Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll

Before we even read the poem, the title “Barbie Doll” should raise some concern. Why would Piercy title her poem this? As a young child, we are introduced to superheroes and beautiful girl dolls. This automatically creates an image for us as to what we wish to be when we grow up. Barbies are always very pretty and this sets a standard for what girls should look like.

The idea of the Barbie Doll has been debated or many years. Released in 1959 during the largest feminist movement in America, it was labeled as an icon for women. However, the physical appearance of Barbie has caused many feminists to argue its intentions. It portrays unrealistic body standards for women, accentuated by tight, skimpy outfits. At a very young age, girls are taught to be perfect and perky.

She has been an inspiration to all with her many different jobs and clothing choices. However this may be, Barbie has been a controversial matter for many, many years. With her body image, size and weight The Barbie Doll has been the topic of great debate on whether she is great to allow young children, in particular girls, to play with. Many believe the doll shapes young girl’s perceptions on how to look, what to wear and how to live life. Barbie holds an unrealistic body shape, in which young children seek to obtain, it inspires them to have expectations that they will never meet.

How Lookism Influences Adolescent Girls Lookism is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary (n.d.) as the "prejudice or discrimination based on physical appearance and especially physical appearance believed to fall short of societal notions of beauty." The issue of lookism has inundated our youth through the many forms of media including magazines, music videos, and daily television. Girls are often on the receiving end of lookism with the expectation being that they should be attractive and that there is only one definition of attractive. Mary Pipher (2008) describes it by saying "In early adolescence girls learn how important appearance is in defining social acceptability. Attractiveness is both a necessary and a sufficient condition for

The story was based on women and the lack of right in the society had in the past. “My brother is also a physician, and also of high standing, and he says the same thing.”(376) The writer is trying to describe the prestigious life that men in the society had, and how women were forced to follow their rules. Marge Piercy wrote “Barbie Doll”. The poem main idea was based on girl child influenced by the idea of other people living in the society, rather than her own. “This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.” (1023) The poet was trying to explain how the small girls were forced to play with the dolls and small stoves, and they were also given red cherry lipsticks to play with.

The miniature stoves and iron represented being a housekeeper. Lastly, the lipstick represented being pretty. Her parents made her play with these toys, so she would grow up knowing she was suppose to be “pretty” and that she should become a mother. Her parents wanted her appearance to be known by the society. While she was in school, puberty struck her, and her nose grew bigger and she had

She was born normally and typically raised with toys that a girl normally plays which is dolls, miniature kitchen equipment and some makeup tools. Then, when she reached puberty everything changed. She lost here childhood life which she has nothing to worry about such as how she looks and acts. “You have a great big nose and fat legs” is the what her friends called her. The girl is humiliated by a really harsh and mean words until she loses her confidence and questions her physical appearances.

Baby Alive! A toy that prepares young girls for motherhood! Gender roles in society are imposed upon us through many different ways such us what we are expected to wear and even how we are supposed to behave. Before being born, children are assigned a gender because of their sex and from there one their parents decide what their name will be, what colors they will wear, what toys they will like, etc. For female children, parents buy them toys that are assigned to their gender such as baby dolls.

Furthermore, Orenstein continues to complain about how even in the shows where the girls are supposed to be more of a tomboy, they find ways to bring in the princess culture. She says that they undermine the girls and how they will grow up. Then Orenstein goes on to point out some other facts like how, “girls can embrace their predilection for pink without compromising strength or ambition.” (Orenstein 328). After this realization she begins to believe differently contradicting her former belief that pink and princess culture is all bad. Although she doesn’t confirm her change until the very end.

In the episode “Lisa v Malibu Stacy”, Lisa and her friends rush to buy the new Malibu Stacy doll, which resembles the popular Barbie doll. But after purchasing it, Lisa realizes that the doll represents “the perfect woman” to society but is an unrealistic role model to young girls. The writers of the episode use invective, irony, and hyperboles to reveal that the media and corporate America make sexist statements about the role of a woman. This can have negative effects, like low self esteem, on the mind of young girls who are