Barbie Doll

This poem was kind of amusing and kind of serious at the same time. I felt bad for laughing but I couldn't help it at the lines, "Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs." Although I thought that line was funny, it is actually very true especially in today's society. I think this poem is all about the pressue to be perfect. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the girl in this poem, "she was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back". However, "she went to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs." It is so sad that all anyone cares about is looks and the girl couldn't get passed her insecurities about her looks. Society was telling her to "play coy" and "exercise, diet, smile and wheedle" instead of promoting her strong features.
One simile in the poem really represented the theme for me. It says, "Her good nature wore out like a fan belt". I wasn't sure what a fan belt was but I looked it up and it is in a car or vacuum and wears out after being used. I think this simile is extremely effective because it really puts this girl's life into perspective. She was being advised to be fake like a barbie doll and she was pretending to be something that she wasn't. It wore her down until she was gone completely.