The search for perfection has many men and women going to extremes to qualify themselves as such. The pressures that society s on people, especially women to look a certain way has led many women to undergo many dangerous procedures in search of this so called perfect self. Though society places more pressure on women, men are not without pressure either; many men measure themselves against the world’s greatest athletes or movie stars because their physique remains impeccable at all times. Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” and Edwin Robinson’s “Richard Cory” gives us a real insight as to what it means to be perfect. The poems give us a beautiful understanding of the struggles society places on both men and women to be perfect. How does each sex deal with the struggles that society places on males and females to be perfect?

The importance of the two poems are, one might seem perfect on the outside, but what exactly is really going on within? At first glance we most certainly recognize that the poems are different: one is about the stereotypes and unfair depictions that society places on women, and the other is what exactly the perfect man should look like--according to society. The two poems bring together the theme of how unfair societal pressures are and how they affect both men and women. Though both texts were written in different era’s, Piercy’s “Barbie doll” was written in the 1970’s and Robinson’s “ Richard Cory” was written in the late eighteen hundreds; still we can see how relevant both text still are in our society today. 

According to an issue of People magazine, when Mary Kate Olson checked herself into rehab for an eating disorder, many teens did not see an issue with the way she looked. In fact, one teen wrote of Olson’s disturbingly gaunt figure: “ I admire her, she is who I aspire to be.” What is shocking about this teen’s admission is that she is not alone in her thinking. Society’s pressures on women especially to be girlie and beauty conscious even at a young age is clearly depicted in Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” where she wrote “ she was advised to play coy…. exercise, diet, smile and wheedle” (Piercy 349). Advising a teenage girl to diet because she is seen as fat by her peers is exactly what is wrong with society and the impossible standards that women can never live up to or die trying to live up to. 

In comparison, Robinson’s “ Richard Cory” was also looked upon as a perfect male specimen “ Clean favored, and imperially slim… and he glittered when he walked” (Robinson). How exactly does a man glitter when he walks? Well, the people surrounding Richard Cory thought he was a fine male specimen. Though women bare the brunt of society’s unfair pressures to be physically slim, men are not immune from the pressures of society. We see the mere perception of what the perfect man should look like in the poem “Richard Cory.”  The people in Richard Cory’s life seem obsessed with him and his outer appearance so much that they have put  him up on this unbelievably high pedestal. The people in Cory’s town had no idea who he really was all; they saw was according to them, a handsome, rich, and perfect man it seemed as though they really cared not about his inner self. According to National Eating Disorders.org, an estimated 10 million men will suffer from some sort of eating disorder in their lifetime. Usually when we think of eating disorders, we automatically refer this thought to women, as was the case with Mary Kate Olsen. What is important to note is that the number of eating disorders for women is only slightly higher, and the numbers reported for men may be low because many cases go unnoticed and unreported. 

To demonstrate how destructive the pressures that society places on women and men to be perfect is, we need look no further than what Piercy’s Barbie does to herself in an effort to measure up. Piercy’s imagery plays a key role in what we see unfolding with Barbie “ So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up” (Piercy 349). Perfection for many equals admiration and prestige. Barbie went as far as to remove her limbs and her nostrils in an effort to fix what society told her was wrong with herself.  An estimated 14.6 million people around the world (not just in the United States) had plastic surgery last year according to plasticsurgery.org. Much like Barbie, women across the world are willing to cut into their bodies and undergo dangerous procedures in order to be that perfect person.

In addition to the dangerous procedures that many undergo in search of perfection, the psychological effects on the person can be deadly; this we see takes place in Robinson’s 

“ Richard Cory.” To the outside world, Cory had everything; he was handsome, had a great physique, and he had wealth. These things are what most people in society aspire to have. As we see however, Cory was deeply depressed this depression manifested itself with his taking his own life: “ And Richard Cory one calm summer knight, went home and put a bullet through his head” (Robinson).  How does one explain how a man thought to have everything suddenly commits suicide? The answer is simple: the people in Cory’s town did not notice him. There is no room in society for a psychological analysis of any person. If a person is attractive and has a little money, then he or she has to be alright because what could there possibly be to complain about? Many of the people admiring Cory would have done anything to be him because they thought he was, “And he was rich—yes richer than a king” (Robinson)

Likewise, we see Barbie ending up in a casket. Now that Barbie is perfect, people actually take notice: “ In the casket displayed on satin she lay….. Doesn’t she look pretty?” The ramification of Barbie undergoing her surgery to try to fit into society’s view of perfection is that she ends up in a casket. Please take note that it is only after Barbie gets plastic surgery and dies that she is mentioned as “pretty;” however, she was not considered such when she was being advised to diet and exercise (Piercy 348). 

To further illustrate the point, we can further exam the perceptions of beauty and how exactly each person coped with the pressure to be perfect. We see that neither one coped very well. Barbie, rather than accept her self for who she is decides to succumb to the pressures and undergo dangerous surgery to try and satisfy her critics. Piercy makes a point of mentioning that because society is was so harsh with Barbie “ her good nature wore out like a fan belt” (Piercy 349). Barbie felt that she had no choice in the matter, and thus she decided to just throw the towel in and rip off her limbs and nostril in an effort to conform. 

Similarly, Cory was a handsome man by everyone’s standards he had everything and yet he really had nothing. Underneath Cory’s beautiful persona was someone who was depressed and required help. The Richard Cory that the world saw and knew did not exist behind closed doors; behind that closed door, Richard Cory was unhappy and severely depressed. 

Both men and women can succumb to the pressures of society to be perfect; though more pressure is placed on women, we know and understand that men are not immune to the pressures of society. Perfection is a façade created by some because they themselves can never attain perfection and thus they project their deepest desires and wants onto someone else. If Barbie and Richard Cory had only the strength to look within, they would have seen that they were already beautiful on the inside, and though it might sound cliché, inner beauty will always win above outer appearance. 

