Perfection - an expectation that seems to be demanded out of young girls and women in today’s society. It’s not uncommon to see ones conforming to this expectation. Those that strive for this perfection aren’t oblivious to the fact that it is emotionally draining, yet it’s still something ones seem to strive for and continually critique each other on. It is often said that “pain is beauty”, and that “beauty is skin deep” but it’s the eager expectation of perfection that can kill someone from the inside out and ruin the innocent heart of a beautiful girl. In Beyoncé’s song, “Pretty Hurts”, published in 2013, and Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie doll”, published in 1971, both authors aim to send the same message to those effected by these expectations.
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In the first 2 lines, the author begins giving the reader a visual, “The girlchild was born as usual, and presented dolls that did pee-pee”, this is stated to help the reader infer that the girl is a young child being presented with dolls (1-2). Usually Barbie dolls are used to as a model of what a woman should look like, despite how unrealistic their proportions are. Sometimes girls will compare themselves to a Barbie doll and when they realize they are nothing alike, they feel insecure and imperfect. The poem then states, “Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs.” in this stanza, the classmates start picking out the flaws of the young girl (5-6). “She was healthy, tested intelligent” meaning that the girl was smart, and normal for her age because she was healthy (7-8). “abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity, she went to and fro apologizing.” She felt insecure about herself and started apologizing, she was insecure because her classmates and critics did not view her as “sexy” or “beautiful” (8-9). Now, the girl feels as if she is ugly, because she has a big nose, and thick legs. “she was advised to play coy,” meaning that she felt as if she was not good enough, so she kept to herself (12). As the poem progresses, the reader can tell that the girl is started to change herself. …show more content…
Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll” was about a young girl who gave her life to be perfect, and Beyoncé’s song, “Pretty Hurts” was about a girl who finally accepted herself. Both of the scenarios of these poems portrayed the same message, but ended with different outcomes. Uses of analogies, metaphors, hyperboles, and imagery really help the readers and listeners emotionally connect with both these
In the first 2 lines, the author begins giving the reader a visual, “The girlchild was born as usual, and presented dolls that did pee-pee”, this is stated to help the reader infer that the girl is a young child being presented with dolls (1-2). Usually Barbie dolls are used to as a model of what a woman should look like, despite how unrealistic their proportions are. Sometimes girls will compare themselves to a Barbie doll and when they realize they are nothing alike, they feel insecure and imperfect. The poem then states, “Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs.” in this stanza, the classmates start picking out the flaws of the young girl (5-6). “She was healthy, tested intelligent” meaning that the girl was smart, and normal for her age because she was healthy (7-8). “abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity, she went to and fro apologizing.” She felt insecure about herself and started apologizing, she was insecure because her classmates and critics did not view her as “sexy” or “beautiful” (8-9). Now, the girl feels as if she is ugly, because she has a big nose, and thick legs. “she was advised to play coy,” meaning that she felt as if she was not good enough, so she kept to herself (12). As the poem progresses, the reader can tell that the girl is started to change herself. …show more content…
Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll” was about a young girl who gave her life to be perfect, and Beyoncé’s song, “Pretty Hurts” was about a girl who finally accepted herself. Both of the scenarios of these poems portrayed the same message, but ended with different outcomes. Uses of analogies, metaphors, hyperboles, and imagery really help the readers and listeners emotionally connect with both these