Analyzing Marge Piercy's 'Barbie Doll'

In contrast, Marge Piercy's tone in “Barbie Doll” is sarcastic. The tone appears sarcastic because of the absurdity of a world in which a doll indoctrinates a 'girlchild' to a society's idea of what female beauty or perfection should be. Even in 2015, Barbie's core demographic is 3 to 6 year old’s. (“Barbie Doll Statistics”) Girls continue to be socialized at a young age when 'presented dolls' and accessories of ovens for cooking, irons for laundry and/or hair and lipstick. (Piercy 2). In Piercy's poem when the 'girlchild' experiences the

Wardy's book offers an expanded insight into girlhood, complete with appearances of stereotypes and sexualization during childhood. Taking a friendly approach to the realities of growing up for girls while having stereotypes and sexualization present, the chapters in Wardy's book are honest and bold and offers advice to parents from the change of child play to shopping strategies for girls that take away from sexualized markets, from how to teach young girls the importance of loving their bodies, Wardy includes useful tips in each chapter that is designed to help parents redefine what it means to be a girl in today's society.

This is an example of Cisneros childhood and wanted the reader of this short story to understand that growing up with little wasn’t always the worst (Frever 126). While at the flea market the two young girls finally get what they wanted the most, they end up getting all the Barbies they ever could want. This occurs when a warehouse full of barbies burnt down and somewhere salvageable after. The two girls are incredibly excited about their “new dolls”. However, the dolls aren’t in the best condition. One the girls go on to say that they smelled like “smoke” and were “soaked” in water (Cite). The two girls are described by Cisneros in this situation as grateful for getting these “new” dolls (Cite) . Also she wanted the reader to understand and take in that society wants women to have a perfect body, clothes and hair, which is conveyed through the description of the dolls not being in the condition they were bought in. Cisneros wanted to demonstrate throughout “Barbie-Q” the ideal image of women in society. By exposing the fact of being materialistic and perfect like a Barbie doll isn’t how real young women are. Also by expressing the fact that everyone doesn’t grow up with lots of money and that women come in a

In the first stanza of “Barbie Doll,” Piercy refers to the child in the third person. She writes about how the young girl is socialized into acting like a girl, just like all the rest. She writes, “This girlchild was born as usual/ and presented dolls that did pee-pee/ and miniature GE stoves and irons/ and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.” (Piercy 1, 4). In these first four lines, Piercy makes a strong statement that even as children, girls are given the accessories of grown women. Through play with these toys, they become accustomed to interacting with domestic appliances and make-up products. They are given dolls that are meant to function as stand-ins for their own future infants. By using the words “wee” and “miniature” and “candy,” Piercy is suggesting that these are conditioning tools that are packaged as appealing toys so that the girl children will be

Stereotypes are often found in society and can encourage literature and art to agree or disagree with these ideas. In “The Boy” and “Barbie Doll” the topic of gender roles displayed through imagery, repetition, and simile, by highlighting the appearances and expectations of males and females. From the moment the sex of a child is determined, people begin associating ideas and objects to that sex. If it is a girl many will buy pink clothes and imagine her in a ballet class.

In “Why Boys Don’t Play With Dolls,” Pollitt writes about the differences between growing up as a boy growing up as a girl. She brings up the stereotypes that society naturally creates between genders in early ages, which leads to the lifestyle and path that boys and girls are raised in. Parents and feminist alike play a big part in establishing these sex roles. They raise their kids wanting them to be successful at what they are expected to be good at based on their gender and the trend that has been set before them.

Deep meanings can be conveyed in a number of art forms. Each with its own style that tells a story. Some of the mediums that can give these thought-provoking topics are poetry, music, other forms of literature, painting, and a plethora of others. The creator of the pieces can use their own experiences and what they see to show the thoughts and feelings on subjects that are not purely factual. The stories found in the artworks and poetry differ from person to person as no one has had the exact same experiences, even so the works have multiple pieces in common.

“Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy is about a girl who is a normal child growing up; playing with dolls, miniature kitchen items and pretend make-up. It quickly takes an interesting turn when a pubescent child makes fun of her nose and legs and she was advised to exercise and diet despite the fact that she was intelligent and healthy. The poem continues on by the girl cutting her legs and nose and a bizarre visual of her laying in a casket with an ending that states “to every woman a happy ending”( Piercy 791). This poem was written by Piercy in 1969 a year in which many women liberation groups were forming and the breaking of womanly roles was taking place. The poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy,

In Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll,” there is too many expectations from the world that want women to be “barbie dolls. ” There is an extraordinary want and need for women to be perfect on the outside. Piercy uses symbolism and irony to demonstrate how people perceive women in the poem and real world. First of all, Piercy uses symbolism to unfold the poem.

In the first stanza of the poem, Piercy writes about basic things you would expect a girl to acquire and play with growing up. Once she starts to mature, probably between ages 10-12, her body starts to change. Other girls and possibly even boys start making fun of her nose and legs. The second stanza gives examples of the girl being healthy but she still was apprehensive about her body and started apologizing for her looks. When you get to the third stanza, she is doing everything possible to make herself look as others think she should look.

Piercy uses symbolism to pull her poem together, by adding depth and meaning. The major symbol of this poem is presented in the title, a barbie doll. It is apparent that the author was not intending to write about a barbie doll but rather to present a materialistic image of perfection. Barbie is “a brand of doll representing a slim, shapely young woman, especially one with blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.” (“Barbie”“Barbie”)

In the first stanza, “This girlchild was born as usual,” (1, 1), the reader learns that the girl was born like any other normal child and the following lines show that the girl child was “presented dolls that did pee-pee/ and miniature GE stoves and iron,” (1, 2-3). These kinds of toys represent the type of work woman are expected to do during this era. Take care of children, cook, and iron. They are also supposed to look good, as they are given lipsticks and makeup to play with. The girl soon experiences puberty and becomes self-conscious of herself when a classmate says, “You have a great big nose and fat legs,” (1, 6). This is when the girl begins to question her appearance.

The Poem “Barbie Doll (1969)” by Marge Piercy describes the life of a young girl who fell victim to society’s idea of beauty. Marge Piercy was a known social activist and uses this poem to bring attention to serious issues facing young females in society. “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy is a narrative poem; the poem is written in free verse. The author selects a free form of poetry and other devices to help get her point across.