--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: let’s be honest: women are still only…" description: "\"“let’s be honest: women are still only really valued for two things – their looks and their role as mothers. I’m not beautiful, and I can’t have kids, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/paula-hawkins-9343_parenting_let-s-be-honest-women-are-still-only-rea_964316.jpg" --- # let’s be honest: women are still only really valued for… ![“let’s be honest: women are still only really valued for two things – their looks and their role as mothers. I’m not beautiful, and I can’t have kids, so what does that make me? Worthless.” quote by Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/paula-hawkins-9343_parenting_let-s-be-honest-women-are-still-only-rea_964316.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/paula-hawkins-9343_parenting_let-s-be-honest-women-are-still-only-rea_964316.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/paula-hawkins-9343_parenting_let-s-be-honest-women-are-still-only-rea_964316.jpg) > ““let’s be honest: women are still only really valued for two things – their looks and their role as mothers. I’m not beautiful, and I can’t have kids, so what does that make me? Worthless.”” [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels devalued because society often judges women by appearance and motherhood, leading to a sense of worthlessness. **In simple terms:** Society often limits women's value to looks and motherhood. Key Takeaway Challenge narrow definitions of women's worth. Themes gender self-worth societal expectations identity mental health Mood thoughtful empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - parenting decisions - media representation - personal relationships Key Concepts feminism body image maternal expectations self-esteem Questions to Reflect On - What defines your worth beyond societal expectations? - How can we shift cultural narratives about women's value? A Different Perspective Worth is inherent, not tied to external roles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Honest Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-women-1026171/) [Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) [Mothers Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers-beautiful-1807288/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Role Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/role-mothers-1807289/) [Women Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-really/) ## Related quotes > [Assess and then decide whether women who are in active politics and public life, like men, whether in this process they may not lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-adityanath/assess-and-then-decide-whether-women-who-are-in-active-politics-and/) [Yogi Adityanath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-adityanath/) > [As children, we looked up to our maids and our nannies, who were playing in some ways the role of our mothers. 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We need more honest women who are willing to talk about their struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-ray-joel/there-s-a-lot-of-pressure-on-young-women-we-need-more-honest-women/) [Alexa Ray Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-ray-joel/) > [I think the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I'm more honest and my women are more beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-think-the-only-difference-between-me-and-the-other-candidates-is/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“They prided themselves on being honest with each other, but they were women. Sometimes they put protecting feelings above the truth. 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I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/to-be-honest-women-just-make-us-smarter-they-make-us-better-i-ve/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I'm not one of those women with a really thin body. I have body fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-alba/i-m-not-one-of-those-women-with-a-really-thin-body-i-have-body-fat/) [Jessica Alba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-alba/) > [I'm surrounded by a lot of women and they really inspire me every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-soare/i-m-surrounded-by-a-lot-of-women-and-they-really-inspire-me-every-day/) [Anastasia Soare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastasia-soare/) > [There's a whole generation of women who never really heard the word investment before, when it came to fashion. They've been buying things because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/there-s-a-whole-generation-of-women-who-never-really-heard-the-word/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [In television, women can really run anything. It can be a comedy, it can be a drama, it can be genre, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/in-television-women-can-really-run-anything-it-can-be-a-comedy-it-can/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) ## More by Paula Hawkins > [“It’s less acceptable to drink on the train on a Monday,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/it-s-less-acceptable-to-drink-on-the-train-on-a-monday/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“I am not the girl I used to be...it's as if people can see the damage written all over me, can see it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-am-not-the-girl-i-used-to-be-it-s-as-if-people-can-see-the-damage/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“She felt it when she woke, not a presence but an absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/she-felt-it-when-she-woke-not-a-presence-but-an-absence/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“Beautiful sunshine, cloudless skies, no one to play with, nothing to do. 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Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [I agree that mommy wars are not good for any mothers: that such wars are time and effort wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-tsing-loh/i-agree-that-mommy-wars-are-not-good-for-any-mothers-that-such-wars/) [Sandra Tsing Loh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-tsing-loh/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [The writer who is a mother should, I think, record everything she can: make notes, keep journals, take photographs, use a tape recorder, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-ostriker/the-writer-who-is-a-mother-should-i-think-record-everything-she-can/) [Alicia Ostriker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-ostriker/) > [My mother 'gave teas' the way other mothers breathed. Her own mother 'gave teas.' All of their friends 'gave teas,' each involving butter cookies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/my-mother-gave-teas-the-way-other-mothers-breathed-her-own-mother/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [“The short sharp shock of three thousand mother two hundred mothers. The ones who picked through the supermarket debris for pieces of their dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/the-short-sharp-shock-of-three-thousand-mother-two-hundred-mothers/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [Mothers love you to the end, and she didn't want to hold me back from my livelihood. 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