The girl is compelled to follow social norms of what it is to be female both physically and socially.

Here, Piercy moves beyond a description of physical beauty but one of social expectations of femininity. ” These are archetypal images of femininity. ’ She needs to “play coy,” exercise, diet, smile and wheedle. Here, we see a girl who has been compelled to subscribe to false social beliefs of looking like a ‘barbie doll. The sardonic tone that Piercy uses is most blatant in the final two stanzas. ” Such a contrasting descriptive method is one of the ways that Piercy employs to underscore the irony of the poem even more. ” The positive physical image of this young pubescent girl is shattered at the end of the stanza for she needed to feel bad about herself for having a “fat nose on thick legs. ” This occurs again in stanza two where the girl is described as a “healthy” and “intelligent” girl almost full of potential, “abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity. “Dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” evoke innocence in the playthings of childhood but these images are immediately contrasted with the girl’s “big nose and fat legs. Yet the choice of images employed is unique and powerful for they evoke images of childhood. Piercy employs a matter-of-factly way to describe the details of a fat girl and her growing up years. The dark and ominous atmosphere in the poem is set by the descriptive details of the poem and the consequent mood that is set by the tone. Order custom essay Barbie Doll Marge Piercy It also very much about subscribing to social beliefs of femininity, of what it is to be a ‘woman,’ and not just about physical beauty. The theme of the poem is distinct: Piercy is alluding to the impossible conditions of beauty in the modern world and how the desire for such unattainable ideals can lead to death. ” The young girl, however, is entrapped by society’s definitions of beauty here exemplified by Barbie doll.īy consistently contrasting the ideal and the real, Piercy created a dark poem about a girl’s suicide because of social pressures to be Barbie-beautiful. She seems, unlike Barbie, to have “a great big nose and fat legs.

Yet as we read on, Piercy’s description of the young girl is vastly different. She is the prime example of feminine qualities and beauty.

The doll is the archetype and symbol of the perfect American girl who has physical appeal and wealth. ‘Barbie’ is not just a toy for girls but has become a cultural icon of developed America. The title of this poem immediately underscores its thematic concerns.

Margie piercy barbie doll