Marge Piercy's poem Barbie Doll was extremely depressing. It portrayed how our society kills children physically and emotionally. Although we hear everyday that another person, (child, teen, anyone), dies of an eating disorder or some other emotional disease of the mind. Have we ever wondered what is the problem? Could it be our societies portrayal of how we ought look, act, and sound? Piercy portrays this view in a very direct and blunt way.
The poem shows how the society this young girl lived in expected her to live as a doll. She was supposed to give up her human qualities. From a young age, she was looked down upon for having a healthy human appetite and a natural human figure. By constantly being reminded of her "big nose and fat legs" and her "fat nose and thick legs" (Piercy, 835) this young girl began to develop extremely bad and dangerous habits. The town was essentially controlling her life just as a doll is controlled by everyone else. They didn't stop until they turned her exactly into a doll. With this new transformation came the lack of life that made her most resemble a Barbie Doll. By "cutting off her nose and her legs" (Piercy, 836), she killed herself trying to fit in. "Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said" (Piercy, 836). That is just down right cruel. The girl finally looked the part that everyone was expecting her to play. Too bad that this new woman couldn't even be there to hear the praises of those she desperately wanted to hear.
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