ENC 1102
Dr. Powley
"Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy
"Barbie Doll"
This girlchild was born as usual
and presented dolls that did pee-pee
and miniture GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry color.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.
She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.
She went ti and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.
and offered them up.
In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Dosen't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending.
MARGE PIERCY
Marge Piercy was born March 31, 1936 in Detroit into a family that had been, like many others, affected by the Depression. Her mother, Bert Bernice Bunnin, born in Philadelphia, had lived also in Pittsburgh and Cleveland; her father Robert Douglas Piercy grew up in a small town in the soft coal mining region of Pennsylvania. They had not been living in Detroit long. Her father, out of work for some time, got a job installing and repairing heavy machinery at Westinghouse. When Piercy was little, they moved into a small house in a working-class neighborhood in Detroit which was Black and white by blocks.
I believe that Piercy is pointing out the truth within our society. Our society is so consumed by the importance of appearance that as individuals we judge others based on this superficial concept. There is an emphasis placed on being "feminine," meaning slender, pretty, and soft. Because the "Girl Child" does not fit this profile perfectly others judge her, “big nose and fat legs.” The “girl child” has a good attitude though; she carries on “apologetically.” She conforms to “play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.” This life of trying to please wears on the girl. Out of rage that her nose and legs have been such a burden or in attempt to conform to society’s expectations she cuts off her nose and her legs. Only in her last public appearance do people say “doesn’t she look pretty.” There is an irony in the last lines, to every woman a happy ending
