The Barbie doll as a popular icon in American culture has a long history. However, it is also a controversial toy that is often criticized for its unrealistic body image and the female stereotype imposed on it. Marge Piercy's poem presents the theme of women's loss of self-esteem and coercion from outside forces through Barbie dolls. This article aims to carry out a textual analysis of the topics covered and present the author's point of view from a critical perspective. Irony and satirical tone are also used to reinforce the prevailing trend of twisted social and cultural values ​​throughout the poem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Beginning with an unfamiliar word "little girl", the author emphasizes the biological sex of the infant, which seems to degrade the child's gender identity. The girl was born with nothing special and given a typical toy, leaving her with a conventional role and a predictable female character perspective. For example, the doll was carried with "miniature frying pans" and an "iron", symbolizing its domestic role: a household worked in the kitchen. In addition, the words "miniature" and "little lipsticks" indicate the "normal" image of the world of adult forces in miniature. With a potentially patriarchal value, the adult forces women to stay indoors, at home or in a restricted space. Then the girl reached puberty, the tone here became sharp and ironic with the word “magic”. Her classmates made fun of her, calling her a "big nose" and "fat legs." During puberty, the girl has intelligence and judgment, but most concepts and ideas are adult-derived. So, teenagers start caring more about their appearance. Unfortunately, their notion of beauty has been distorted by conventional values. In the second stanza, the girl has grown mentally and physically, while prejudices or biased opinions about beauty have changed her thinking and influenced her values. The young woman felt guilty and apologized for her imperfect appearance. Here we find the poet's criticism that people tend to prioritize women's superficial perspectives rather than their intrinsic characteristics. This preconceived idea ironically forced the young woman to apologize for “her own mistake”. Although both stanzas two and three begin with the subject "she", the female characters have been divided into two types in her life. In the third stanza, the girl is advised to act like the one who fits the social value and has become the one she is not. Eventually, his good nature "wore away like a fan's belt." The comparison here presents the image of a machine with equipment, because the girl's good nature does not work or adapt to the machine (social expectation). Time and time again it broke at all. However critical the tone, the poet brings the poem to a climax: the girl cut off his legs and offered herself, in order to meet social conventions. Her good character was exhausted, her physical functions were damaged, and she became a victim of social oppression. It seems absurd and shocking when the girl mutilated herself. However, this kind of tragedy also happens in today's society, for example, people tend to resort to plastic or cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance. In fact, what the poet is trying to address is the question.