Teenage girls have so much sway over culture, yet people sneer at the things that women and girls love, and are contemptuous of the creators of that content, particularly if they are women.
Leigh BardugoRead
There's so much power in the idea of becoming monstrous. I think we see that in the way some women and girls choose to adorn themselves now. They don't care about being pretty or palatable. They paint their lips black, dye their hair green, file their nails into claws.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the empowerment found in rejecting societal beauty standards and embracing one's individuality.
Leigh Bardugo's quote speaks to the strength in transforming oneself into something that defies traditional expectations of beauty. It highlights how some women and girls express their identity and autonomy through unconventional adornment, choosing bold and sometimes 'monstrous' aesthetics over being merely accepted or pretty. This act of self-expression serves as a powerful assertion of individuality and defiance against societal norms.
Themes
PowerIndividualityBeautySelf-ExpressionDefiance
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about self-acceptance, one could reference this quote to inspire audiences to embrace their unique identities.
More from Leigh Bardugo
All quotes →Here's the thing, we talk about diversity in the media as if it's some weird artificial construct that we're putting onto these narratives. But it isn't. Our world is not homogenous. It is not all straight or white or able-bodied, or if it is, maybe you should make some new friends. That is not what our world looks like.
Leigh BardugoRead
Maybe love was superstition, a prayer we said to keep the truth of loneliness at bay. I tilted my head back. The stars looked like they were close together, when really they were millions of miles apart. In the end, maybe love just meant longing for something impossibly bright and forever out of reach.
Leigh BardugoRead
Most of the female characters I admire come from science fiction and fantasy, maybe because there's more permission to shake up gender roles in genre.
Leigh BardugoRead
And I desperately needed books that would take me out of my environment and show me a world where being smart and brave and prepared was more important than being cute or cheerful or knowing the right thing to say. And that's what science fiction and fantasy gave me.
Leigh BardugoRead
I think in YA there's sometimes a temptation to create heroines who are infinitely resilient and wise and confident because those are the behaviors we want to see teens embrace and maybe we want to see those things in ourselves.
Leigh BardugoRead
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