"Barbie Doll-A Modern Take on the Female Experience"

Unfortunately, the social and parental pressures presented in Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll,” are still common in today’s society. The name of the doll may have changed, but the pressure those dolls represent has not. The girl in this poem is pressured to conform to the expectations of her culture, which are often times unrealistic. She is a strong and healthy girl, but she is said to be too fat. Those around her expect her to diet and exercise, not as a way to make her healthier, but because she does not live up to their expectations. Barbies and Bratz encourage young girls to be something they are not and to conform to the images presented in pop culture. The poem used examples such as lipstick and GE stoves, but in today’s society we could insert images such as makeup, inappropriate clothing, and dyed hair. These unrealistic pressures we put on young girls are all too often too much to bear. The girl in “Barbie Doll” realizes that she will never live up to anyone’s expectations. Thus, she chooses to end her own life by getting rid of that which kept her from being “perfect.” This is an extreme case, but it shows the lasting effects of pressuring young children to be something they are not. Near the end of the poem the author writes, “Consummation at last” (24) when referring to the fact that as she lies in her coffin the girl is finally described as being beautiful. To me, this is the most dramatic line of the entire poem. What does it take for girls to feel that they are accepted? How far do we push children before they can no longer stand it? For this young girl, the pressure became too much, and the only way she knew how to be good enough was by ending her own life.