To me, beauty is a commodity and that's the way it's treated in my books. It has power, and though that power is limited, some characters understand that better than others.

In this quote, Leigh Bardugo, the author of popular fantasy novels such as Shadow and Bone, reflects on her portrayal of beauty in her books. She describes beauty as a commodity, implying that it is something valuable and often exchanged or exploited in society. In her stories, beauty holds a certain power, but it is also something that can be both empowering and limiting depending on how it is understood and used by different characters.

Bardugo’s statement acknowledges that while beauty can provide certain advantages in life—whether it be social influence, attraction, or access—it also has its limitations. The power that beauty holds is not absolute, and in many cases, it can be fleeting or superficial. Some of her characters grasp this concept more effectively than others, using their appearance to navigate the world, while others may struggle to see beyond the surface or feel trapped by societal expectations surrounding beauty.

The idea that beauty is treated as a commodity aligns with Bardugo's exploration of themes such as power, manipulation, and identity in her writing. In many of her books, characters wrestle with their external appearances and how others perceive them, often challenging or subverting traditional views of beauty. Beauty in her stories is not merely an aesthetic ideal, but a force that shapes character relationships, social dynamics, and personal choices.

Ultimately, Bardugo's quote emphasizes the complexity of beauty and its role in shaping her characters' lives. It serves as a commentary on how society values physical appearance and how individuals navigate and understand the power that beauty can hold—often as both a gift and a burden. Through her writing, Bardugo invites readers to question the deeper implications of beauty in a world that often reduces it to something transactional or superficial.