Barbie Doll

In the poem “Barbie Doll”, the title is an object representing an unattainable female ideal. From the beginning girls and boys are taught how to act accordingly to their gender. Girls wear pink and play dress up. Boys wear blue and play with trucks. A problem arises when a girl’s body changes, or as the poem states, “Then in the magic of puberty,” (line 5). Puberty is when comparison overshadows everything else and a difference in body type between girls becomes a hindrance instead of something unique to be comfortable with. Men and women are bombarded with images of perfect women. Although the women in these pictures represent a very small percentage of women, they are the only images we have and so they become the standard by which everyone should compare to. The woman in this poem could be any woman because every woman has had to deal with playing into gender roles and expectations of an ideal woman. The woman in the poem was smart and strong but she didn’t believe this was good enough, “She went to and fro apologizing/Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs” (lines 10-11).

She can no longer tolerate the charade she is fronting. “Her good nature wore out/like a fan belt/So she cut off her nose and her legs/and offered them up” (lines 15 -18). The irony in this poem is in the end she finally achieved what society wanted from her. Her nose, although fake, was perfect, “Doesn’t she look pretty? everyone said./Consummation at last./To every woman a happy ending” (lines 23 – 25).