Autobiography of a Face, by Lucy Grealy

In her memoir, Autobiography of a Face, Lucy Grealy tells the story of how the deformities caused by her cancer forced her into a life of isolation, cruel insults, and unhappiness. Grealy clearly demonstrates how a society that excessively emphasizes female beauty can negatively affect a young girl, especially one with a deformity. Most interpret this story as a way for Grealy to express the pain that she endured because she did not measure up to society’s definition of female beauty, a standard that forces girls into unhealthy habits, plastic surgery, and serious depression. In the afterword of the memoir, Grealy’s friend, Ann Patchett, tries to change this interpretation by saying that Grealy never meant for it to be a story of the hardships she faced as a young girl with a deformity; she simply wished it to be viewed “as a piece of literature.” (232). However, this short passage takes away from the important message that Grealy expresses in her memoir: that the unattainable standards of female beauty in society can destroy the joy and livelihood of young girls. Grealy understandably denied this as her reason for writing because, to her, admitting that the story of her life was dominated by her deformity would be like admitting that she had never lived. She frequently explains in her memoir that she longed for physical beauty so that she could finally live without isolation and dejection. To label her memoir a story of loneliness and sorrow would be admitting that she never reached this sense of beauty she so strongly desired. Despite Ann Patchett’s interpretation of the memoir, it should still be seen as a story demonstrating how society’s unreachable standards of beauty can deprecate the lives of young girls, as ...

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...t of sexes becomes more equal, young men may begin to develop the habits of young women who try so hard to live up to a perfect standard of beauty. This issue should not and cannot be ignored, and correct acknowledgement of stories like Grealy’s will tighten opportunities for young women to preserve and cherish what really makes them beautiful.

Works Cited

"A Conversation With Lucy Grealy." Charlie Rose. Web. 5 Mar 2010.

Graydon, Shari. "How the Media Keeps Us Hung Up on Body Image." Herizons 22.1 (2008): n. pag. Web. 5 Mar 2010.

Grealy, Lucy. Autobiography of a Face. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Print.

Kruger, Paula. "1 in 5 Girls Display Eating Disorder Behaviour." ABC News . 20 Jul 2007. ABC, Web. 5 Mar 2010.

Sweeney, Camille. "Seeking Self-Esteem Through Surgery." New York Times 14 Jan 2009: n. pag. Web. 5 Mar 2010.