Barbie Doll Idealism

Your decisions to comply with society’s view of “beauty” are no longer subconscious, but rather are more conscious-driven decisions. Barbie’s slender figure remains idolized; however, it has evolved from a plastic doll to a self-starving model that is photo-shopped on the pages of glossy magazines. You spend hours in front of a mirror adjusting and perfecting your robotic look while demanding your parents to spend an endless amount of money on cosmetics and harmful skin products to acquire a temporary version of beauty. Consider companies such as Maybelline, which have throughout the ages created problematic and infantilizing campaigns and products for women. More specifically consider the “Baby Lips” product as well as the company slogan, “maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline,” that reiterates the male notions of beauty to which women are subjected.

Marge Piercy’s “ Barbie Doll” establishes the character to be a young girl who hits the stage of puberty and is then subjected to people's hurtful words that destroy her body image. Before these words she seemed to be a normal little girl playing with all the right toys. The words spoken were with intent to help the girl change her physical appearance so she could be a better version of herself, but in the end the girl felt there was no other option. She could never make everyone happy. The last part of the poem shows how society's judgmental words can strip you of your innocence and leave you in a satin lined box six feet under.

“Beauty is not defined by your physical features, it is defined by the heart inside your chest and the love that flows through it.”- Imania Margia. This meaningful quote written by Imania Margia explains the true significance and message shown through both the short story “Barbie” written by Gary Soto and “Pretty Hurts” sang by Beyonce. The short story “Barbie” written by Gary Soto presents a young girl named Veronica who learned from a young age, that in order to be pretty, you must fit standards and stereotypes- Barbie stereotypes. However, when she gets a new Barbie the following Christmas and ends up destroying it, she learns to accept both Barbie dolls. In “Pretty Hurts” sang by Beyonce, the speaker was taught from a young age to care about appearances.

For example, a lot of the beauty pageants now a days are corrupted by money, greed and popularity. Sana Hassan author of The Psychological Effects of Beauty Pageants on Children, “Gone are the days when innocence and missing teeth were considered cute. Kids in child beauty pageant competitions am to look attractive and are sexualized, even as toddlers. They wear revealing outfits, flippers (fake teeth for kids who are missing front teeth), and heavy make-up. Girls in these competitions are sexualized so early on in their lives.

So, reading this, “Barbie Doll” had definitely been related to her experience. Although Marge Piercy did not exactly die the way the girl did in the poem, but I suppose she was dying to be herself on the inside. In most of Piercy’s poems and other literary works, she expresses change. She dreams of social change, and feminist revival. Feminism plays a vital role in Piercy’s works.

The “Barbie Doll” poem is an effective poem. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the words “Barbie Doll” is one of my favorite childhood toys. The main character of this poem is a young girl who was born in a judgmental world. She never had the opportunity to feel satisfied or happy with herself. She was trying to please others and make a way for herself to accept and feel confident within.

The statement, “Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great nose and fat legs” implies that the girl is coming of age. She is beginning to mature and her body is transforming into adolescent through puberty. Puberty changes the way she sees herself. Since the classmate makes the statement about her nose and legs, the girl has focus her attention on her self-image and she knows that her legs and nose are changing; however, she does not understand the changes. The girl sees her self-image as disgusting.

A Psychoanalytical Approach to A Doll’s House Sigmund Freud, a well known psychologist, argues that childhood experience influences adult life in the pursuit of happiness. Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a prime example of Freud’s theory as the protagonist, Nora, regresses to her past childlike habits of happiness within a voiceless marriage. Nora is limited to mental developmental growth because she is fixated in an adolescent state. In order for Nora to truly find her identity in the end, her illusions of happiness must be shattered. Nora takes pride in thinking of herself as the perfect housewife and mother.

" When people make relentless efforts to become like Barbie -as possible, they are trying to be Barbie . - His representation of an ideal of beauty." ( Henderson, T. ) By sending this idea to the girls, they feel the necessity to fit in. Playing with the doll, the kids start adapting these trends and their brains registries everything about Barbie, such as how beautiful and popular she is, and naturally these girls will start wanting to be like her, which starts many of the on their way to eating disorders. “It’s estimated that 8 million people in the United States has an eating disorder, and only 10-15% of them are male.

Both "Cinderella and Princess Culture" by Peggy Orenstein and "The Princess Paradox" by James Poniewozik discuss parents ' concern for daughters ' infatuation with princess culture and the implications of princess culture for modern feminism; Poniewozik focuses on the steps modern movies take to promote ideals of women being feminine and strong, while Orenstein discusses older movies having characters being traditionally feminine, and therefore not strong. Orenstein argues that feminism entails women casting aside traditional feminine things and standing with strength and independence. Older Disney movies depict a girl whose problems are solved by their one wish, a handsome prince. Describing the worry a parent feels with such archaic ideals being instilled in their daughters at such a young age, Orenstein cites research showing that such influences being detrimental to a girl 's mental health. Although there is no definitive proof that