From the moment a child is born they are exposed to gender roles. They’re expected to be a certain way, play with certain toys, and be interested in certain things. “Gender roles are the roles that men and women are supposed to occupy based on their sex” and usually these roles are designed to benefit men more than they do women (Blackstone 12). The 1970s were an era comprised of strict gender roles, barriers put in place that tell men and women their “responsibilities” in society. However, it is now 2016 and we continue to live in a world where men and women are held to separate standards. After all of this time and progression how are we still unable to overcome this? Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll” is a direct representation of the divide between men and women during this time period, which still continues today. This poem underlines the fault in our society: the expectations women are upheld to and the roles assigned to them because they are women. They are expected to have a flawless appearance and to be nurturing while men are the providers. With the help of scholarly articles that run parallel to this poem we can recognize these gender roles and obstruct them through the emergence of a movement: feminism. 

Knowing the time period in which the poem “Barbie Doll” was written and the events occurring during that time are important in order to fully understand the meaning of Piercy’s poem. 1971 was a year in the midst of an important movement: the second wave of feminism. The idea of feminism was born due to the divide between men and women and their expected roles in society, which was a major issue during this time.  From a book written by Chris Beasley titled “What is Feminism: An Introduction to Feminist Theory,” I discovered that there is no concrete definition of Feminism, but rather feminists “ see their work as attending to the significance of sexual perspectives in modes of thought and offering a challenge to masculine bias” (Beasley 6). This poem exposes one to the issues created by gender roles that feminists are striving to end such as expectation they are held to and their physical appearances. 

The poem, “Barbie Doll” highlights the harsh reality of the standards women are subjected to simply for being a woman. The poem starts off “The girlchild was born as usual,” the use of the words “as usual” immediately alludes to the expectation of women set by society that they are held too from the moment they are born (Piercy 1). When a girl is young she is “supposed” to play with dolls and pretend to cook and be domesticated with “miniature GE stoves and irons;” practicing her “duty” for when she is a woman (3). Who is to say that a girl can’t play with trucks and racecars or have a career and purpose outside of the household? Society. Through countless efforts, women are continuing to progress and deviate from the “norm”. They now play more active roles in society outside of the home; they have careers and can be financial providers for their families. However, the issue has yet to be completely resolved, it remains a work in progress. 

The title of the poem highlights another one of the main controversial standards that women are held to: a flawless appearance. Women are expected to look and act like Barbie dolls, unrealistic examples of perfection. Perfection does not exist. An actual human cannot uphold the slim proportions of a Barbie doll in real life. Although the girl “was healthy [and] tested intelligent,” society overlooks this; women do not have to be intelligent, they have to be beautiful (7). “Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs,” no one saw her for her qualities on the inside, yet if this poem was flipped and written about a male, these words would lose their power. The end of this poem refers to the grim reality of what women feel they must do to be respected by society and seen as beautiful. The girl in the poem “cut[s] off her nose and her legs,” similar to how in today's world so many women are paying a lot of money for plastic surgery to alter their bodies so that they will be accepted by society (17). Despite the fact that the girl in this poem does not literally resort to plastic surgery, this line is analogous to what occurs today with women attempting to perfect their image. Although this poem was written over 40 years ago, it remains relevant to the issues regarding society's expectation of women and gender roles in general that are still present today. 

The poem “Barbie Doll” tells the story of a young girl torn down by the expectations she is subjected to by her society. Through the use of historical context one can see how long women’s fight for equality has been going on. Even before the 1970’s and before the second wave of feminism, movements were being instituted to benefit women's rights. A “traditional feminine gender role would be to nurture her family by working full-time within the home rather than taking employment outside of the home” while on the other hand a “traditional view of the masculine gender role… suggests that men should be the heads of their households by providing financially for the family and making important family decisions” (Blackstone 17). Simply put, these “gender roles are sometimes created on the basis of stereotypes about gender,” that men are leaders and women are nurturers (Blackstone 17).  This time period paved the way for the future and has made it extremely difficult for women to progress and move forward. While the feminist movement still exists today, one must be exposed to the underlying gender roles within society in order to fully break through the glass ceiling. 
