Barbie Inspires Book of Poetry

While there is this healthy dose of social commentary in Kinky, Duhamel does manage to have a lot of fun with her subject. Many of the poems have a delightfully playful appeal. As examples, “Why Barbie and Ken Don’t Dress in Underwear” is dedicated to Sharon Stone, and poor “Beatnik Barbie”:

…couldn’t snap.
Her fingers, Venetian blinds
that refused to spread …

Duhamel speculates there is also a dark side to the way that Barbie is viewed by others. The poem “Barbie’s Molester” is a disturbing portrait that demonstrates the dangerous juxtaposition of childhood with such a highly eroticized doll. It’s not surprising, then, that we find poems in this collection titled “Barbie in Therapy” and “Barbie Joins a Twelve-Step Program,” as Duhamel explores issues of sexuality, body-consciousness and helplessness that women (and young girls) face. From “Barbie in Therapy”:

Dr. Midge asks Barbie to draw a picture of herself
to use as a springboard, something for them to talk about.
Barbie renders herself perfectly, just as she appears
on the packaging she comes in. Dr. Midge is thrown –
She’s used to having anorexics draw themselves as blobs,
or the heavier women scratching out little stick figures.

It seems that as long as Barbie populates the shelves of toy stores around the world, she will evoke emotions and ideas – obvious or subliminal – for generations to come. And writers and artists will not leave her alone. Duhamel took the lead in bringing these emotions and ideas so prominently into poetry, and I am glad that she dared give voice to these important subjects.

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