Long before casually nipping and tucking oneself came into vogue, Nin had the same intuitive understanding as Crum did as to the location of her social value: not in her heart or her pen, but on the surface of her skin. Also crucial to Nin’s understanding was that beauty was hers to pursue but not define—because beauty was not only about beauty, but desirability. And who decided what was desirable? Men, of course.
