Comparison of "Barbie Doll" and "Woman"

After a single glance at the poems “Barbie Doll,” by Marge Piercy, and “Woman,” by Nikki Giovanni one might say they are mere portrayals of two unhappy women. However, beyond the words on the page into the depth of the poems, lies two larger issues of insecurity and unrealistic desires.
In “Barbie Doll,” Piercy speaks of this “girlchild,” who seemed to be progressing through adolescence like a typical young girl, with dolls and makeup. “She was healthy, tested intelligent…She went to and fro apologizing ” (Expl. Poetry, 14) Piercy writes , which conveys to the reader that she was a well mannered and wholesome young girl.
Then Piercy writes, “…in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs” (Expl. Poetry, 14). In this case this “girlschild’s” classmate points out what doesn’t seem to be “the norm” for most girls and in a vicious and hurtful manner. Not only is this classmate just a peer of the �...