"Barbie Doll"

The poem “Barbie Doll” shows how much pressure women and young girls have on them to be perfect like a Barbie doll. It shows you what the stereotype for young is like, it starts out with the toys that they should (and or do) play with. “and miniature GE stoves and irons” (line 2) “This girlchild was born as usual” (line 1), she played with all the right toys and did things just as she was supposed to do until, “The in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:/ You have a great big nose and fat legs.” (lines 5 & 6). All of the sudden she wasn’t the “usual girlchild” and was made fun of and hurt just because she was different. This poem is really sad, but pretty accurate on the pressure girls undergo. There is this “Barbie doll” image that so many girls strive for, but is an unrealistic to achieve. Though, with more women having cosmetic surgery it’s becoming more common. She struggled with the pressure to look like someone she was not and thought she had to be ashamed of it. “She went to and fro apologizing” (line 10) Even with trying to change herself with dieting, and exercising, she felt it wasn’t enough. “Her good nature wore out” (line 15) Sometimes the pressure can be too much where you have to do something drastic to get away from it. “She cut off her nose and legs” (line 17) Then “in the casket displayed on the satin she lay” (line 19) she finally reached the goal of everyone’s approval. “Consummation at last” (line 24).