What Are Big Girls Made Of By Marge Piercy

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Recommended: The media's portrayal of body image

Seeing Beyond the Mirror Both “Barbie Doll” and “What are Big Girls Made Of?” by Marge Piercy has incorporated many metaphors and similes to convey an overall theme. Both stories had an interpretation of what the ideal body image and beauty women and young girls should portray. It is really important to understand that beauty is molded by society — by advertising, fashion, and cosmetic industries. Women and young girls need to be comfortable with who they are and not be worried about what other people think of them, but society has impacted them negatively.
In the poem, “Barbie Doll,” Marge Piercy explains how women and young girls are easily persuaded and manipulated by society when it comes down to body image and self-esteem. Throughout the poem, a young girl has trouble …show more content…

Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said” (Piercy). While the colors Pink and white are used for young girls, which indicates feminine and innocence; she was forced to mature faster in society so things suddenly changed for her as she got older. In stanza 4, “In the casket displayed on satin, she lay with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,” (Piercy). This stanza means that even though she was lying on pretty "satin" and had makeup on, death played a huge role in her life. She couldn’t escape being someone she wasn't. Then in the last final stanza, “Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending” (Piercy). This last quote indicated that the young girl finally ends her life from being overwhelmed with what society put her through, but society still thought everything was okay with making her look more “fake” in her casket. Her life depended on being the “perfect” figure and people only seeing the external of a woman. An example of a simile would be lines 15-16. “Her good nature wore out like a fan belt.” Marge is describing that the girl's nature and beauty are slowly deteriorating, just like a fan belt

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