“Because beauty is power the way money is power the way a loaded gun is power.”
The Narrator frequently comments on how contrived and how manipulative the entire fashion, modeling, and entertainment industry. In this statement she sums up the "power" that beauty can wield in the sense that through it people can be goaded to buy products, whether they need it or not, or elicit feelings of intense attraction, lust, or deep envy and insecurity.
“…It helps to know you're not any more responsible for how you look than a car is. You're a product just as much. A product of a product of a product...”
The Narrator knows that despite all the attention that she is receiving she is being objectified and treated no more differently than any other consumer good. In verbalizing this she also states that people, even their opinion of what is considered “beautiful,” is nothing more than a conditioned, knee-jerk response orchestrated by the powers that be. She also likens the experience of being a fashion model as similar to a car being put up on display to be ogled at.
“…If I can’t be beautiful, I want to be invisible…”
Uttered by the Narrator upon seeing herself in her present condition. In her current condition she is now truly an “Invisible Monster” by her reckoning. Her monstrous appearance elicits both fear and pity from those who see her; people would rather pretend that she doesn’t exist rather than look at her or engage her in conversation.
"Your perception is all f____d up. All you can talk about is trash that's already happened. You can't base your life on the past or the present. You have to tell me about your future."
Brandy makes this statement in tackling the theme of identity. He/She posits succinctly but crassly sums that identity is a fluid, mutable concept rather than a fixed, constant condition. He/She says this to the Narrator as a sort of pep talk to open up her mind to the possibility of being able to start life anew.
