Barbie Doll by Piercy

This poem is about a girl who was made fun of because she did not fit the mold that society had created for women. It shows how women were objectified because they were expected to become like a "barbie doll" in order to be acceptable as individuals. The only thing that was supposed to matter to women was how they looked. No one cared if you were intelligent, they just wanted you to be pretty. The poem portrays the struggle women go through and ultimately how many women lost sight of who the really were just to please society. In the end the girl cuts off her nose and legs because people made fun of her. In doing so she killed herself, which an be taken literally or metaphorically. Perhaps she actually died because she would have bled to death, or maybe it was just as if she had died because she was no longer living the life she desired for herself. Either way this poem shows that women need to believe in themselves and not give in to the worlds ideals of beauty.