Margie Piercy is an activist for many things, from antiwar movements to her works on social and cultural issues. She focused many of her writings on women, such as the poem, “Barbie Doll.” Piercy wrote this poem in the early 1970s about the gender stereotypes of girls and the pressures they face growing up. This poem was written during the time of second wave feminism which focused more on the social aspects of feminism than the political aspects that first wave feminism focused on. Though in today’s society, we can still see the meaning and relevance of “Barbie Doll,” it is important to analyze second wave feminism in the 1970s as well as how the media portrays girls to better understand the full meaning of this poem. By understanding how women were viewed in the 1970s as well as how the issues of equality for women were viewed, brings a deeper understanding to how this writing was perceived then and its true meaning and impacts in the second-wave feminist movement.

To gain a better understanding of the text, learning more about the time period is crucial. In the 1970s, second wave feminism was becoming a big part of the American society. We can see the ideals of second wave feminism in Piercy’s poem as it illustrates the expectations society had for girls and how it affected them. The twentieth century was full of many milestones for women. The one most remembered, women gaining the right to vote in 1920. The fight continued after that, though it went through waves of high levels of support and seemingly nonexistent levels of support. Women fought for equal rights, pay, and opportunity in the workplace. This was not an easy fight as it was argued that a woman’s health and safety as well as responsibilities at home such as caring for the children held them back from equal work hours (Kalsem Williams 145). We can see these social expectations of this time period in the third and fourth line of Piercy’s poem, “and they were presented dolls…and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (Piercy 384). From a young age, girls were given this image of a future at home; taking care of the kids, cooking and cleaning the house. They weren’t given strong models or told they could be anything but rather felt they needed to rely on a man to have a good life and a family. It was hard for women fighting these rights to even be taken seriously. Gaining a strong following was also a challenge when girls growing up were already fed the idea of that they were supposed to cook, clean, and look pretty-however that was defined by society. In the early 1970s, without a sense of independence and with so much in the media and what toys they were given, girls felt the pressures to look the way society and others told them to look. 

As most of “Barbie Doll” is about a young girl; strong, healthy, and intelligent; who is pushed to the breaking point by the pressure she faces to conform to society’s expectations; it is important to also analyze the pressures girls faced to be the image of perfect during that time period. The 1970s was a time when feminists started pushing the traditional views of women. Fashion companies also worked to redefine the gender distinctions by showing men with long hair, pants and jeans for women, and even unisex clothing in their catalogs and advertisements. Before this, the traditional women wore dresses or skirts, heels, makeup, and had long hair. It was a fight for the dress code of women in the workplace to be changed. While breaking the norm, many feminists were viewed as “ugly” and “unfeminine” when they had short hair or wore pants. In today’s society, its normal for trends to always be changing and even some returning. Girls still face pressures to be skinny or look like the women in the magazines but there isn’t the same pressure to look like the “traditional women.” It’s easier today for a woman to be independent and not feel that she has to conform and look perfect to get a husband (Hillman 155). “Barbie Doll” was written in the early 1970s, just as the boundaries of gender expectations began to be pushed. In the middle of the poem Piercy writes, “She went to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs. She was advised to play coy, exhorted to come in hearty, exercise, diet, smile, and wheedle” (Piercy 384). A lot of stress was put onto girls to look and act perfect. The goal was to always appear “feminine” and be fit for a husband; both through appearance and actions. It pushed a lot of young girls to diet to fit the mold and dress and act to fit in. In the poem, the girl gave up herself to look “pretty” and have “every woman[‘s] happy ending” (Piercy 384).  She lost who she was just to fit into society’s perfect image and gain acceptance for her appearance. For the girl, fitting in meant a lot and the pressure was too much. A poem like this also highlights the need for feminism in this country during that time period. It was representative of what so many girls in the early 1970s were going through and showed readers that there needed to be a change to the gender expectations of girls in society. Piercy used this poem to show what stresses and expectations the young girls in that time were faced with and that these pressures were resulting in negative effects. So many women during the 1970s were fighting for things to change and even today there are still so many trying to fix the same issues girls then faced. 

By gaining a stronger understanding of the second-wave feminist movement, media in the 1970s, as well as gender stereotypes of that time, a reader is better able to comprehend the full meaning of “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy and the impact it had when it was written. This poem was written and published in a time when people first began pushing the boundaries of gender expectations and began demanding a change. Girls growing up then faced a lot of pressure to conform to the “traditional woman” and to be fit for a man. We can see many similarities in the poem to girls in today’s society as many girls growing up feel as though they need to fit a certain mold. Though that mold has changed and so has the idea of a “perfect woman” Marge Piercy’s poem continues to be a significant poem with a relatable and important meaning today. 
