The Hunger Games 'And None Of The Above'

Words: 1477
Pages: 6

Beauty and Acceptance In many Young Adult novels, there is a recurring theme of beauty and how this relates to power and acceptance. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio present two different approaches to beauty and femaleness in literature. The female characters in each of these books are examples of what beauty allows access to for young women. Katniss, from The Hunger Games, and Krissy, from None of the Above, are both affected by beauty to live in the world around them. Katniss and Krissy give an example of two ways girls are affected by what society portrays beauty to be. One area this is shown is being influenced by the public persona of beauty in your culture to define your worth. Another is the …show more content…
“Katniss, the girl who was on fire” (Collins, p. 67). Katniss is being made beautiful in the eyes of the Capitol in order to fit their standards. Hours are being spent altering and perfecting her appearance. This is granting power in Katniss’s world by allowing her the best opportunity to gain sponsors. One could argue that even though she is getting noticed, it is teaching her that you must conform to the worlds standards to fit in. For example, “for the opening ceremonies, you’re supposed to wear something that suggests your district’s principal industry” (Collins, p.66), is one standard the Capitol has set for the opening ceremonies. In this book, femaleness in the context of beauty is controlled and is not the individuals’ choice. A remake team, a stylist and machines that will fix her hair and body are used to perfect this look. Katniss had to adapt to these changes and learn to embrace them for survival during the Games. Like The Hunger Games, the culture young women grow up in today has created their own standards. Girls are taught from a young age what it means to be beautiful. Their minds are filled from a world with endless social media and magazines advertising cosmetics and clothing. Collins gives us an example, through the character of Katniss, of a girl who gets trapped in a world consumed by public persona. This is teaching young women that they must spend time perfecting a look that society has created to be