Barbie doll by marge piercy was one of my favorite poems. This poem is about a healthy and intelligent girl who's not accepted as who she is. In school, she got made fun of because of her big nose and fat legs. ALthough she was smart, and healthy all people saw was her big legs and fat nose. Her intelligence wasn't accepted for beauty. What did matter to everyone else was for her to excercise, diet, and smile. Looking pretty in cherry lipstick as a home wife cooking and cleaning was what she should represent to society. And so she did as everyone desired, she cut off her nose and made herself beautiful with all the cosmetics she can use. But in the end she commited suicide, because she couldn't live up to who she really was a person. And at last everyone thought she was beautiful.
I think in someway, we as woman always face this issue. We're always pressured to look thin and beautiful. In school, kids tease you, when you grow up you get the idea that you should look beautiful, or cute to fit in. And it's a terrible thing that happens, it can ruin your self esteem completely. You're never thin enough, or beautiful. I remember when I was a chunky kid, my family would nick name me fatty. Maybe they thought it was cute, but to me it wasn't. And I'm pretty sure this happens to a lot of kids out there. And the media, clearly states that we should look thin as models. On their cover, it always advertises 10 ways to get in shape. It's rediculous. The title of this poem also made me realize that a barbie doll is always beautiful, and should be bautiful. We never ever buy ugly dolls, and we always encourage little girls to but pretty dolls, and sadly we teach them that ugly dolls aren't as pretty.
3 comments:
I think everyone can relate to this. I have a friend who is naturally a brunette and she dyes her hair blond because she likes the attention she gets from guys. It's so strange just look at how much time women spend getting ready as compared to men...We are socialized to crave the attention of men...look at all of the cosmo articles...Actually, I hate getting yelled at when I am walking down the street, "Dam GIRL!!! or howling" It makes me think do women actually stop and talk to the men screaming at them...It is like a cavemen mentality.
Nowadays, people aren't that concerned about their physical appearance, but in prior days, you were expected to have a "barbie doll" image which was thin and beautiful. I know a lot of females that want that image, and try to impress others, and for self satisfaction. I am not concerned about my looks, because beaty is only skin deep
I think that women today, more than ever focus on the way they look. With all of the media outlets, celebrities and rag magazines constantly telling us how skinny or fat celebrities are, what they are wearing and how to have the best body, the best skin, the best clothes, the best anything, we are bombarded by these images. In order to feel good about ourselves as women, we are told that we have to look and act a certain way. I think its terible the way women are portrayed in the media, we have no strong women role models other than actresses and pop singers. These are not the women I wnt to look up to and I don't think its right that young girls look up to them either.
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