Bluest Eye I

"Survival of the Prettiest"
One of the biggest themes of this book seems to be sexuality and the exploration of beauty and what it means to be a woman. Pecola, for instance, struggles with becoming a woman and understanding what love is. She says, “my man, who before leaving me, would love me” (32). During those socioeconomic times, these women remained inferior to their men. Their youth and innocent is conflicted with thoughts of love and sexuality. In addition to their experiences and encounters with men, the girls are heavily influenced by white society and their standards of beauty.

Society predetirmines the standards of beauty and pressures women
to conform. 

“Bluest Eye” refers to the desire for perfection that these girls seek. The protagonist says, “ Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window signs- all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow haired, pinked-skinned doll was what every child treasured”(20).  Although the eyes not only represent beauty to them, but they are a symbol of love and comfort. As Morrison explains, the family lives in poverty. Claudia describes her house with an “icebox door opening on rusty hinges in July” (21). Society argues that beauty is only a material desire, however, Morrison implies the deeper implication of acceptance. Pecola, Claudia and Frieda are exposed to the harsh reality of living in a rural town just after the Great Depression. Many of their family friends are out of jobs or in jail. In fact, Pecola’s father is sent to prison.  This is contrasted with the white girls who live in town, who are portrayed as living comfortable lives. Maureen, Pecola’s classmate, is described as the epitome of white beauty. She flaunts her beauty as a sign of grace and perfection. Her beauty is related to her parents’ wealth. The girls say, “She was rich, at least by our standards, as rich as the richest of the white girls, swaddled in comfort and care” (62). More than anything, the girls seek beauty as a means of security. The girls hope that with beauty comes love, with love comes a husband and family, and what family comes security. The novel shows how the girls explore these deeper issues as they witness turmoil and despair on a day-to-day basis.

Girls are exposed to pressures of beauty at a young age

This book reflects the conflict many African American women face today in the presence of white society. For example, standards are white beauty idealize long, soft, smooth hair and lean, skinny bodies. Morrison explains , Compared to black males, Black females have been more profoundly affect by the prejudicial fallout surrounding issues of skin color, facial features, and hair” (Ashe). Certainly, Morrison is refuting the argument that beauty is only a material quality. But in fact, it means much more and it is ever-present in the socioeconomic portions of our lives.

"Survival of the Prettiest" does beauty contribute to social status? 

This documentary, "Good Hair" explores standards of beauty, particularly "white" conformity, and its stark influence on modern African American beauty. Just like "Bluest Eye", the documentary argues that women identify beauty as a symbol of social status.

Ashe, Bertram D. "Why don't he like my hair?": constructing African-American Standards of Beauty in Toni Morrison's 'Song of Solomon' and Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God.'

http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5000386409