Political Stances in “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy
The poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy tells a story of a young girl’s short life. The girl is born and lives a normal life until she is made fun of during puberty which causes her to commit suicide. From researching about the author, I have learned her work is largely characterized by her passion for Marxism, environmental thought, and pertinent to this essay, feminism (“Marge Piercy”). Through “Barbie Doll”, Marge Piercy voices her political opinion against the stereotype of women.
The first way Marge Piercy voices her political opinion is through the story’s plot itself. The story is one of a little girl who grows up in a normal way with typical toys to play with. Then, one of her classmates tells her she had a big nose and fat legs when she was going through puberty and very insecure. The little girl takes these comments about her appearance to heart and continues to dwell on them. Before long, she gets worn down by her low self-esteem and commits suicide by cutting off her legs and nose. She has a funeral and everyone comments on how pretty she looks in her casket.
This basic plot says a lot about Marge Piercy’s opinion about women’s role in society. She sees them as dependent on others opinions and views. Just like the little girl’s self-esteem in the poem was dependent on what others, specifically her classmate had to say about her. She also sees them as seeking to please others. It seems that the little girl wanted to please the people around her by not having a big nose and fat legs, but she was not able to please them in this way. She tries throughout the poem to do what people tell her to, but eventually becomes tired of trying to be who others want her to be. People advised her to, “…play coy/ exhorted to come on hearty,/ exercise, diet, smile, and wheedle./ Her good nature wore out/ like a fan belt” (12-16). In the same way, women in society are too influenced by what others around them tell them about whom they are and seek to be who others want them to be.
The second way Marge Piercy voices her political opinion is through the symbolism found in the poem. Three symbols I found in this poem are the typical “girl” toys, the fact that the little girl is not named, and the title “Barbie Doll”. The toys the little girl is given to play with are described as, “…dolls that did pee-pee/ and miniature GE stoves and irons/ and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (2-4). These toys are all the typical toys girls have when they are young to prepare them for their expected type of labor. The women were expected to stay at home and do all the housework, so they raised the girls playing with miniature housework tools. By describing this, she seems to by saying that the expectations for girls are very set in stone and that any different way is bad. Girls are given certain toys to play with, and if they aren’t given the household toys, it is seen as something wrong.
The fact that the little girl is never given a name throughout the poem diminishes her worth. Names carry a lot of worth. As soon as something is given a name, it becomes more personal and is no longer just an object. Because the little girl is not named, she is seen as more of an object than a person. Marge Piercy seems to be saying that women in society are viewed as objects instead of people. Finally, the title “Barbie Doll” refers to the actual Barbie dolls which are a symbol of the perfect feminine body. Through the Barbie doll, society has created an unattainable ideal image of a woman’s body. This image is biologically impossible because we weren’t created to look like a Barbie doll. She seems to be using this symbol to show the harmful image that the women in society work tirelessly to achieve.
The final way Marge Piercy voices her political opinion is through the form the poem takes. “Barbie Doll” is a free verse poem which is different than traditional structures of poetry. Poems usually have rhyme and rhythm, but this poem breaks free of that traditional structure. It doesn’t have any rhyme or
rhythm. In this same way, she seems to be saying that women can break free of the traditional structure laid out for them in life. She is encouraging women to
be different and express themselves in ways that seem completely out of the ordinary.
In conclusion, there are several aspects of this poem about a young girl’s death that Marge Piercy uses to reveal her political opinion of women. Through symbolism, the poem’s form, and the plot of the poem itself one can begin to see her opinion unfold.
Works Cited
"Marge Piercy." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. < http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/marge-piercy>.
Piercy, Marge. "Barbie Doll." Poemhunter.com. Poemhunter.com, 6 June 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.< http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/barbie-doll/>.
Old Barbie Vs New Facebook Cover. N.d. Page Covers. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.pagecovers.com/view_cover/barbie_old_vs_new.html>.
The first way Marge Piercy voices her political opinion is through the story’s plot itself. The story is one of a little girl who grows up in a normal way with typical toys to play with. Then, one of her classmates tells her she had a big nose and fat legs when she was going through puberty and very insecure. The little girl takes these comments about her appearance to heart and continues to dwell on them. Before long, she gets worn down by her low self-esteem and commits suicide by cutting off her legs and nose. She has a funeral and everyone comments on how pretty she looks in her casket.
This basic plot says a lot about Marge Piercy’s opinion about women’s role in society. She sees them as dependent on others opinions and views. Just like the little girl’s self-esteem in the poem was dependent on what others, specifically her classmate had to say about her. She also sees them as seeking to please others. It seems that the little girl wanted to please the people around her by not having a big nose and fat legs, but she was not able to please them in this way. She tries throughout the poem to do what people tell her to, but eventually becomes tired of trying to be who others want her to be. People advised her to, “…play coy/ exhorted to come on hearty,/ exercise, diet, smile, and wheedle./ Her good nature wore out/ like a fan belt” (12-16). In the same way, women in society are too influenced by what others around them tell them about whom they are and seek to be who others want them to be.
The second way Marge Piercy voices her political opinion is through the symbolism found in the poem. Three symbols I found in this poem are the typical “girl” toys, the fact that the little girl is not named, and the title “Barbie Doll”. The toys the little girl is given to play with are described as, “…dolls that did pee-pee/ and miniature GE stoves and irons/ and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (2-4). These toys are all the typical toys girls have when they are young to prepare them for their expected type of labor. The women were expected to stay at home and do all the housework, so they raised the girls playing with miniature housework tools. By describing this, she seems to by saying that the expectations for girls are very set in stone and that any different way is bad. Girls are given certain toys to play with, and if they aren’t given the household toys, it is seen as something wrong.
The fact that the little girl is never given a name throughout the poem diminishes her worth. Names carry a lot of worth. As soon as something is given a name, it becomes more personal and is no longer just an object. Because the little girl is not named, she is seen as more of an object than a person. Marge Piercy seems to be saying that women in society are viewed as objects instead of people. Finally, the title “Barbie Doll” refers to the actual Barbie dolls which are a symbol of the perfect feminine body. Through the Barbie doll, society has created an unattainable ideal image of a woman’s body. This image is biologically impossible because we weren’t created to look like a Barbie doll. She seems to be using this symbol to show the harmful image that the women in society work tirelessly to achieve.
The final way Marge Piercy voices her political opinion is through the form the poem takes. “Barbie Doll” is a free verse poem which is different than traditional structures of poetry. Poems usually have rhyme and rhythm, but this poem breaks free of that traditional structure. It doesn’t have any rhyme or
rhythm. In this same way, she seems to be saying that women can break free of the traditional structure laid out for them in life. She is encouraging women to
be different and express themselves in ways that seem completely out of the ordinary.
In conclusion, there are several aspects of this poem about a young girl’s death that Marge Piercy uses to reveal her political opinion of women. Through symbolism, the poem’s form, and the plot of the poem itself one can begin to see her opinion unfold.
Works Cited
"Marge Piercy." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. < http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/marge-piercy>.
Piercy, Marge. "Barbie Doll." Poemhunter.com. Poemhunter.com, 6 June 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.< http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/barbie-doll/>.
Old Barbie Vs New Facebook Cover. N.d. Page Covers. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.pagecovers.com/view_cover/barbie_old_vs_new.html>.