What is more important: the way you look or the way you think? In the midst of the feminist movement, Marge Piercy wrote “Barbie Doll,” a piece that focuses on feminism. “Barbie Doll” is full of deep meaning behind its text. The “girlchild” is a symbol for all young girls and women who have been criticized and are forced to change by society. Society changes a woman’s view of herself. The strong grip that society has on young women sometimes causes young women to commit suicide when they can no longer face the dissatisfaction from others. This essay analyzes the many ways that the feminist movement influenced the work of Marge Piercy.

The poem starts out with “girlchild,” a symbol used for all young girls, playing with dolls and toy appliances. It can be said that brainwashing of women to be second class citizens starts at a young age. The “girlchild” goes through puberty and a classmate teases, saying that she has “a great big nose and fat legs” (Piercy 6). In the second stanza, the reader learns about the young girl’s intelligence, physical prowess, and sexual drive. She appears to be healthy, strong, and capable, but she ignores these attributes because she is focused on being what society wants her to be. The “girlchild” apologizes (Piercy 10) for being different and tries to conform to society’s values by exercising, dieting, and keeping a positive mind. Her “good nature” finally wears out and she gives in to modifying her herself. At the end of the poem, the "girlchild" cuts off her "fat nose” and “thick legs" just to silence everyone’s negative opinion of her appearance and have a moment of looking pretty even though it costs her her life. "Barbie Doll" really pulls together the absurd ways that young girls are brainwashed into looking and being something they are not. 

The feminist movement, also known as the women’s movement, had a huge impact on Marge Piercy and her work. In 1960, the world of American women was limited in almost every respect, from family life to the workplace. A woman was expected to follow one path: to marry in her early 20s, start a family quickly, and devote her life to homemaking. As one woman at the time put it, "The female doesn't really expect a lot from life. She's here as someone's keeper — her husband's or her children's (Tavaana 7)." The article continues to say,”As such, wives bore the full load of housekeeping and child care, spending an average of 55 hours a week on domestic chores. They were legally subject to their husbands via "head and master laws," and they had no legal right to any of their husbands' earnings or property, aside from a limited right to "proper support"; husbands, however, would control their wives' property and earnings. If the marriage deteriorated, divorce was difficult to obtain, as "no-fault" divorce was not an option, forcing women to prove wrongdoing on the part of their husbands in order to get divorced.” Women's rights movements are primarily concerned with making the political, social, and economic status of women equal to that of men and with establishing legislative safeguards against discrimination on the basis of gender. Women's rights movements have worked in support of these aims for more than two centuries.  The women's rights movement made progress. The preamble to the United Nations (UN) Charter (1945) referred to equal rights for women (Grolier 25); in 1948 the UN Commission on the Status of Women was established; in 1952 the UN General Assembly held a convention on the political rights of women. The United Nations Decade for Women (1976–85) (Grolier 26) emphasized the international scope of the women’s rights movement. Three related conferences—in Mexico City (1975); Copenhagen (1980); and Nairobi, Kenya (1985)—did the same. The background of the feminist movement supports the idea that Marge Piercy incorporated the ideas into “Barbie Doll.”

A study of stereotypical attitudes and beliefs about appearance will give further evidence of the ways in which appearance is viewed, interpreted, and reacted to in everyday American life. Previous studies suggest the existence of strong, negative stereotypes about obese Americans. Two early studies conclude that obese people are seen as blameworthy, weak-willed, guilt-ridden, untrustworthy, and incompetent (Staffieri, 1967; Lerner, 1969). Another study, which deals specifically with opinions about slim and heavy women, concludes that slim women are associated with higher social status and heavy women with lower status (Goldblatt, Moore, & Stunkard, 1965). The perception appears to be linked to financial resources: poor women are forced to purchase inexpensive food, which is typically more caloric, whereas rich women can afford to choose more expensive, low-caloric food. The perception is absurd but the fact that it can be supported with data is unbelievable. This information is relevant to the analysis of “Barbie Doll” because it shows that studies conducted during this time period were in agreement that women of large size were associated with many negative aspects.

The poem was written during the second wave women’s movement. Marge Piercy wrote “Barbie Doll” to show readers how people, women in particular, are conditioned to be something other than themselves. Piercy's poem explores those nagging anxieties that come along with puberty and self-image in a world that demands so much of everyone. Most people know how it feels when children poke fun at those going through puberty because of the superficial expectations that the adult world has invariably imposed upon us all. Eventually, the "girlchild" in Piercy's poem is "worn out like a fan belt" (Piercy 15) because of all of the pressure and humiliation. The “girlchild” gives up on being herself and succumbs to the standards and values that society has in place.
