The Bluest Eye is notable because of the detailed way in which the novel explores black female identity formation and the negative impact of society's celebration of Eurocentric beauty standards on African-American women and girls. Morrison sensitively portrays these impacts in the lives of the female characters in the novel from childhood to adulthood.

At 9 years old, Claudia MacTeer represents the voice of African-American girls before the accumulated impact of racism destroys their sense of self. Claudia embodies the “magic" (xix) of black culture, the idea that black girls and women are resilient under the most difficult of circumstances because of a fierce self-love. Claudia's self-love is reflected in her refusal to celebrate white dolls and her resentment and violence against these dolls and girls like Rosemary Villanucci and Maureen Peal.

Claudia is frequently defiant of the adults around her and has a strong belief in her ability to change her own life and the lives of people around her, including Pecola. Claudia's belief in herself and her self-love allow her to defend Pecola against bullies and lead her to believe that planting

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