She could not explain or quite understand that it wasn't altogether jealousy she felt, it was rage. And not because she couldn't shop like that or dress like that. It was because that was what girls were supposed to be like. That was what men - people, everybody - thought they should be like. Beautiful, treasured, spoiled, selfish, pea-brained. That was what a girl should be, to be fallen in love with. Then she would become a mother and she'd be all mushily devoted to her babies. Not selfish anymore, but just as pea-brained. Forever.
The character grapples with conflicting emotions, feeling a deep-seated rage rather than mere jealousy towards societal expectations for women. She recognizes that the idealized image of femininity, characterized by beauty and dependency, is limiting and reductive. This stereotype dictates that women must conform to a role that sees them as beautiful objects to be adored, ultimately leading to a life defined by motherhood and selflessness.
This insight reveals her frustration with...
