Thursday, September 23, 2010

Who Plays With Barbie Dolls Anymore?


The girl in Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy is depicted in a sense that contrast the title of the poem itself. Almost every detail Piercy includes shows this contrast. For example, "...tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity." Basically, this girl possesses many traits that are typical in men. Society's view of a standard girl is pretty to look at, yet not as delightful to listen to, weak and mild so as to let the men protect them, meek, and clueless when it comes to manual skills. This girl's traits were atypical of a stereotypical girl. Because of her insecurity in who she is as a woman, she commits suicide after classmated and peers tell her she has a big nose and fat legs. The Barbie dolls I had growing up were thin-torsoed with perfectly sculpted features. This is simply an unrealistic vantage point for women to have to view themselves through, which is the overall point of the poem.


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