The poem Barbie Doll was first published in 1973. The 1970s in the United States were a time of change and a “social revolution” of sorts. Several "social revolutions" occurred during the 1970s, but the movement that influenced Piercy was the feminist movement. The feminist movement of the 1970s is often referred to as the second wave of feminism. It's the second wave because the first wave was women's suffrage and the protests for the right to vote. The wave of the 1970s aimed to change the stereotypical image of women. The stereotypical image of women was that women should stay at home and take care of the house and the children. If they had to work, they were limited to secretarial or teaching positions. The feminist movement sought to change this situation by pushing for new laws that would grant everyone equal employment opportunities and equal pay. Along with these main goals, different sects of the movement also sought to change the objectification of women, that is, to change the way society judged women based on their appearance. More radical groups even protested the Miss America pageant and later held their own pageant where a pig won. The feminist movement of the 1970s helped bring about societal changes that are very normal in today's society. The movement to change the image of women contributed to the theme of Barbie Doll. The poem Barbie Doll Piercy creates a theme that originates from the feminist movement of the 1970s and retains meaning in today's society. The main theme of the poem is that societal pressures on a person to fit into a mold or stereotype can push them to take extreme measures. The theme slowly reveals itself in each stanza of the poem. In the first stanza, Piercy creates this image of a normal girl, which makes...... middle of paper......emorable and adds emphasis to the theme. In the poem Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy, Piercy uses the theme to emphasize the mold of women of the time and try to break the mold, and uses imagery to drive the point home. When the poem was published in the early 1970s, the second wave of feminism was causing a change in the way society viewed women. The poem sought to show how trying to fit someone (especially women) into a specific mold can lead to emotional despair and death. The imagery Piercy uses helps to emphasize the mold of the theme and build emotion as the girl is pushed to her limits and dies. Even though this poem was written in the 1970s, it still has ramifications in today's society. As society becomes more and more interested in the perfect appearance and image of men and women, many might go to extreme lengths to finally find their happy ending..