Barbie is never mentioned in the poem; what is the meaning of using "Barbie Doll" in the title of this poem of the same name, by Marge Piercy?

In the poem, "Barbie Doll," by Marge Piercy, the title
reflects the seemingly perfect essence of the doll, which some might assume to reflect
the physical characteristics of a perfect woman. In the poem, the contradiction between
natural beauty and "popular" beauty are discussed.

We know
that in truth, a woman with the proportions of a Barbie doll href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7920962.stm">would not be able to
stand up, although some women have tried to copy the Barbie doll
look.

This is one of my long-favorite poems because it
battles some of society's expectations of a young female against the natural and
inner-beauty of girls (who will one day be women). Much like the old adage of children
in general "seen but not heard," this poem addresses (at the time it was written)
America's expectations of little girls:

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...dolls that did
pee-pee

and miniature GE stoves and
irons

and wee lipsticks the color of cherry
candy.

This reflected the
norms of the href="http://j-walk.com/other/goodwife/index.htm">1950s when women stayed
home and cooked, cleaned, reared children, and met their husband at the door, dressed to
perfection with dinner waiting on the table. (A copy of Housekeeping
Monthly's "The Good Wife's Guide"—which may be fictious, though I have seen
copies of the single-page article in school for many years—summarizes these conceptions,
which are not fictious.)

For all of
the little girl's strengths...

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She was healthy, tested
intelligent,

possessed strong arms and
back,

abundant sexual drive and manual
dexterity.

...and one would
think that this would be enough, she...

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....went to and fro
apologizing.

This is because
she was deemed, we infer by comparing her to the perfect Barbie doll, imperfect with her
"great big nose and fat legs." With her physical attributes aside, the girl is then
taught how to "play the game."

She was advised to play
coy,

exhorted to come on
hearty,

exercise, diet, smile and
wheedle.

The negative side of all this advice is seen with
the phrases "play coy" and "smile and wheedle," as if these things would enhance her
existence and make her more socially acceptable, as would "exercise,
diet."

Unable to be all that her peers, and later society,
expects of her, the young girl grows tired of working so hard because she has been told
she is, as noted in Dave Barry's essay, "Beauty and the Beast," " href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1376541/posts">not good
enough." Symbolically, she cuts off nose and legs, but I think this literally
means she takes her own life.

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Her good nature wore
out

like a fan belt.

So she
cut off her nose and her legs

and offered them
up.

Only in death can the
"undertaker" make her look as society would wish with a putty nose and pretty
nightgown.

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...a turned-up putty
nose,

dressed in a pink and white
nightie

Doesn't she look pretty? everyone
said.

Sadly, not much has
changed—the skinny Barbie has lost its impact (though many women would argue the point),
but celebrities, and women in television and magazine ads, have taken the doll's place.
Our daughters are encouraged to be thin and voluptuous, with long lashes, flawless skin,
permanent tans, and pearly white, teeth-straight
smiles.

Though the poem does not use "Barbie doll" in it,
the inference is clear, and if anyone knows anything about a Barbie doll and/or has
owned one, it is easy to see why the author is concerned with the messages sent to so
many girls as to what is needed to be "good enough," when who we
are should be praised, and be "more than good enough."