Mail.(Letter to the editor)

The Mail

Beauty School The ethereally beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer on your March cover ["Up Close & Personal"] is lovely to behold, but why can we not see her true beauty? She has more than earned her wrinkles and will be even lovelier for us seeing them. Melonie Magruder West Hollywood

I really enjoyed your article on Michelle Pfeiffer because she was so truthful about being beautiful. Thank you, Allure -- your magazine is my favorite. Michele Boutin Reading, MA

According to the writer of the Michelle Pfeiffer profile, beauty was at times the very element that thwarted both Pfeiffer's career and personal life, yet her most significant roles exploit her physical beauty. How can a woman best known for parts involving slinky dresses, one iconic platinum hairdo, and a skintight leather catsuit deny how far her looks have gotten her? Having passed on challenging roles in Silence of the Lambs and Thelma and Louise, what does she think her career is being powered by? She goes on to complain that when she played the everyday woman in Frankie and Johnny, critics didn't believe her in the part. How, then, does she account for Charlize Theron's rave reviews for Monster? Halle Berry's Oscar-winning performance in Monster's Ball? Hilary Swank's two Academy Awards? No one, no matter how confident she may be, wants to read an interview in which an actress talks about how hard it is to be beautiful. It was the following quote of hers that bothered me enough to write this letter: "You know, everyone can be damaged. And pretty people can be just as damaged as ugly people or fat people." Jessica Caterina New York City

I am a faithful reader of your magazine and wait excitedly each month for the new issue to hit the stands. I was disappointed to see you publish such cliche "don't hate me because I'm beautiful" comments in your profile of Michelle Pfeiffer. I think it was incredibly shortsighted of her to claim that beautiful women are "victimized much more than somebody whose self-worth isn't all wrapped up in their face or their body." Give me a break. Like there aren't countless of us "average"-looking women struggling with self-esteem issues because of the impossible physical model of Ms. Pfeiffer. Now I can say for certain that beauty really is on the outside! Erin Ware Grand Rapids, MI

Panty Raid Three cheers for Camille Paglia drawing the line between sexy and trashy ["A Case of Exposure," March]! Using Britney Spears and her self-destructive exhibitionism as a role model is horrifying, especially when there are so many strong, sexy women in Hollywood. Women need all the help we can get in leaving behind guilt and embracing empowerment as sexual beings. Adriann Ranta Tucson

Camille Paglia refers to the sexual stunts of Sharon Stone and Madonna as if they were heroic and powerful. I agree that not all erotic images should be condemned as degrading.... But she must notice that Stone and Madonna are ...