on beauty

In today's class we discussed the significance of the poem entitled "On Beauty", sharing the same name as the title of the novel. What is the significance of itemizing a list of sins? The list of sins are what not to do in life. The "we" in the poem can either represent the beautiful people, or from the other viewpoint, it could be the "non-beautiful". This poem seems to be saying that beautiful people must live up to a certain expectation, that is how they are wounded. While they appear as statue-esque, they actually are wounded by this very appearance. Can you draw a line between beautiful people and "ugly" people? What makes someone ugly or beautiful? Could the poem also be saying that the ugly cannot forgive the beautiful for being the ideal? This goes along with Kiki's own issues with beautiful and ugly. When she finds out that Howard has been having an affair with one of their good friends, she refers to herself as the black, ugly bitch, while Claire is the small, white leprechaun. She obviously finds her own weight and race as a burden to her own marriage, yet she refers to the women her husband has chosen as an equally undesirable match. All assumptions which characters are built upon disappear throughout this novel. The beautiful features of Kiki (large bosom, beautiful complexion, etc.) are all compromised when her husband choses a smaller and lighter woman. Kiki does not seem to be desirable anymore in societies standards, yet she has always relied on Howard's love to validate her own beauty. When he strays from their relationship, he has compromised any of her own feelings of beauty. Kiki has always said that she defines herself, yet she finally admits that "I have staked my life on you [Howard]}. She realizes she is no longer sharing a mutual love, yet she is defined by Howard's opinion of herself. Where she seemed to be so confident in her beliefs, she is easily compromised by a man's perspective. Having a voice seems to be a way to have subjectivity and/or power in this society. Kiki is saying that her husband most give her substance in life. Where the Belsey family appeared as so liberal, independent, and equal - yet Kiki proves that the lines between left and right are not so clearly defined.