the desire to be beautiful theme

A character wants nothing less than to look good.

Examples

The titular character of Carlo Collodi's classic children's novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" (1883) is a wooden puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy.

25 total · 3 choice · 15 major · 7 minor

StoryLevelMotivation
ftt1982e3x05 choice The queen was determined to be the most beautiful woman in her kingdom.
gdtcoc2022e04 choice The plot centered on Stacey's drive to be glamorously beautiful, like she believed her female coworkers are.
tftc1989e1x04 choice When Sylvia Vane (note the play on "vain") understood that her looks were fading rapidly, she became murderously desperate to regain them.
ahh2x21 major Helen considered herself to be plain and, in her Dorothy persona especially, fantasized about being gorgeous.
ahp7x38 major Caroline was envious of Collin's good looks and lamented that her own homeliness had left her a spinster.
columbo1971e3x01 major The gracefully aging Viveca Scott was the public face for the cosmetics company she owned and ran. In her person was symbolized the struggle to keep one's beauty through the use of cosmetics. Her company was developing a miracle cream that would be coveted by aging women around the world.
movie: Black Oxen (1923) major Mary Ogden used a rejuvenating glandular treatment and X-ray surgery to look young again.
movie: Juliet of the Spirits (1965) major Giulietta was compared unfavorably with other women and was, understandably, concerned about her appearance. More so because her husband was unfaithful.
movie: Not Like Us (1995) major The grand revelation of the story is that the aliens had come to Earth to perfect their experiment cosmetic surgery procedures on human guinea pigs so that they could make themselves more beautiful.
movie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) major the queen wanted o be the most beautiful in the land