Marge Piercy was an American poet, social activist and a novelist. Piercy started the love for reading and books, when she was laid up with rheumatic fever during her childhood days, where she could not do anything other than reading. She has won the Hopwood Award for poetry and fiction in 1957.
Till 2004, she has published upto seventeen volumes of poetry, fifteen novels, one play, one notification, one collection of essays and one journal. She is currently the author of The New York Times bestseller, Gone to soldiers, which is a historic novel.
Being a feminist, most of her poems and works are focused on feminist cultures and activities. Most of her poems are focused on women subjects and social activities that women face.
“Barbie Doll” is one such poem where Piercy clearly describes how a woman is seen in America. The weight-age given to physical beauty than to one’s mental and internal beauty. The poem starts from the birth of a girl child, her growth, adolescence and finally due to over beauty conscious, she finally ends her life. The entire poem is written with a tone of depression and sadness of a young girl and her unacceptable image.
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The poem is said in four stanzas. The first stanza starts with the birth of a girl child and how happy she is at her young age. She is being presented dolls and toys that represent the kitchen. Here the poet has taken care to specify the brand names like GE as a mark to show how conscious and perfect analyzing are the Americans to beauty. The child is also being given beautiful lipsticks of bright colors for addition of her beauty.
In the second stanza, Piercy explains that this little girl was talented and intelligent. She was healthy and possessed strong arms and back, she had a great sex appeal. She tried to place her self and get the attention of people around her; however she was only noticed for her fat nose and thick legs. This clearly shows how a woman is being looked into or infact welcomed based on physical ‘perfect’ looks only.
In the third stanza, Piercy explains that in spite of all her good qualities, she tries to get rid of the thick legs and fat nose and was given suggestions on exercises and diets for doing the same. The beauty was lost her good nature was worn out like a fan belt , so that finally due to depression, she just cuts off and sacrifices her life to please them.
And in the final stanza, the poet says, finally when she ended her life and was for funeral with all those extra put up makeup, the public says she was beautiful and looks pretty. And this the final fate of every girl who tries be that “Perfect” figure and for those who tries to see only the external beauty that lasts for a look.
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This poem has very beautifully explained how a bubbly, energetic girl has been destroyed to put to death, just for the sake of her external beauty, even though she had all the good qualities. This poem was specifically meant for the teenage girls, who wanted to look the best and not feel healthy and fit. The poem clearly shows that we should not be judged or judge by external beauty, but rather understands and accepts who we are and what we are for with all the good qualities in us and others.