Stereotypes In Barbie Doll

One of the most controversial topics that has been deliberated over in this world since the beginning of time is the stereotypes of women. No matter how they act or what they wear, society always finds something wrong about them. Women today are seen as objects that can be manipulated to conform to the stereotypes that society has put on to them. People in the world today shun females and make them change themselves just to please others. They have been told that they need to be thin, wear high end clothes, put on a ton of makeup, keep their mouths shut, be kind to all, and to just look beautiful. In addition, women also have to struggle to gain the same rights as men. There is so much sexism and biased opinions against women in the work force …show more content…
Barbie dolls display unattainable standards for women and are one of the triggers that begins the controversy of what beauty standards girls should hold on to based off of society’s views of “perfection”. The young girl described in the poem has a variety of unique qualities and traits, but they do not matter since she is not beautiful. She was “advised to play coy” and to “exercise, diet, smile and wheedle”, and so to do this she ended up completely changing the way she appeared by “cutting off her nose and her legs.” The poem ends with her dying and having the undertaker transforming her into the societal view of beautiful she was trying to achieve. Only when she was totally destroyed and altered was she considered pretty by society. This dark poem exemplifies Marge Piercy’s argument about how women’s personalities are completely disregarded and that people only look at the physical characteristics females hold. The poem also allows readers to realize that no one’s opinion should matter more than one’s …show more content…
A French woman in the 18th century was described to emphasize Piercy’s point about how females have always had to reconstruct themselves to please others and to fit in. The poet then depicts a modern woman by saying she is ‘thin as a blade of scissors” and that she exercises constantly to keep her shape. She also says that the woman is starving herself and is always craving food, but won’t eat due to the fact that she’s “supposed to be thin.” The repetition of the line “a woman made of pain” emphasizes the point that females destroy themselves just to be able to fit the image of that society has created. Piercy then brings in an analogy about how dogs meet and fall in love with each other out of passion, not appearance. That statement is then compared to the question of how the world would be if people did that, if they just fell in love with personalities instead of how someone looked. Finally, the poem ends by asking the question “When will a woman cease to be made of pain?” This poem will encourage readers to seriously contemplate the ways of the world today and how they can make a