Define Beauty from Smith's point of view. Do you agree?

Carlene becomes beautiful when she jokes about how Monty's best friend, the Reverend, is gay. Kiki notes that she looks younger and healthier when she laughs. Kiki's beauty comes from an impression of solidity, maternity, and physical presence - she is hard to overlook, not necessarily because of her weight (though to say one can ignore a 250-lb woman is silly) but because of her presence and bearing. Even with her, despite being middle-aged and overweight, there is an impression of physical well-being.

Carl is described in lovely terms when he's swimming, as well as when he is talking to Zora about the Mozart concert. His natural physical grace in the water matches the expressive way he speaks about the music. Even Claire, rather than being described as the classic American beauty (blonde, small, white, skinny), has a moment of inherent loveliness when she moves - years of yoga have honed her movements so they are self-contained and graceful. There is a beauty to that that transcends weight, appearance, and race.

What I drew from this novel was that Smith considers beauty not necessarily a physical thing - often, it has little to do with the physical. Victoria Kipps is stunning - Belsey compares her to Josephine Baker at one point, which is quite a compliment - but she is banal and naive in a way that detracts from her incredible physical appearance. She is in turmoil due to the unexpected death of her mother, which seems to explain many of her actions in the latter half of the novel. There is a casual, takes-things-for-granted quality to her I found off-putting. On the other hand, Carlene Kipps, though not a physically attractive woman, was beautiful in her love and enthusiasm for her paintings. She also makes a grand gesture in willing one of her paintings to Kiki. It's the love, passion, and goodness of one's actions and personality that mark people as beautiful - that much I agree with. After all, even Josephine Baker had more going for her than physical attractiveness - she had talent, passion, self-confidence, and charm to elevate what would otherwise be quite ordinary to something that became immortalized.

Here is a Josephine Baker dance routine: CHECK IT OUT!