Beauty and the bêtê noire

Featured in

  • Published 20040601
  • ISBN: 9780733314339
  • Extent: 268 pp
  • Paperback (234 x 153mm)

I COME FROM a long line of beautiful women. This short, simple statement raises immediate questions: why am I so sure? How is this beauty defined? I am sure because I have observed others’ responses to my mother, my grandmothers, and my aunts and have been the unwitting apprentice of the great importance and burden of appearing beautiful.

Definitions are often debatable, but if the appreciation of others is proof of beauty, the physical appeal of the women in my family is certain.

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

If you are an educator or student wishing to access content for study purposes please contact us at griffithreview@griffith.edu.au

Share article

More from author

Girls talk

EssayGIRLS TALK IS a classic Dave Edmunds song, penned by Elvis Costello, and it captures in a few verses and choruses the complexities of...

More from this edition

Chewing the fat

EssayI HAVE BEEN fascinated by fat ever since I was a pre-teen anorexic. My fascination may have preceded the onset of anorexia, although I...

Journey to the spare world

MemoirI HAVE TO get to Lollipops by 3.30pm and it's not going well. Lollipops is a children's party venue which my support group has...

Stay up to date with the latest, news, articles and special offers from Griffith Review.