Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy
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.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.
She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.
She was advised to play coy,
exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.
Her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.
In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending.
Homage to My Hips - Lucille Clifton
these hips are big hips.
they need space to
move around in.
they don't fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don't like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top
Discussion questions for “Barbie-Q”
- What could Barbie’s wardrobe, e.g. Red Flair, Career Gal, Jackie Kennedy pillbox hat, Prom Pinks, suggest about a woman’s status in society?
- In "Barbie Q" why do the children make their Barbies act in certain ways (e.g. fighting over a nonexistent man, the missing Ken doll) and wear certain clothes? If the girls are modeling behavior that they've witnessed, who are the models?
- The story presents, in doll form, many different "types" of women by listing different Barbie dolls and outfits: "mean eyed," "bubblehead," "Career Gal," "Sweet Dreams," and "Bendable Legs." You can find other "types" by visiting the doll aisle in a toy store. Is Cisneros criticizing the makers of dolls such as Barbie or the culture that buys into these images of women? What is she saying about the importance of clothes in constructing identity?
- What could the image of flawed/damaged dolls in the last paragraph signify?
- Do you believe that Cisneros voices some racial or sociological concerns in Barbie-Q? If yes, explain what these concerns could be. Comment on the origin of the protagonists.
- Why does Cisneros associate the title of the story with a cooking technique?