Gender Unit blog #1

Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy

This melancholy poem emphasizes the lack of self esteem young women face due to high standards and harsh criticism seen in today's society. Now, more than ever, young women are faced with the pressure to attain the perfect, thin body, combined with flawless facial features, in order to be seen as a beautiful woman. This, inevitably, will lead women to do insane, and unhealthy things, such as reader see in Barbie Doll. She was told she had " a great big nose and fat legs," which like any girl, would automatically destroy their self esteem and self image (Piercy, 835). As humans, our biggest and most desired goal is to fit in and be accepted; therefore, if a person is told there is something wrong with them, they automatically experience a sense of inadequacy and incompetence. So, in order to fit into our brutal and judgmental society, the girl mentioned in the poem faked a smile, tried to diet and exercise, and played coy. Yet, this was not enough, and like so many women, the girl could not take the pressure and imperfection. She harmed herself and took her own life, to free her from this pain. Ironically, in her casket, was she finally found pretty. Once she had a new nose, pretty makeup, and a nice dress, did people finally think she was worth the compliment. With this is mind, our society as a whole should look at the suffering and pain people endure in order to attain "perfection", which clearly does not exist. We must realize that people are more than aware of their imperfection; therefore, it is our duty to help and encourage people, rather than pushing them down.