As the poem, progresses, Piercy continues
to add to the unattractive bodily features of the "girl child" while not
explaining much about her personality.
She "possessed strong arms and back” (Piercy 8), features that truthfully are
not suitable for a pretty girl. Features that
are certainly not appropriate for Barbie, as the title ironically suggests. "Everyone
saw a fat nose on thick legs" (Piercy 11). Marge Piercy’s choice to
characterize the “girl child” only by her physical characteristics sends the
message about how people maliciously stereotype.
As the poem progresses, Piercy begins to reveal the susceptibility that "girlchild" is facing as a result of the adverse comments from her peer. “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (Piercy 15-16). We already know that she "possessed strong arms and back” (Piercy 8) and that the girl is in fact “healthy, tested intelligent” (Piercy 7). Although these features that are certainly not usually associated with Barbie, as the title ironically suggests, they are rather decent. Instead of focusing on the respectable qualities, the girlchild’s self esteem is drowning over the statement,"Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs" (Piercy 11). Marge Piercy’s choice to show that one nasty characterizing of the “girlchild” is eating her from within sends the message about how malicious stereotypes can shatter one’s mental stability.
As the poem progresses, Piercy begins to reveal the susceptibility that "girlchild" is facing as a result of the adverse comments from her peer. “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (Piercy 15-16). We already know that she "possessed strong arms and back” (Piercy 8) and that the girl is in fact “healthy, tested intelligent” (Piercy 7). Although these features that are certainly not usually associated with Barbie, as the title ironically suggests, they are rather decent. Instead of focusing on the respectable qualities, the girlchild’s self esteem is drowning over the statement,"Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs" (Piercy 11). Marge Piercy’s choice to show that one nasty characterizing of the “girlchild” is eating her from within sends the message about how malicious stereotypes can shatter one’s mental stability.
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