The toys and play things the girl in this poem have a great significance to the overall theme of the poem. In "Barbie Doll" the girl grew up with all the stifling stereotypical images of womanhood around her: "stoves", "irons", "dolls", and "lipstick". She grew up, primed for the mother/wife role she was conditioned for. When she was old enough to be affected by the words of others, she began to absorb hurtful comments like "big nose and fat legs". Continuing with the imagery of the childhood toys, she was like a puzzle piece that can't seem to find her correlating spot in her puzzle.
The irony created by the imagery was revealed at the very end of the poem. The girl "cut off her nose and her legs" after trying to change her appearance with smaller measures. This drastic actions resulted in her death. At the very end of the poem, the dead girl with her nose and legs finally according with what the modern style demanded, was considered pretty. She literally had to die in order to live the life she was told she had to want. She had to changer her shape to fit into a puzzle she already had a spot in.
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