She stands and moves within the invisible pentacle of her own virginity. She is an unbroken egg: she is a sealed vessel; she has inside her a magic space the entrance to which is shut tight with a plug of membrane; she is a closed system; she does not know how to shiver.
Women's sexy underwear is a minor but significant growth industry of late-twentieth-century Britain in the twilight of capitalism.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the rise of the lingerie industry in late-20th century Britain as a noteworthy aspect of capitalism.
Angela Carter's quote reflects on how women's sexy underwear became a notable and profitable sector in the British economy during the late-20th century, indicating broader themes of consumerism and the dynamics of capitalism. This growth industry not only demonstrates changing cultural attitudes towards sexuality and femininity but also illustrates how market forces shape personal identity and expression within the scope of capitalism.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion on the evolution of women's rights and self-expression through fashion.
More from Angela Carter
All quotes βCities have sexes: London is a man, Paris a woman, and New York a well-adjusted transsexual.
Those are the voices of my brothers, darling; I love the company of wolves.
For most of human history, 'literature,' both fiction and poetry, has been narrated, not written β heard, not read. So fairy tales, folk tales, stories from the oral tradition, are all of them the most vital connection we have with the imaginations of the ordinary men and women whose labor created our world.
Iconic clothing has been secularized. . . . A guardsman in a dress uniform is ostensibly an icon of aggression; his coat is red as the blood he hopes to shed. Seen on a coat-hanger, with no man inside it, the uniform loses all its blustering significance and, to the innocent eye seduced by decorative colour and tactile braid, it is as abstract in symbolic information as a parasol to an Eskimo. It becomes simply magnificent.
To pin your hopes upon the future is to consign those hopes to a hypothesis, which is to say, a nothingness. Here and now is what we must contend with.
Similar quotes
Something I always look for in an outfit is to have a standout piece.
I'm not a fashion victim, and I don't closely follow trends. I dress the way I feel comfortable because, at the end of the day, you have to be comfortable.
Building a proper wardrobe is like building a home. Indeed, you should think of it like a home, because it is something you're going to live in. It must be comfortable and suit all your needs.
It pains me physically to see a woman victimized, rendered pathetic, by fashion.
The fashion industry has a responsibility to represent a healthy image of women, but to start weighing them and putting them against a wall and making them feel like animals? No.
To pull off any look, wear it with confidence.