Elbows Quote by Margaret Atwood
““The air is saturated with the stink of perfumes at war. There are video screens on which flawless complexions turn, preen, sigh through their parted lips, are caressed. On other screens are close-ups of skin pores, before and after, details of regimes for everything, your hands, your neck, your thighs. Your elbows, especially your elbows: aging begins at the elbows and metastasizes. This is religion. Voodoo and spells. I want to believe in it, the creams, the rejuvenating lotions, the transparent unguents in vials that slick on like roll-top glue… But this doesn’t deter me, I’d use anything if it worked – slug juice, toad spit, eye of newt, anything at all to mummify myself, stop the drip drip of time, stay more or less the way I am.” (Cat’s Eye p113), Margaret Atwood””
About This Quote
Source Book: Cat’s Eye, Margaret Atwood, 1981
The passage critiques society’s obsession with youth and beauty, equating cosmetic rituals to religion and magic, revealing a desperate desire to halt aging.
In simple terms: A critique of beauty culture and fear of aging.
Key Takeaway
Recognize self-worth beyond appearance.
Themes
beauty standards
consumerism
aging
identity
magic realism
Mood
cynical
reflective
Type
critical
literary
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- advertising analysis
- media critique
- self‑care routines
Key Concepts
materialism
self‑image
mortality
Questions to Reflect On
- How does society shape your view of aging?
- What alternatives to cosmetic obsession exist?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may overstate personal agency against natural aging.
