Barbie Doll

This poem was so depressing, although it's message was true and applicable to today's society. The author immediately establishes the fact that this girl is not a Barbie doll, and she has "a great big nose and fat legs." Even though the girl focuses on these differences, she has other traits not found in the plastic doll. She has intelligence, "strong arms and back," "abundant sexual drive," and "manual dexterity." These distinctions are so important because they show that even though the girl is not physically perfect like Barbie, she has other enviable traits that Barbie never will have. Unfortunately, the girl never focuses on her positive features. The author describes the girl as a "girlchild" in the first line to establish her innocence and vulnerability, and the reader sees that eroded as society corrupts her view of herself and the world. The irony at the end is especially bitter because the girl achieved her perfect look, but she cannot enjoy her "beauty." This was not a happy ending, and the author targets the society that pressures girls to strive to be like a plastic, lifeless doll.