Day 14 Allusion

“Barbie Doll” appears in Piercy’s 1973 collection, To Be of Use. By using the iconic image of the Barbie doll as a kind of straw “man,” Piercy implicitly criticizes the ways in which women are socialized into stereotypical feminine behavior. Written as a fairy-tale of sorts, “Barbie Doll” suggests that the enormous social pressures on women to conform to particular ways of looking and behaving are ultimately destructive. Her ironic tone barely conceals a simmering rage at prescribed gender roles that eat away at women’s self-confidence and wreak havoc on their self-image. Piercy suggests that corporate America, embodied by Barbie’s maker, Mattel Toys, participates in our patriarchal system by perpetuating gender stereotypes.

The Barbie doll, one of the best-selling “toys” of all time, has become an icon of U.S. culture for the way it idealizes the female body. For more than 40 years parents have been buying the doll, along with Barbie’s companion, Ken, for their daughters, who attempt to emulate Barbie’s appearance and the values that that appearance embodies. Indeed, in some segments of society, the term “Barbie Doll” itself has become a term of derision, signifying an attractive, but vapid, blonde who will do what she is told. Piercy skewers this image, implying that it is inherently destructive. Piercy’s poem has been reprinted a number of times. Its accessibility and clearly defined-yet not simplistic-stance toward its subject make it one of her more popular pieces.

The Barbie Entry at Wikipedia offers background and links. The article also includes recent efforts by Mattel to introduce models which have different body types, ethnic diversity, and impressive careers. including a series called Sheroes which are Barbie versions of accomplished women -- Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Goodall, Frida Kahlo, etc. Also includes several controveries and links to parodies. The Official Barbie Website is owned by Mattel. Adios, Barbie protests the body image associated with the doll. OKC Barbie Dolls is guaranteed to offend almost everyone in the metropolitan area but clearly demonstrates the iconic nature of the Barbie allusion. Marge Piercy also has her own website. Equally fun (and perhaps offensive) is the song “Barbie Girl” by Aqua, available as a sing-along on YouTube.

S 5 10 15 20 25	Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy. 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 to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs. She was advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile and wheedle. Her good nature wore out like a fan belt. So she cut off her nose and her 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. Doesn’t she look pretty? everyone said. Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending.
	Norton Publishers has an amazing Poetry Workshop based on this poem, but also exploring other Piercy poems, including the very popular “What are big girls made of?” The site includes reading and re-reading questions, links, sound files. Reading Questions Who is the speaker in the poem? Who is the “girlchild”? Is she someone specific or is she representative of girls in general? Who is the listener? What is the narrator's point of view? How do you know? What is the tone of the poem? What images or lines lead you to your opinion? When she got older, what should be the concerns of the girlchild in the poem as reflected in her toys? As a teen, what were her attributes? What did one of her classmates say to her that negated all of those positive things? For what did she go about apologizing? What influence did her apology have on how people saw her? How is she encouraged to behave? How does that run contrary to her natural behavior? What does she do as a result of not being able to live up to what others want of her?
S 5 10 15 20 25	Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy. 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 to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs. She was advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile and wheedle. Her good nature wore out like a fan belt. So she cut off her nose and her 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. Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said. Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending.
	Re-Reading Questions The bold-faced words are a summary of what she was and what she became. Explain how each phrase describes this transition moving her from a little girl who was pleased with herself to a young woman who committed suicide. What did other people’s opinions about her legs and nose do to the young girl’s self-concept? Why would a girl who seems so together, fall prey to other people’s opinions? To whom or to what did she “offer up” her amputated nose and legs? Explain the irony of the perfect nose the undertaker gave her. When people view her corpse in the funeral parlor, they think she looks pretty. Explain why this is “consummation at last”? What is the “happy ending” of the last line? What has she finally achieved in death that she couldn’t in life? What is a Barbie® Doll? What does it mean for a girl to be like a Barbie® Doll? Barbie® is never mentioned in the poem; in your opinion, what is the meaning of using Barbie® Doll in the title?

Of course, Barbie iconography may need some re-thinking with the recent release of the Barbie film. BBC News collected contemporary commercial reviews. Major publications and critics are also commenting. “Barbie, Her House and the American Dream” by Anna Kodé is an interactive analysis focusing on how the Barbie House reflects American values (New York Times, 23 June 2023). Leslie Jamison's view is darker in “Why Barbie Must Be Punished” (New Yorker, 29 July 2023).

Your Turn: Write a poem of your own which is dependent upon at least one well-known allusion for its impact. Consider iconic figures from history, popular culture, literature, advertising, etc.