I loved the responses to On Beauty (Part 1), so I thought I would highlight some of the comments while discussing MATCHED, a book that deals with the subject of beauty in a unique way.
Ally Condie created a world where no one has access to make-up or nice clothes, where beauty has become almost irrelevant. On the outside, Cassia is ordinary, and she’s accepted that way. It’s in exploring the ways she is different and in finding the bravery to embrace those differences that Cassia becomes extraordinary.
As I read MATCHED, Cassia became more beautiful in my imagination, but it wasn’t any of the physical description that gave me this impression. Her beauty comes across in the way she perceives things, in her growing appreciation of the beauty around her. She treasures stolen bits of poetry and an old compact as rare and precious. That is what sets her apart in this world. That, to me, makes her rare and precious.
The idea that girls have to change who they are to be beautiful is everywhere. But in real life, I’ve always found the opposite to be true. The most beautiful people are those who have found who they are and embrace what makes them different.
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Share your views on beauty in YA literature.
♥Steph
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Every time I take off my glasses, I get all blurry ... which can be nice, like on Monday mornings.
ReplyDelete"On the outside, Cassia is ordinary, and she’s accepted that way. It’s in exploring the ways she is different and in finding the bravery to embrace those differences that Cassia becomes extraordinary."
ReplyDeleteYES, exactly. I loved that about Cassia too. She always wanted to fit in and be the good girl -- gee, can I identify? -- but in the end she doesn't, and by learning to accept and then embrace that, she starts to shine.
Thanks for spotlighting this other kind of beauty, Steph!