Beauty inside and out

In class we have been talking about women's body image and some insecurities that come along with that. While reading the book, The Bluest Eye, I found that it mentions some of these insecurities. The character Pecola struggles with her self-image and wishes she could change her appearance. In the book it states, " if her eyes… those eyes that held the pictures were different... she herself would be different" (Morrison 48). This quote talks about how Pecola doesn’t want the eyes she has. She thinks not that they conform to the white beauty standards but that she could pray and her eyes would become another color. In her mind, she thinks that if she had the blue eyes then she could see the beauty of others in a positive way. In the reading The Black Beauty Myth from our textbook, it talks about how black women and white women perceive body image. The quote says, "...black women's beauty ideals and experiences of body dissatisfaction are often different from those of white women" (Kirk 227). Pecola’s desire to change her eye color is unattainable. To her, the color of her eyes and even her skin effect the influence how one is treated and what she is forced to see. After having read this and discussing it in class, I wish that Pecola could see her natural beauty and embrace it instead of comparing herself to others. As I read further into the book, I hope to reveal some positive ideas Pecola will gain by the end of the novel. She needs to learn how to love herself and not criticize or wish for someone else's attributes to fix her problems.

Here is a link to a really cool drawing that I think goes with my post:

http://thebluesteyetonimorrison.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/thebluesteye1400.jpg