultural events can have with literary works. Many authors are notorious of writing passages with double-meanings, but how is one to realize these second interpretations without doing a little bit of “homework” on the topic? I honestly enjoyed the research on feminism mainly because it opened many doors to what I could write about, and I found that Pierce’s poem had more meaning than I thought at first. Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” is a simple, but at the same time quite complex poem that was heavily influenced by early feminism, and research on the demands of equality by women is crucial for a firm understanding of the text. 
