Mr. Everything

If I had the opportunity to rewrite the poem "Barbie Doll," I would write about the conflicting pressures boys and men face in society today, and entitle my poem "Mr. Everything." Males of today are in a constant struggle to fit the ever-changing mold set for them by our society. We give young boys toy guns and trucks and superhero suits, yet expect them to be gentle, caring, and sensitive. Then when they are being sensitive, we tell them to be more manly. Yes, they face constant pressure to be masculine, so that no one will think they are gay, yet they can't act too masculine, or we will tell them they are chauvinistic or macho. We are frustrated when they don't share their feelings with us, but when they do, we tell them to toughen up, and that "boys don't cry." As the girl in " Barbie Doll" was teased for having a fat nose and thick legs, young men are teased for being fat, or skinny, or for having acne, or being too smart, or not smart enough. Is it any wonder that nearly every school shooting has been instigated by a young man? Just as the young girl in "Barbie Doll" killed herself due to her overwhelming sense of inadequacy, my poem would end with a young man killing himself and others to let out the feelings he felt he could never let out while living.