The person that suffers the most from the white beauty standards is Pecola. Pecola wants blue eyes not because it conforms to white beauty standards but because she wants to view different sights and pictures to escape reality. To Pecola, the color of one’s skin and eyes do influence the way one is treated. Pecola is beautiful because she is human, but this beauty is invisible to the community who has identified beauty with whiteness. She gives others beauty because what other people assume about her "ugliness" makes them feel beautiful. Pecolas gift of beauty is ironic, because she gives people beauty because they think she is ugly, not because they perceive her true beauty as a human being. Pecola connects beauty with being loved and believes that if she possesses blue eyes, the cruelty in her life will be replaced by affection and respect. Pecola believes that the cruelty she witnesses and experiences is connected to how she is seen. If she had beautiful blue eyes Pecola imagines that people would not want to do mean things in front of her or to her. Pecola and her family are mistreated because they are black. By wishing for blue eyes rather than lighter skin. Pecola indicates that she wishes to see things differently as much as she wishes to be seen differently. But Pecola can only receive this wish by getting blinded by Mr. Soaphead. Pecola is then able to see herself as beautiful, but only at the cost of her ability to see accurately both herself and the world around her.
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