Be You(tiful)

In the Bluest Eye, Pecola Breedlove despises her own eyes; she instead wishes for a "smiling white face" and blue eyes" (pg 50). To her, all she can be is ugly and despicable. For Pecola, she outlines having blue eyes as the only way she will be accepted and be able to change her lifestyle. The white, blond-haired, and blue eyed ideal for Pecola is Mary Jane. To girls like Pecola from that time period, Mary Jane was like the Barbie for young women; she represented the perfect girl with the perfect looks and an easy, comfortable life.

Mary Jane Candy

When I was younger, I once read a story about a girl who wanted blue eyes. She was a white and a brunette but she longed for the brilliant blue eyes that she thought were so pretty. She was Irish, and the Irish standard of beauty at that moment was white skin and blue eyes.

So she prayed every day, longing for the blue eyes that she didn't have. She begged for her brown eyes to turn blue. Alas, after fervent praying, her eyes were still brown. She did not lose faith however, and believed that there must be a reason that her eyes were still brown. Later in life, she realized why eyes were brown. Over the years, she had decided be become a missionary, and worked in India often with young children. She realized that her brown eyes had allowed her to become close and precious to the children she worked with. Having blue eyes would make her seem foreign and she would never had been accepted or fit in with the community in India. Ultimately, her brown eyes proved to be empowering than if she had blue eyes.

In the end, we should just be happy with what we have even if it doesn't fit society's standards of beauty, because "nothing makes a woman more beautiful that the belief that she is beautiful" (Sophia Loren).