"Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy

I found this poem interesting because I connected with the concept of it. The author is demonstrating the superficiality of society and criticizing its general effects on the people. I liked how in the first stanza it said, "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." Through this stanza it connected the reader with the speaker because it related her as a little girl to all children. When we are little, parents buy us all kinds of toys that we don't really need but are the latest and greatest of what's out there. Ordinary baby dolls that can make noise and fake food that is scented rather than just plastic or some sort of new craft that is on tv...The list is endless. When the speaker mentions the "magic of puberty" in the first stanza, she is being ironic because normally puberty is what makes a girl turn into a woman and become prettier. In this case, all it did was make the speaker more self-conscious about her body and try harder to change everything about herself. She changed from her "healthy" self and was "exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile, and wheedle." As she was laying in her casket, I almost felt bad for her by the author's description of the scene. Everyone was commenting on how pretty she looked at her funeral and it made me realize that she did not get everyone's approval until after her death. It was disappointing realizing how much truth there was to this poem linked to society today.