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Rump on a packsack, harem cushion, pink on the cheeks and…

“Rump on a packsack, harem cushion, pink on the cheeks and black discreetly around the eyes, as red as blood as black as ebony, a seamed and folded imitation of a magazine picture that is itself an imitation of a woman who is also an imitation, the original nowhere, hairless lobed angel in the same…” quote by Margaret Atwood
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““Rump on a packsack, harem cushion, pink on the cheeks and black discreetly around the eyes, as red as blood as black as ebony, a seamed and folded imitation of a magazine picture that is itself an imitation of a woman who is also an imitation, the original nowhere, hairless lobed angel in the same heaven where God is a circle, captive princess in someone's head. She is locked in, she isn't allowed to eat or shit or cry or give birth, nothing goes in, nothing comes out. She takes her clothes off or puts them on, paperdoll wardrobe, she copulates under strobe lights with the man's torso while his brain watches from its glassed-in control cubicle at the other end of the room, her face twists into poses of exultation and total abandonment, that is all. She is not bored, she has no other interests.””

Margaret Atwood

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage critiques how women are objectified, reduced to images, and denied agency, trapped in societal expectations.

In simple terms: Women are reduced to objects and denied agency.

Key Takeaway

Challenge objectification and support autonomy.

Themes

feminism identity media control

Mood

critical provocative

Type

social commentary poetic satirical

When to use this quote

  • advertising
  • fashion industry
  • entertainment
  • personal relationships

Key Concepts

objectification agency performance art

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does this portrayal reflect real media pressures?
  • What steps can empower authentic self‑expression?
A Different Perspective

The description may overlook individual agency within constraints.

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