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The quote from Quinn near the end. Where her mother asks her what makes her feel pretty inside and out and she responds “make up”. That alone is sad, but what I find even more disturbing is her mother asking her “really, nothing else” and you can see the cogs turning in her mind looking for the “more right” answer and all she can come up…
The quote from Quinn near the end. Where her mother asks her what makes her feel pretty inside and out and she responds “make up”. That alone is sad, but what I find even more disturbing is her mother asking her “really, nothing else” and you can see the cogs turning in her mind looking for the “more right” answer and all she can come up with is, “no, many other things, too”. I find that more disturbing because too often parents take these vague statements as fact that their child is “actually okay.”
What they don’t know is that child has already given you their true answer - make up (and by extension skincare). The problem is she sensed her mother didn’t like that answer and she searched for a new one, but her idea of beauty is so attached to make up and skincare now that she can’t actually find the “correct” answer and name it distinctly.
I actually feel sorry for the mother and the grandmother, who are so deeply held captive in beauty culture it is displayed as clear as day in their faces. The “solution” they have come up with is wrong, but I don’t think they know any other way that wouldn’t require them to face their own messed up relationship with beauty culture.