--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As for Thea, sometimes she looked more…" description: "\"“As for Thea, sometimes she looked more barbarous than they did in spite of the civilized lipstick and conventional shape of the jodhpurs she wore.”\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe0/saul-bellow-558_all-my-literary-ladi_as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-ba_559194.png" --- # As for Thea, sometimes she looked more barbarous than they… ![“As for Thea, sometimes she looked more barbarous than they did in spite of the civilized lipstick and conventional shape of the jodhpurs she wore.” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe0/saul-bellow-558_all-my-literary-ladi_as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-ba_559194.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe0/saul-bellow-558_all-my-literary-ladi_as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-ba_559194.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe0/saul-bellow-558_all-my-literary-ladi_as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-ba_559194.png) > ““As for Thea, sometimes she looked more barbarous than they did in spite of the civilized lipstick and conventional shape of the jodhpurs she wore.”” [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The description critiques superficial civility that masks underlying brutality. **In simple terms:** Appearances can hide harsh realities. Key Takeaway Look beyond surface appearances. Themes social critique identity civilization Mood critical reflective Type literary analytical When to use this quote - fashion commentary - social observation - character analysis - cultural critique Key Concepts masculinity cultural norms appearance vs reality Questions to Reflect On - What does “civilized lipstick” symbolize? - How do appearances affect judgments? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize or rely on stereotypes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“Here in the city she had gilded her nails. They shone. And she had put on a velvet dress, this soft red one, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/here-in-the-city-she-had-gilded-her-nails-they-shone-and-she-had-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“She was cuckoo about dime stores, where she bought cosmetics and pins and combs. After we locked the expensive purchases in the station wagon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/she-was-cuckoo-about-dime-stores-where-she-bought-cosmetics-and-pins/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Then he looked at her. That connection again. It seemed to be drawing them together-an almost physical feeling of attraction. It was exciting, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-smith/then-he-looked-at-her-that-connection-again-it-seemed-to-be-drawing/) [L.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-smith/) > [I do my own make-up always; I never let anyone else do it. It's quite simple, just eyeliner and a bit of lipstick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaba-gupta/i-do-my-own-make-up-always-i-never-let-anyone-else-do-it-it-s-quite/) [Masaba Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaba-gupta/) > [“I think Psychopaths wear lipstick too,' says Joyce.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-osman/i-think-psychopaths-wear-lipstick-too-says-joyce/) [Richard Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-osman/) > [ \[On living in New York City:\] I'm oblivious to everything. I just don't notice anything. I sat in a coffee shop, drank half a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kightlinger/on-living-in-new-york-city-i-m-oblivious-to-everything-i-just-don-t/) [Laura Kightlinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kightlinger/) > [“I've found that when someone is beautiful on the outside, but spiritually dark inside, all that outer beauty is just lipstick on a pig.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/i-ve-found-that-when-someone-is-beautiful-on-the-outside-but/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [There's a witch under this hair. The red lips are - I don't want to call them "armor," but they're the clothes of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/there-s-a-witch-under-this-hair-the-red-lips-are-i-don-t-want-to-call/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [My thing is "You don't need anyone else to empower you; you can empower yourself." Whether it's a pep talk or putting on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayesha-curry/my-thing-is-you-don-t-need-anyone-else-to-empower-you-you-can-empower/) [Ayesha Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayesha-curry/) > [Tal told me he loved me, and told me and told me, but you don't tell someone that and then tell them they're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/tal-told-me-he-loved-me-and-told-me-and-told-me-but-you-don-t-tell/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“left lipstick imprints the shape of grateful, rubbery sighs...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/left-lipstick-imprints-the-shape-of-grateful-rubbery-sighs/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I think there's this idea that lipstick is something quite old or something you'd only wear at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/i-think-there-s-this-idea-that-lipstick-is-something-quite-old-or/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [The big story today, Barack Obama was accused of insulting Sarah Palin when he criticized Republican policies by saying, you can put lipstick on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-big-story-today-barack-obama-was-accused-of-insulting-sarah-palin/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Just have fun. Smile. And keep putting on lipstick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-keaton/just-have-fun-smile-and-keep-putting-on-lipstick/) [Diane Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-keaton/) > [“In 1770, British parliament banned lipstick, saying it had the power to seduce men into marriage, which was classified as witchcraft.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-agron/in-1770-british-parliament-banned-lipstick-saying-it-had-the-power-to/) [Dianna Agron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-agron/) ## More by Saul Bellow > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. We are so proud of our autonomy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-have-begun-in-old-age-to-understand-just-how-oddly-we-are-all-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are evils that have the ability to survive identification and go on for ever... money, for instance, or war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-evils-that-have-the-ability-to-survive-identification-and/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Myself is thus and so, and will continue thus and so. And why fight it? My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-making-it-people-have-surrendered/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-don-t-know-how-it-all-at-once-came-to-me-to-talk-a-lot-tell-jokes/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are times when the most practical thing is to lie down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-times-when-the-most-practical-thing-is-to-lie-down/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“For knowledge of death makes us wish to extend our lives at the expense of others. And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) [Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More All-my-literary-ladies quotes > [“She was cuckoo about dime stores, where she bought cosmetics and pins and combs. After we locked the expensive purchases in the station wagon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/she-was-cuckoo-about-dime-stores-where-she-bought-cosmetics-and-pins/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Here in the city she had gilded her nails. They shone. And she had put on a velvet dress, this soft red one, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/here-in-the-city-she-had-gilded-her-nails-they-shone-and-she-had-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) Browse all 3 All-my-literary-ladies quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As for Thea, sometimes she looked more barbarous than they did in spite of the civilized lipstick and conventional shape of the jodhpurs she wore.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Saul Bellow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-barbarous-than-they-did-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "All-my-literary-ladies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-barbarous-than-they-did-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe0/saul-bellow-558_all-my-literary-ladi_as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-ba_559194.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe0/saul-bellow-558_all-my-literary-ladi_as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-ba_559194.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe0/saul-bellow-558_all-my-literary-ladi_as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-ba_559194.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As for Thea, sometimes she looked more barbarous than they did in spite of the civilized lipstick and…” — Saul Bellow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Saul Bellow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As for Thea, sometimes she looked...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-barbarous-than-they-did-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/as-for-thea-sometimes-she-looked-more-barbarous-than-they-did-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```