--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had given up on being beautiful. But I…" description: "\"I had given up on being beautiful. But I thought I could kind of inspire boys to write songs about me. So I became a music journalist at the age of 16...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/caitlin-moran-865_age_i-had-given-up-on-being-beautiful-but-i_3235526.png" --- # I had given up on being beautiful. But I thought I could… ![“I had given up on being beautiful. But I thought I could kind of inspire boys to write songs about me. So I became a music journalist at the age of 16.” quote by Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/caitlin-moran-865_age_i-had-given-up-on-being-beautiful-but-i_3235526.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/caitlin-moran-865_age_i-had-given-up-on-being-beautiful-but-i_3235526.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/caitlin-moran-865_age_i-had-given-up-on-being-beautiful-but-i_3235526.png) > “I had given up on being beautiful. But I thought I could kind of inspire boys to write songs about me. So I became a music journalist at the age of 16.” [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She left a focus on appearance to pursue a career that could influence others, showing self‑redefinition through creative work. **In simple terms:** She chose a career to inspire others instead of chasing beauty. Key Takeaway Redefine success by what you create, not how you look. Themes identity career inspiration self‑esteem Mood determined reflective Type motivational personal growth When to use this quote - teenage ambition - career change - media work - personal branding Key Concepts self‑redefinition creative influence Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you more: personal fulfillment or external admiration? - How can you align your work with authentic values? A Different Perspective May overlook deeper insecurities behind the desire for external validation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Every music journalist I've ever met has been stunningly beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-armisen/every-music-journalist-i-ve-ever-met-has-been-stunningly-beautiful/) [Fred Armisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-armisen/) > [I used to be a film and music journalist, and wrote for different magazines in the 1990s. I still love music, but the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-linehan/i-used-to-be-a-film-and-music-journalist-and-wrote-for-different/) [Graham Linehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-linehan/) > [You just wanted to be normal. It wasn't even being beautiful. I just wanted to be smooth and thin and have, and you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-just-wanted-to-be-normal-it-wasn-t-even-being-beautiful-i-just/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [It's important to me that people can associate being different with being beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrej-pejic/it-s-important-to-me-that-people-can-associate-being-different-with/) [Andrej Pejic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrej-pejic/) > [Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour; Brightness falls from the air; Queens have died young and fair; Dust hath closed Helen's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nashe/beauty-is-but-a-flower-which-wrinkles-will-devour-brightness-falls/) [Thomas Nashe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nashe/) > [My centre of who I thought I was was never very consciously about being beautiful or attractive - I think I'm one of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/my-centre-of-who-i-thought-i-was-was-never-very-consciously-about/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [... the random talk of people who have no chance of immortality and thus can speak their minds out has a setting, often, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-random-talk-of-people-who-have-no-chance-of-immortality-and-thus/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Being beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others, you need to be accepted by you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camilia/being-beautiful-means-to-be-yourself-you-don-t-need-to-be-accepted-by/) [Camilia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camilia/) > [Sex is currency. What's the use of being beautiful if you can't profit from it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lili-st-cyr/sex-is-currency-what-s-the-use-of-being-beautiful-if-you-can-t-profit/) Lili St. Cyr > [I prefer being called "beautiful."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-prefer-being-called-beautiful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being beautiful can be a curse, especially if you want to be an artist and create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/being-beautiful-can-be-a-curse-especially-if-you-want-to-be-an-artist/) [Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/) > [True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/true-beauty-in-a-woman-is-reflected-in-her-soul/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [I like to look nice, but I'm not marketing being beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/i-like-to-look-nice-but-i-m-not-marketing-being-beautiful/) [Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/) > [Beauty's a doubtful good, a glass, a flower, Lost, faded, broken, dead within an hour; And beauty, blemish'd once, for ever's lost, In spite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beauty-s-a-doubtful-good-a-glass-a-flower-lost-faded-broken-dead/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Caitlin Moran > [“Bármilyen idiótának, aki azt kérdezi: „Feminista vagy? Akkor elégeted a melltartóidat, mi? HE? Melltartókat égetsz, te feminista?” – szép nyugodtan így kell válaszolni: „Ostoba.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/b-rmilyen-idi-t-nak-aki-azt-k-rdezi-feminista-vagy-akkor-el-geted-a/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“You can tell whether some misogynistic societal pressure is being exerted on women by calmly enquiring, ‘And are the men doing this, as well?’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-can-tell-whether-some-misogynistic-societal-pressure-is-being/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [You wanted to become a doctor to help people and feel better at the end of your job, I think, watching them, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-wanted-to-become-a-doctor-to-help-people-and-feel-better-at-the/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I think loads of women have this idea that their life is going to start at some point, once they've busted all these problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-think-loads-of-women-have-this-idea-that-their-life-is-going-to/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [When you've got a mother who's given birth to eight children, you know, often without any kind of medical intervention - just she gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/when-you-ve-got-a-mother-who-s-given-birth-to-eight-children-you-know/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I’m neither ‘pro-women’ nor ‘anti-men’. I’m just ‘Thumbs up for the six billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-m-neither-pro-women-nor-anti-men-i-m-just-thumbs-up-for-the-six/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [The doughy-faced woman has been forced to sit on the sidelines of culture for too long, and it's now time for us to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-doughy-faced-woman-has-been-forced-to-sit-on-the-sidelines-of/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“The more women argue, loudly, against feminism, the more they both prove it exists and that they enjoy its hard-won privileges.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-more-women-argue-loudly-against-feminism-the-more-they-both-prove/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“...it's technically impossible for a woman to argue against feminism. Without feminism you wouldn't be allowed to have a debate on a woman's place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/it-s-technically-impossible-for-a-woman-to-argue-against-feminism/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“But if there is to be a fifth wave of feminism, I would hope that the main thing that distinguishes it from all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/but-if-there-is-to-be-a-fifth-wave-of-feminism-i-would-hope-that-the/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [Why on earth have I, because I'm a woman, got to be nice to everyone?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/why-on-earth-have-i-because-i-m-a-woman-got-to-be-nice-to-everyone/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [The sort of the template of being a mother is that you're endlessly giving to the point of exhaustion. You know, that's amazing if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-sort-of-the-template-of-being-a-mother-is-that-you-re-endlessly/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“Ha egyszerűen őszintén vállaljuk azt, hogy kik vagyunk, a csatát félig megnyertük. Ha szarul érzed magad mindattól, amit a magazinokban és a lapokban olvasol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/ha-egyszer-en-szint-n-v-llaljuk-azt-hogy-kik-vagyunk-a-csat-t-f-lig/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“A szőr a női lét egyik legelső és legnagyobb gondja. Hívatlanul jelenik meg, úgyhogy döntést kell hozni róla – ami magunknak és a külvilágnak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/a-sz-r-a-n-i-l-t-egyik-legels-s-legnagyobb-gondja-h-vatlanul-jelenik/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [When you talk to a young teenage girl, they're just full of self-loathing. The reason they feel self-loathing is they don't feel normal. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/when-you-talk-to-a-young-teenage-girl-they-re-just-full-of-self/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) [Explore all 306 Caitlin Moran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had given up on being beautiful. But I thought I could kind of inspire boys to write songs about me. 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