"Barbie Doll"

In the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, the idea that the roles could be switched from a female onto a male is not a farfetched thought. In society; especially today; people of all genders are facing scrutiny and discrimination for personal attributes such as facial structure, weight, or even sexual orientation. It is not uncommon for peer pressure to negatively affect the outcome of a person’s character because in today’s society, people care more and more about what others think. Also, parental expectation plays a major factor into the creation of what is expected because it is normal to want to have your parents be proud of your achievements. If one cannot live up to what is expected of them by their parents, you may feel a change is necessary because in many situations, parents are viewed as the highest authority in ones lives, besides religion. If the roles were to switch, I think the outcome could still be the same because whether it be a man or woman, if one feels that everything about themselves is wrong, and they are not given a proper way to change themselves, they may jump to conclusions and suicide may be the outcome. If the roles were to switch, I think a more useful title would be “G.I. Joe” because this is an unrealistic character that men are expected to be. Diction could be changed from a female perspective to males which would engage the male reader into a realization of what peer pressure can cause. The idea on whether it be a male or female really doesn’t play a factor because in the end, everyone wants to be accepted by their peers and family.