---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This was why Kiki had dreaded having…"
description: "\"“This was why Kiki had dreaded having girls: she knew she wouldn't be able to protect them from self-disgust.”\" — Zadie Smith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/zadie-smith-584_beauty_this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-gir_2905922.png"
---

#  This was why Kiki had dreaded having girls: she knew she…

![“This was why Kiki had dreaded having girls: she knew she wouldn't be able to protect them from self-disgust.” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/zadie-smith-584_beauty_this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-gir_2905922.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/zadie-smith-584_beauty_this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-gir_2905922.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/zadie-smith-584_beauty_this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-gir_2905922.png)

> ““This was why Kiki had dreaded having girls: she knew she wouldn't be able to protect them from self-disgust.””

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

## About This Quote

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

Kiki fears that she cannot protect girls from self‑disgust, highlighting anxiety about failing to shield loved ones from internal harm.

**In simple terms:** She worries she can’t protect girls from self‑hatred.

Key Takeaway

Offer empathy and empower self‑acceptance in others.

Themes

protective instinct self‑disgust gender dynamics

Mood

empathetic concerned

Type

psychological social

When to use this quote

- parenting advice
- mental health counseling
- support groups

Key Concepts

psychology family dynamics self‑esteem

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you help others develop self‑compassion?
- What societal factors contribute to self‑disgust?

A Different Perspective

Self‑disgust may stem from broader societal pressures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Daughters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughters/) [Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girls/)

## Related quotes

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [I dreaded having a boring life when I grew up. And I certainly can't complain about being bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/i-dreaded-having-a-boring-life-when-i-grew-up-and-i-certainly-can-t/)

[Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/)

> [“Right. I look fine. Except I don't,' said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki had dreaded having girls: she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging-sadly-at-her-man-s/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [It may be something to do with my having been to a girls' school, but I'm far more comfortable making male friendships than female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/it-may-be-something-to-do-with-my-having-been-to-a-girls-school-but-i/)

[Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/)

> [And I tell you, having girls has made me a much better man. I have friends who are fathers, but they only have boys,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/and-i-tell-you-having-girls-has-made-me-a-much-better-man-i-have/)

[Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/)

> [My friends and I love having girls' nights in. We're hardly ever all in the same city, but when we're finally able to hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karlie-kloss/my-friends-and-i-love-having-girls-nights-in-we-re-hardly-ever-all-in/)

[Karlie Kloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karlie-kloss/)

> [“Olo, Remi, Kwuga, Nur, Anajama, Rhoden. Only Olo and Remi were in my group. Everyone else I met in the dining area or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nnedi-okorafor/olo-remi-kwuga-nur-anajama-rhoden-only-olo-and-remi-were-in-my-group/)

[Nnedi Okorafor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nnedi-okorafor/)

> [Of all the girls I ever knew some loved and some denied me And all the words I ever said have been no use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/of-all-the-girls-i-ever-knew-some-loved-and-some-denied-me-and-all/)

[Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/)

> [“Once upon a time they was two girls," I say. "one girl had black skin, one girl had white." Mae Mobley look up at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/once-upon-a-time-they-was-two-girls-i-say-one-girl-had-black-skin-one/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

> [“They were inculcated with a firm sense of noblesse oblige, as with a respect for hierarchy; the Slonim girls knew well how to decode…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/they-were-inculcated-with-a-firm-sense-of-noblesse-oblige-as-with-a/)

[Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/)

> [Once I got over the fear of writing female characters, it actually came quite easily and I was really happy with it. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/once-i-got-over-the-fear-of-writing-female-characters-it-actually/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [It was funny to run into girls I knew after the movie came out because they would say, 'I saw you on 'Magic Mike,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rodriguez/it-was-funny-to-run-into-girls-i-knew-after-the-movie-came-out/)

[Adam Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rodriguez/)

> [I was totally clueless about social interaction, and completely scared of girls. All I knew was that music was going to make girls fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/i-was-totally-clueless-about-social-interaction-and-completely-scared/)

[Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/)

> [“I wasn’t different from most girls I knew. Well, except the fact I was exponentially better looking, but why beat a dead horse?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fisher-amelie/i-wasn-t-different-from-most-girls-i-knew-well-except-the-fact-i-was/)

[Fisher Amelie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fisher-amelie/)

> [“She isn't like any of the girls I ever knew, or any of the girls I was myself." "How many girls were you, Aunt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/she-isn-t-like-any-of-the-girls-i-ever-knew-or-any-of-the-girls-i-was/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

## More by Zadie Smith

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“Pretty girls lie at the centre of straight culture, dyke culture, fag culture. They sell everything, they buy everything, they ruin great men and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/pretty-girls-lie-at-the-centre-of-straight-culture-dyke-culture-fag/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary arts--and they never fail to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with-excellent-tastes-that-range/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [I cannot believe homosexuality is that much fun. Heterosexuality certainly is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-cannot-believe-homosexuality-is-that-much-fun-heterosexuality/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“Either everything is sacred or nothing is. And if he starts burning other people’s things, then he loses something sacred also. Everyone gets what’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/either-everything-is-sacred-or-nothing-is-and-if-he-starts-burning/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [My feeling is, having lived in different classes, that people want equality of opportunity... that's the thing that makes me despair: the idea that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/my-feeling-is-having-lived-in-different-classes-that-people-want/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [I don't keep any copies of my books in the house - they go to my mum's flat. I don't like them around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-don-t-keep-any-copies-of-my-books-in-the-house-they-go-to-my-mum-s/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [But it makes an immigrant laugh to hear the fears of the nationalist, scared of infection, penetration, miscegenation, when this is small fry, peanuts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/but-it-makes-an-immigrant-laugh-to-hear-the-fears-of-the-nationalist/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [Oh, I know that. You know me, baby, I cannot be broken. Takes a giant to snap me in half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/oh-i-know-that-you-know-me-baby-i-cannot-be-broken-takes-a-giant-to/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“In short, it was precisely the kind of friendship and Englishman makes on holiday, that he can make only on holiday. A friendship that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/in-short-it-was-precisely-the-kind-of-friendship-and-englishman-makes/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [I suppose I often think of my writing as quite impersonal. But it turned out, when my father died, writing was exactly what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-suppose-i-often-think-of-my-writing-as-quite-impersonal-but-it/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“Some of us are happy with our African hair, thank you very much. I don't want some poor Indian girl's hair. And I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/some-of-us-are-happy-with-our-african-hair-thank-you-very-much-i-don/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [You can't state difference and also state equality. We have to state sameness to understand equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-can-t-state-difference-and-also-state-equality-we-have-to-state/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“(Unlike many others around this time, Joyce felt no shame about using the term 'middle class'. In the Chalfen lexicon the middle classes were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/unlike-many-others-around-this-time-joyce-felt-no-shame-about-using/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [A lot of women, when they're young, feel they have very good friends, and find later on that friendship is complicated. It's easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/a-lot-of-women-when-they-re-young-feel-they-have-very-good-friends/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

[Explore all 457 Zadie Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

## More Beauty quotes

> [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/)

[Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

Tumblr

> [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/)

[Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/)

[Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“This was why Kiki had dreaded having girls: she knew she wouldn't be able to protect them from self-disgust.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Zadie Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-girls-she-knew-she-wouldn-t-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beauty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-girls-she-knew-she-wouldn-t-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/zadie-smith-584_beauty_this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-gir_2905922.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/zadie-smith-584_beauty_this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-gir_2905922.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/zadie-smith-584_beauty_this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-gir_2905922.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This was why Kiki had dreaded having girls: she knew she wouldn't be able to protect them from self-disgust.” — Zadie Smith",
                "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": "Zadie Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“This was why Kiki had dreaded...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-girls-she-knew-she-wouldn-t-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/this-was-why-kiki-had-dreaded-having-girls-she-knew-she-wouldn-t-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```