Marge Piercy: Barbie Doll Poem
“Barbie Doll”
The poem “Barbie Doll” is a powerful poem written by Marge Piercy. The title carries a lot of meaning because a Barbie Doll has been an icon in society. Society has a hold on individual’s lives, especially on women. Since 1960, it started to be an issue on women to fit in and become what others want them to be. Women, who adapt to society’s dictate, have to stop being themselves and become somebody else in order to please everyone else. Society tells us how to dress and acting order to be acceptable. By using television, the internet, magazines, billboards and even toys we see a mold of what women are supposed to look like. The world in our eyes make us women think we should look like a Barbie Doll. It is sad to see that this poem was written in 1969 and forty three years later, we realize that nothing has changed and the same barriers still exist.
Marge Piercy, a feminist activist as well as a poet, novelist, essayist, and playwright melds the personal and the political in her writing. She writes frequently about women’s issues, particularly the ways in which women have been made to feel inferior, both about their minds and their bodies. Piercy began writing both poetry and fiction when she was fifteen. Marge wrote Barbie Doll in 1969. She was aware of the need to reform on what females shouldn’t feel about themselves and go through. In Marge Piercy's "Barbie Doll", we find a young girl growing up through the adolescence stage and look through only her appearance. The girl struggles a lot during her teenage years and she shows us the effects that can happen when the world only looks on the outside of a human being. (Sigit)
The girl in this poem is presented with lifelike dolls, toy household appliances, and makeup. The girl in Barbie Doll is similar to most other girls who are presented with toys to prepare her for the roles of mother, housewife, and feminine beauty. To make clear that obviously not all girls fit into this mold of female social
The poem “Barbie Doll” is a powerful poem written by Marge Piercy. The title carries a lot of meaning because a Barbie Doll has been an icon in society. Society has a hold on individual’s lives, especially on women. Since 1960, it started to be an issue on women to fit in and become what others want them to be. Women, who adapt to society’s dictate, have to stop being themselves and become somebody else in order to please everyone else. Society tells us how to dress and acting order to be acceptable. By using television, the internet, magazines, billboards and even toys we see a mold of what women are supposed to look like. The world in our eyes make us women think we should look like a Barbie Doll. It is sad to see that this poem was written in 1969 and forty three years later, we realize that nothing has changed and the same barriers still exist.
Marge Piercy, a feminist activist as well as a poet, novelist, essayist, and playwright melds the personal and the political in her writing. She writes frequently about women’s issues, particularly the ways in which women have been made to feel inferior, both about their minds and their bodies. Piercy began writing both poetry and fiction when she was fifteen. Marge wrote Barbie Doll in 1969. She was aware of the need to reform on what females shouldn’t feel about themselves and go through. In Marge Piercy's "Barbie Doll", we find a young girl growing up through the adolescence stage and look through only her appearance. The girl struggles a lot during her teenage years and she shows us the effects that can happen when the world only looks on the outside of a human being. (Sigit)
The girl in this poem is presented with lifelike dolls, toy household appliances, and makeup. The girl in Barbie Doll is similar to most other girls who are presented with toys to prepare her for the roles of mother, housewife, and feminine beauty. To make clear that obviously not all girls fit into this mold of female social