Self-admiration prevents the self-forgetting that artistic transcendence demands.

Evidence

Once acquired, the seemingly immanent virtues of fame and fortune can enhance the woman’s sexual attraction; but being an autonomous activity contradicts her femininity: she knows this. The independent woman—and especially the intellectual who thinks through her situation—will suffer from an inferiority complex as a female; she does not have as much free time for beauty care as a flirt, whose only preoccupation is to seduce; while she might follow all the experts’ advice, she will never be more than an amateur in the elegance department; feminine charm demands that transcendence deteriorating into immanence no longer be anything more than a subtle carnal throb; she must be a spontaneously offered prey: the intellectual woman knows she is offering herself, she knows she is a consciousness, a subject; one cannot willfully kill one’s gaze and change one’s eyes into empty pools; a body that reaches out to the world cannot be thwarted and metamorphosed into a statue animated by hidden vibrations. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1922 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Authentic artistry requires self-transcendence, which narcissism precludes — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1818; Self-forgetfulness distinguishes love from narcissistic display — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1813; Lack of self-assurance prevents the self-forgetfulness needed for genuine transcendence. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1939 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Autonomous self-awareness structurally blocks feminine submission and spontaneous charm. #corroborates (0.85) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1922