Download Barbie Doll Study Guide
What Do I Read Next?
(Poetry for Students)
Barbie Unbound: A Parody of the Barbie Obsession, by Sarah Strohmeyer and Geoff Hansen (photographer), treats the Barbie doll as a contemporary American woman and spoofs her. She assumes roles including Safe-Sex Barbie, Barbie Antoinette, Anita Hill Barbie, Marie Curie Barbie, and in honor of her upcoming 40th anniversary, Hot Flash Barbie, who comes complete with tiny estrogen supplements.
Published in 1997 by Orchises Press, Denise Duhamel's collection of poems, Kinky, treats Barbie as a "real" character, asking and answering questions such as: What if Barbie were in therapy? What if she were a religious fanatic? Do you know why Barbie and Ken don't dress in underwear?
Richard Peabody and Lucinda Ebersole's Mondo Barbie collects poems and stories about this American icon, many of which are from Barbie's own point of view.
Early Grrrl: The Early Poems of Marge Piercy, was published in 1999 by Leapfrog Press and contains many of the poems that helped launch Piercy's career as both feminist-activist and writer.
Adios, Barbie, edited by Ophira Edut, collects first-person accounts of young women reflecting on the relationship between body image and race, ethnicity, and sexuality.