18 pages • 36 minutes read

Dim Lady

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2002

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Femininity and Beauty Norms

“Dim Lady” treats various feminine characteristics with satirical humor, mocking widely accepted and traditional perceptions of beauty. The speaker of the poem lists her beloved’s attributes in a blazon (see Literary Devices) that mentions her eyes, her mouth, her hair, her skin, and her voice; however, the speaker does not compliment or celebrate them with traditionally romantic tropes. Instead, the speaker uses unflattering metaphors that suggest that these physical attributes are less important than the feelings of love and attraction the speaker feels for her beloved.

Mullen’s use of colloquialisms like “her racks” (Line 3) and “her noggin” (Line 4) to name actual body parts is also interesting because her choices reflect her refusal to beautify the object of her affection. Not only does the poet refuse to make her beloved’s breasts appear more romantically appealing to the reader, she dares to refer to them as “racks” (Line 3), which is a coarse word often bandied about by men who objectify women. By using this term in the context of a love poem, Mullen seizes the power of the slang word and takes the misogynistic sting out of it, replacing it with emotional familiarity and intimate appreciation.

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In Line 9 of the poem, the speaker compares her beloved unfavorably to the American actress, model and singer Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe’s beauty and allure are a well-established feminine ideal, but Monroe’s reputation as a tragic figure complicates her sexuality and appeal. In the 1950s and 60s, when Monroe was at the height of her popularity, her bombshell status led in part to the sexual revolution in American, yet her image as a femme fatale diminishes and depersonalizes her strength. Mullen’s choice of this particular film star has a feminist motive—the speaker does not want a woman whose behavior or appearance has been influenced by the oversaturated media presentation of Marilyn Monroe nor do they want a woman whose power is compromised by her overt sexuality.

Edible Indulgences

The speaker of the poem compares her beloved to a number of unhealthy but tasty edibles, and this motif draws attention to the human appetite for pleasure of all kinds. The food at Red Lobster and Shakey’s is high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat, but it produces physical pleasure, just as love provides physical pleasure and joy for the speaker and her beloved. Lobster and pizza are also juxtaposed in the poem to highlight the banal joys of love; lobster, a luxury item reduced to chain restaurant blandness, and pizza, a food available to everyone, highlight the familiarity and the unique character of love relationships. When true love is found, it can feel as rare and luxurious as an expensive meal, but it is also a commonplace experience that many individuals share no matter their status in society.

The speaker’s comparison of her beloved to a “Twinkie” (Line 11), a mass-produced cylindrical cake filled with a creamy white frosting, is more romantic than first appearances suggest. The Twinkie is a highly processed food with a lengthy shelf life; the comparison emphasizes the longevity of their relationship. Just as a Twinkie lasts for years, so will their love. Despite their unpalatable artificiality, Twinkies are a sweet indulgence, a dessert item that feels like a treat. The speaker’s naming of her love object as something sweet denotes a feeling of tenderness and appreciation even while parodying the terms of endearment lovers often use with one another.

Color and Whiteness

Throughout the poem, the motif of color appears, describing various physical characteristics of the speaker’s beloved. Words like “neon” (Line 1) suggest bright, vivid color, while phrases like “redder than her kisser” (Line 2) and the comparison of the beloved’s face to the red and white “table- / cloths in Shakey’s Pizza Parlors” (Lines 4-5) emphasizes the color red. Ironically, the speaker claims that her beloved does not possess brightly colored features that imply natural vitality or the adept use of cosmetics; the speaker mentions brightness in the poem only to explain what her beloved lacks.

In contrast to the handful of vivid images is the much more frequent mention of bland, non-descript shades of white, beige, or other neutral color. The speaker’s beloved breasts are “institutional beige” (Line 3) and the hair on her head is the color of the silvery metal toy known as a Slinky. Whiteness also appears in imagery that stimulates the sense of smell as well as the sense of sight; the comparison of the speaker’s beloved’s “garlic breath” (Line 7), a white allium, to “minty-fresh mouth-/washes” (Lines 6-7), a green herb, also demonstrates that the speaker identifies her beloved with nature that has the potential to offend rather than the likelihood to refresh.

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In the last two lines of the poem, the yellow and white color of the speaker’s “scrumptious Twinkie” (Line 11) appears more sexually appealing than “any Marilyn Monroes” (Line 10), a woman who is famous for her alluringly bright blond hair and fair porcelain complexion. The artificial colors of the snack food item are juxtaposed against the features of a sex symbol, and even then, the speaker prefers the packaged artifice of her beloved Twinkie over the star appeal of a “platinum movie idol” (Line 12).

As described earlier, Mullen is interested in matters of race, but her writings are not overtly racial in subject matter. In “Dim Lady,” it is unclear if the whiteness of the speaker’s beloved is intended to carry a race-related message, and this ambiguity is consistent with the tradition of Language poets to put the responsibility of meaning-making on the reader. Mullen withholds any racially inspired message in order to invite readers to create one of their own.