Every year, millions of people around the world struggle with their body image, eating disorders, and body dysmorphia. While both males and females are affected, females tend to suffer from body issues more than males. The inner battle comes from society’s perception of what people’s bodies should look like, even though it is unrealistic. “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy is about a young girl who struggles with her body image. She is never satisfied with it and all her other qualities seem lackluster compared to her appearance. In the end, she has plastic surgery and dies before she can finally be satisfied with herself. Several studies and research have shown that the behaviors of the girl in the poem are like those of people who suffer from body dysmorphia.  

The poem consists of four stanzas, and each stanza represents the girl as she grows older. In the first stanza, the baby girl is exposed to stereotypes of what a woman should be like through the toys she receives. She is “…presented dolls that did pee-pee/ and miniature GE stoves and irons/ and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (2-4). The stove and iron tells the her that she is supposed to be in the kitchen cooking, cleaning, and ironing. The lipstick is meant to tell her that she needs to wear makeup and be feminine. Before the girl even has a chance to live a little, society’s expectations are already placed on her shoulders. Next, the girl becomes an adolescent and her classmates start going through puberty and slimming down. It appears that the main character has not experienced puberty yet, and one classmate makes a remark about her having, “…a great big nose and fat legs” (6). This comment is what starts the girl’s obsession with her body and appearance. 

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a disorder that causes a person to obsess over a supposed defect in their body that is minor or unnoticeable to others. The article Gender Similarities and Differences in 200 Individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder found that women with BDD tend to obsess over their skin, stomach, weight, breasts, butt, thighs, legs, hips, toes, and body/facial hair. The main character in the poem is obsessed with her nose and legs because she thinks they are too large. In the second stanza, the girl is an adolescent. She is healthy in every way that matters, but she is unhappy with her body because she still sees it as fat and unpleasant. In the article, Body Dysmorphic Disorder. A Survey of Fifty Cases, by D. Veale, 50 people with BDD were interviewed with surveys in a cross-sectional study. Three-fourths of the study population was female. The researchers found that the average age where BDD is developed is late adolescence, which is around the time that the girl starts obsessing over her appearance. The claims in the poem are supported by the article because the girl developed BDD in her adolescence, just as the article said most women do. They are also related because the parts the girl in the poem is concerned with are some of the body parts studies have shown that women with body dysmorphia obsess over.  

In the third stanza, the girl is now a young adult maybe in her 20s because her actions seem to be for male attention. People are telling her to be shy, and exercise to lose weight so she will appeal to others more. The findings of Veale’s study, mentioned above, show that most patients with BDD are divorced or single, which may mean that they have low self-esteem, causing them to view themselves in a distorted way. The woman is probably not in a relationship which is why she is vying for male attention. She eventually becomes sick of acting this way, and mutilates her body through plastic surgery; she probably got a nose job and liposuction to reduce the size of her legs. In the last stanza, the woman is probably in her late 30s when she dies. Her death is when she is finally able to achieve the pretty look that she has been chasing her whole life. This goes to show that no matter what is done, women who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder are never satisfied with their appearance until it is too late. The fact that most of the patients were women in the articles mentioned above was not surprising and is probably because society places more beauty standards on women than men. 

This articles relate to the poem because the girl in the poem clearly suffers from body dysmorphia. She is unable to focus on any of her qualities other than the physical. In the poem, the author says that, “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty, / exercise, diet, smile and wheedle” (12-14). The girl exercised and dieted so she was probably healthy and slim, but due to her disorder, she still thought she was fat and had a big nose. This poem shows that the girl struggled with the same parts that women in the studies were found to worry about the most. In “Barbie Doll”, the main character had plastic surgery to alter her appearance. Both studies found that women with BDD usually underwent procedures, such as plastic surgery, to change their look. The signs and characteristics of women with BDD that were discussed in the article reflect those shown in the poem. 

Overall, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a serious chronic illness that causes a person to view their body in a distorted way causing them to obsess over it, even though that body part looks normal to others. The main character in “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy suffered from BDD and obsessed over her legs and nose. In the end, she ended up getting plastic surgery and dying from it. Multiple studies have shown that women are most likely to suffer from BDD, and that it starts at a younger age than in men. These women tend to not be in a relationship, and have low self-esteem. This disorder causes people to often develop eating disorders or have plastic surgery. In the end, this is a chronic illness and the only treatment is trying to get the person to view themselves in a better way or develop hobbies so their focus is not their appearance
