"I look back at photographs and I remember at the time I thought I was not very attractive"

This quote by Barbara Cook speaks with the idea that beauty is subjective and that we typically don't acknowledge our own appeal. Cook is reflecting on her past self and how she felt about her appearance at the time. She is recognizing that her understanding of her own appeal has changed in time, and that she now looks back at photos of herself and sees beauty that she didn't recognize previously. This quote is a suggestion that appeal is in the eye of the beholder, and that we ought to not be so hard on ourselves. It is also a reminder to value our own beauty and to acknowledge that beauty is not constantly what we think it is. We need to make the effort to value our own charm and to acknowledge that beauty is not constantly what we think it is.