Literature > Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy

This poem by Marge Piercy is society’s perspective on the perfect woman. The writer brings pretty Barbie into our attention, and that it must be Barbie’s fault that people are criticizing others who look different than this beautiful happy plastic doll. The poem’s character, the “girlchild” doesn’t fit in the “pretty” category with her “great big nose and fat legs.” She realizes this when she gets into the stage of puberty. At this age teenagers are very sensitive to their body and look because this is the first time they want to be attractive. Having a huge nose and fat legs is not very engaging to society. People who are fat and not pretty most likely won’t be recognized as much as a beautiful woman would be. It won’t matter if the person is smart and in good physical condition, people, unfortunately will always judge by the appearance.

Our character was told to fit in this pretty category, where the perfect Barbie Dolls and housewives belong, and she was expected by society to become a friendly and cheerful person. Instead of listening to all the nonsense what other people thought about her, she should have ignored everything they said, but she wasn’t strong enough. The girl got rid of all the ugly things; “So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up.” She committed suicide. People started to complement on her fake “turned-up putty nose” and on her “pink and white nightie.” Finally when she was dead and fake, without personality, she was accepted in society because she was wearing make-up and she looked pretty with her nose and feminine clothes on. The ending is very sarcastic; “To every woman a happy ending.” How could a young girl’s death be happy? She was rejected by society based on her look and it could be happy only to those who thought about her as irregular.