The Idea of the Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy

The mention of puberty makes this disclosure even more than hurtful, for this is the time when daughters begin to want to be admired by boys. The foundation of "miniature GE stoves and manacles/ and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy" (3-4) is a world both of childhood and of societal expectations--girls are socialized to be housewives, mothers, and mannequins who use makeup to attract men. This is also the image of the Barbie Doll.

The help stanza expands on the theme by detailing the virtues of this particular girl child, which in the end are seen as meaningless. She is described as healthy, intelligent, strong, with a healthy sexuality, and with good manual dexterity. Thee should be characteristics signifying success, and they king if she were a male. However, she does non see herself as successful, and beau monde does not see her as successful:

eachone saw a rich nose on thick legs (10-11).

She is reduced again to nought more than a fat nose and thick legs.

Every other feature has become invisible, as if her body consisted unaccompanied of these

However, as the third stanza shows, society expects her to take control and to effect change, however difficult or impossible this may be:

The theme is highlighted by this stand up ironic statement, for a happy ending is accomplished in this context only when the char has the look of the Barbie Doll, even though achieving this look may require that the woman die. This is not a happy ending at all. It is not never necessary. cabaret has created a false ideal, represented by the title, and the rest of the poesy shows how real women fail to achieve the ideal and are unmake for their failure by a society more enkindle in image than value.

These are the things women are expected by society to do to make themselves more attractive, more perfect, more like Barbie dolls. The onus is placed entirely on the woman rather than on the society that promotes an unrealistic image. This girl tries to live on up to the ideal, for she has apologized and now wants to repair herself so she will be acceptable. The effort is too great:

two non-perfect items, items for which she continuously apologizes. She does not come up to the ideal represented b
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