Bullied To Beautiful. Society Is Known For Holding Unrealistic

Launched on March 1959, the Barbie doll is a toy that was first put on display in New York. It quickly garnered a lot of attention with the target audience of the creators, young girls. This doll was different than its previous dolls because it was a doll that was an ideal representation of a woman. Thus allowing young girls to use their imagination to create and act-out what this doll’s life is like and what their future would potentially be. To successfully understand this toy, we must think like C Wright Mills, a sociologist who asks to use our sociological imagination, the intersection of one’s biography and history. This artifact reflects and perpetuates the dominant ideology of how to perform your gender the “right” way in the early 1960s. I will argue this demonstrates West and Zimmerman’s concept of “doing gender” which is clarified with Judith Butler’s concept of socialization of gender.

From the time they are born, girls are influenced by society as to who they should be, how they should look, and how they should act. Americans believe that women should be to a certain standard; pretty, feminine, and especially, thin. The pressures derive from family, media, and friends. Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll” depicts a girl who was never recognized for her character and spent her life trying to be accepted for who she was, rather than how she looked.

As the audience reads “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, the poem gives you an insight of women in the 1970’s. Even though the poem was written back then, the audience can still relate to the story. In this day in age, people still go through society judging them. The audience may have experienced a part of their life where society didn’t accept them for who they were. Marge Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll” connects the audience through emotions to show the standards of beauty for women, eventually never living up to society. Letting the audience connect through emotion, Marge Piercy uses an ironic tone, a metaphor, and symbolism throughout the poem.

In the essay 'Our Barbies, Ourselves,' Emily Prager explores the history of the Barbie doll and talks about the Barbie doll itself. Prager seems convinced that the Barbie doll was an object created by a man and that Barbie reeks of sexuality, sexual innuendo and serves as the anti-feminist embodiment of every man's fantasy. In her own expressive and persuasive modes to fashion an essay designed to persuade the reader that the Barbie doll is a twisted and corrupt tool designed by men to combat the feminist revolution. Though her attempts at persuasion are commendable, I was not swayed in my opinions on Barbie. If anything, I just found fault with this writer's point of view, and I found her

The poem, "Barbie Doll," written by Marge Piercy tells the story of a young girl growing up through the adolescence stage characterized by appearances and barbarity. The author uses imagery and fluctuating tone to describe the struggles the girl is experiencing during her teenage years, and the affects that can happen. The title of this poem is a good description of how most societies expect others, especially girls to look. Constantly, people are mocked for their appearance and expected to represent a "barbie-doll"-like figure. Few are "blessed" with this description. The female gender is positioned into the stereotype that women should be thin and beautiful. With this girl, the effects were detrimental. The first stanza describes the

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.

In Marge Piercy's "Barbie Doll" a young girl is troubled by the classification of what it takes to become a beautiful woman. "Barbie Doll" details the image that society projects upon women. From an early age young women struggle to conform to the standards that society has defined for them. Beautiful dolls such as Barbie are frequently the first source of association that young girls have with the image that society has placed upon them.

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

“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 the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy portrays the sexism that is placed upon women from an early age. Stereotyping their role in society as a mother, homemaker, or a pretty object. Mentioning in her poem the gifts of dolls, stoves and irons, and make-up to make her point. The title of the poem “Barbie Doll” automatic gives the reader a sense of what the meaning of the poem is about. In her poem she raises the question of what is acceptable beauty in today’s society. In society views, beauty is symbolized in the figure of a Barbie doll. Tall, thin, with perfect features.

[In American society there is an extreme want for women to look perfect on the outside. There is a extraordinary amount of importance and anxiety placed on women to surrender to becoming Barbie dolls. After rereading and analyzing the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, I identified the main theme as appearance and that Piercy uses irony to convey the stereotypical views of feminine beauty throughout society.] When first reading the title of the poem, “Barbie Doll,” I suspected that the speaker was describing a little girl’s toy. However, as I started reading the poem, I realized that the title was referring to the outer beauty and perfection society expects of women.

The Inimical Effects of Expectations Marge Piercy in the poem, “Barbie Doll”, confronts society’s unrealistic expectations of a “perfect” woman and the harmful effects it produces on women. This girlchild and the hazardous trend of her environment progress her unfulfilling life and tragic death. With the use of exceptional symbolism, sarcastic/ironic language, and third-person omniscient point of view, Piercy unfolds the inclusive meaning of the poem: the expectations society drowns women in need to halt because of the evident, awful ending the girl is compelled to. To begin with, Piercy’s evocative symbolism shape the appalling presumptions thrown on women all around.

Barbie, at the age of 41, is one of the longest living toys in America. Analyzing her early history can give a person a look into the societal trends and culture of the late 1950's and early 1960's. There is evidence of fashion innovations in Barbie's wardrobe. Also, one can see the perception of females by society, such as what they should look like, how they should act and dress, as well as what their future goals could be. The following essay follows Barbie's history from 1959 to 1963, covering her development, her appeal to children, and her existence as a cultural artifact of the time period.