Too Bad Its Not a Plastic World

Too Bad Its Not a Plastic World

  • Submitted By: bbradley14
  • Date Submitted: 03/16/2009 4:13 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 565
  • Page: 3
  • Views: 671

Brittany Bradley
10/29/2007
Mr. Magee
Comp II
Too bad it is not a plastic world.

Society emphases that woman need to look a certain way to be accepted. The poem, Barbie Doll, written by Marge Piercy tells the story of a young girl growing up through the adolescence stage characterized by appearances, and sometimes crude comments.
Piercy uses imagery and fluctuating tome to describe the struggle the girl is experiencing during her teenage years, and the effects that can happen. Piercy show that woman are forced to think that at a young age one should look and act in a certain way.
Constantly, woman are mocked for their appearances and expected to represent a Barbie-doll figure. Considering Barbie is “plastic” and very unrealistic, it is very hard to reach this unrealistic goal that many young woman have.
The female gender id positioned into a stereotype that woman should be thin and beautiful. With this girl, the effects were detrimental. The first stanza describes the influence that a child is placed into during their early childhood. Little girls are expected to play with dolls, plastic stoves, and irons, usually toys that relate to old fashion woman duties. Parents use these toys to teach the child what the social norm is, therefore the child catches on at a young age.

Next, in the second stanza it is mentioned how the young woman was healthy, intelligent, and posed strong arms and back. These are good qualities for a man. A woman is suppose to be beautiful, graceful, and caring. Society does not care about how strong a woman is. They base judgment on her appearance. Even kids at a young age start making fun of, or name calling over an individual’s physical appearance.

Also Piercy, uses the magic of puberty to describe the age where appearance comes into effect. It is ironic that this particular word is used because puberty is actually a stage of emotional crisis. A hurtful remark was made towards the child, and she was described as...

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