Society’s Perception of Beauty Destroys Lives

 

The thoughts and beliefs of the characters of The Bluest Eye are all run by their perception of class and social order and the resulting perception of beauty. Black children, those that are dirty and sloppy and do not possess any fair skinned blood, are seen as ignorant and ugly. The “colored” (Morrison 87) people are refined and clean. The have morality and did not bum around all day. This slight difference in skin tone and work ethic determines whether or not you are worthy of a glance from folks on the street. If you are colored, you are a better person, superior to the blacks. “The line between a colored and a nigger was not always clear; subtle and telltale signs threatened to erode it, and the watch has to be constant” (Morrison 87). Despite the fact that racism does not exist to the existent today that it did in the 1940s, judgment and the creation of categories still exists. There are stereotypes against Asian Americans, African Americans, Indians, nerds, sorority girls, pastor’s kids, etc. We create groups and classifications for almost every type of person. We use these classifications to decide where we fit in and to make ourselves feel better by looking down on seemingly inferior groups.

 

The determining factor of many people’s worth was their race then and, sadly, now

 

The perception of beauty, though taking a different form in today’s society, has a large affect on the way many characters view themselves. Pecola is seen as ugly by herself and the other children and adults in the neighborhood. Even her own mother admits that “she was ugly. Head full of pretty hair, but Lord she was ugly” (Morrison 126). Her mother shows no pity or love towards her daughter. Mrs. Breedlove intends to “love it no matter what is looked like” (Morrison 124), yet she herself ends up using her daughter as a basis off which to judge beauty, making herself feel better about her own looks. Everywhere Pecola looks, society is telling her that in order to be beautiful, to be worthy of being looked at, she must have blue eyes, blonde hair, and dimples. Even the women that have lighter skin and “wash themselves with orange-colored Lifebuoy soap, dust themselves with Cashmere Bouquet talc, clean their teeth with salt on a piece of rag, soften their skin with Jergens lotion” (Morrison 82)  are able to lead lives similar to white women and are viewed as superior. As a result, Pecola is never satisfied with herself until she believes herself to have the bluest eyes. She believes she will be deemed worthy of beauty if she possesses captivating eyes and does not find contentment in herself until she sees herself as beautiful by society’s standards. Sadly, she has not gained blue eyes but rather lost her mind, imagining herself to have the perfect eyes.

 

               

The perception of beauty can lead a woman or  man to question their own personal worth and we all must learn to love ourselves just the way we are

 

Much like Pecola, our society is filled with girls who will do anything to achieve “beauty.” They starve themselves to become thin. They pay thousands of dollars for plastic surgery to alter a crooked nose or sagging eyebrows. Why must so much emphasis be put on external beauty? Why not internal beauty? Is it that we not longer have compassion for ourselves and for others? Is that why we can’t find the good in everyone? It is interesting that in this text, there is no compassion, except that demonstrated by Claudia and Frieda. It makes me question today’s society and if I have a sheltered view of the world. Does compassion really exist in large amounts out there or is it just a hope or desire to believe so?

 

Does love or hate rule the world?