Outward appearance affects inward understanding of self and identity

The bluest eye is about the outward understanding of self and identity while the lipstick jihad is about the inward understanding of self and identity. The bluest eye is about race and lipstick jihad is about gender differences and the struggle of women.
In the bluest eye Pecola, the main character, is constantly going through the struggle of being ugly, which she had been brought up on. Ever since she was young, she was taught that she is ugly. Therefore, she tried to get the blue eyes in order to be beautiful or convey to others that she is beautiful from outside.
In the Lipstick Jihad, women are struggling to keep up with men. They are fighting for their liberalism and for a chance to be considered the same. To have the same standard or stature in society as men is one of the main struggles women are facing, according to this book. This concern is present throughout the world and not just in Iran. Women everywhere are fighting for their rights to be considered equal.
Overall, these two books have a lot of things in common like the struggle of women to be beautiful and be equal among men to be one of the many concerns.