Not Ugly

[plumtreeblossom]

Who else doesn't think the Ugly Betty character is ugly in the slightest? I don't watch the show, but I've seen lots of pictures of the character and I think she's adorable and quite pretty (out of costume, the actress is full-out gorgeous, IMO), and I would imagine plenty of people find the character dorkaliciously hot.



Maybe I'm missing something because I don't really know the concept of the show, but if a person who looks like this is supposedly considered ugly, there's something seriously broken about our society's set of appearance expectations (like we didn't already know that). Sheesh.

Comments

[deceptiverose.livejournal.com]

That's a pretty good picture of her. What bothers me about the show is that I know how gorgeous she is and it bugs me that they make her look the way she does. I understand it fits with the show, but still.

[ron_newman]

Lady is pretty. Outfit is hideous, and she could use to lose those glasses, too.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the show either, but I was given to understand that that WAS the concept of the show -- that there's something seriously broken about our society's set of apperance expectations.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see. I should watch the show sometime to see what it's all about.

I guess what bothers me is when someone prettier than me gets called ugly (but to be fair, I'm at least 20 years older than her.) If she's ugly, I'm hideous right off the charts.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Checking out some info about it -- Betty works around the fashion industry, and other people who are jealous of her give her that nickname, because she's not glamorous.

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

I think she's adorable. I think it's just the contrast between her and all the crazy supermodels and fashion folks she works with that makes her "ugly."

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

If she lived here in our community, the gents would be lining up for her. The nerdy look is very hot here. Your userpic is perfect for this!

[desireearmfeldt]

Haven't you been watching movies all your life? Glasses = ugly. That's how you can tell who the unattractive characters are. (And often also glasses = unmarried and unmarriagable.)

(I have no idea what the TV show you're referencing here is, but it sounds like I'd better maintain my blissful ignorance, lest I be forced to gnaw someone's leg off. :) :) )

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Let's see, in Hollywood's view of beauty:

1. bad clothing
2. bad glasses
3. braces with too wide smile, thus making them more noticable
4. bushy eyebrows (even Brooke Shields now plucks hers!)
5. imperfect (and not blonde) hair
6. square figure
7. unmanicured fingers
8. unflattering haircut


Why she's not ugly:

1. no zits
2. even skin tone
3. not excessive in any way (not super skinny nor super fat nor super tall nor super short, etc)
4. No scars/tattoos/blemishes/warts/disfigurements
5. we all know that the exterior package has nothing to do with the interior person

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

She's called ugly because she doesn't dress like a barbie doll.(Or an airbrushed model in a fashion magazine.) I think she's cute just the way she is, but then the people who label her ugly would say the same about me (and my fashion sense, or the lack thereof.) :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/urban_faerie_/]

she's what they call hollywood ugly... meaning any normal person would be thrilled to look like her.


i think the ugly betty tag is supposed to be somewhat ironic. her character works for a fashion magazine so compared to the image conscious people there, she's supposedly dorky/frump.

i agree that she's adorable though.

[spatch]

Yeah, the point of the show is the contrast between the slightly frumpy girl and the tarted-up fashionistas and how honestly more of them deserve the "ugly" sobriquet and my god I just used the word sobriquet on LJ ok I'm done now

[library-sexy.livejournal.com]

I have not heard anything about the show, but just going on the title we TV watchers have some issues if this is the crap that is being provided to us.

No she is not ugly, not even close....

I know I don't need a TV show with a character who is referred to as "Ugly Betty" to boost my self esteem.

[infinitehotel.livejournal.com]

The one episode I saw on a plane, I got the impression that her "ugly" was by comparison with her coworkers and the point of the show was that she was the "real" pretty one.

For me, her look in that picture goes so far into parody that she does come across as ugly though. Sort of the Pee Wee Herman effect; pretty much every visible aspect of her is intentionally chosen to be slightly off.

[infinitehotel.livejournal.com]

And I said all of that before discovering Betty is played by America Ferrera, who is, in fact, drop dead gorgeous. (She was terrific in Real Women Have Curves.)

It wouldn't surprise me if that look was the result of a LOT of focus group testing.

Oh why this fails, let me count the ways

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

A tremendous amount of beauty, IMO, comes from a sense within.

Not only is she physically beuatiful, but from briefly watching the show, it becomes readily apparent that she knows (in real life), that she is a beuaitful person. One could argue that in order to be an actress, one most have an innate sense of tremendous self worth. Only Hollywood would try to take a bautiful person who knows they are beuaitful, put unflattering clothes on them, and try to pass them off as ugly.

The expression usually goes that you can't put lipstick on a pig or you can't polish a turd; a person who feels they are ugly will appear ugly no matter what they are wearing. Well, the converse is also true.

[kalliejenn2.livejournal.com]

yeah...tossing a hideous outfit, braces, and glasses on someone who's already very pretty does not automatically equal ugly.

[anniemarie75.livejournal.com]

I liked America, before this show. Now I can't stand her. The show bothers me on levels that would take me years to explain. Saying that someone with bad hair and braces and glasses is "ugly" is the reason I have no hope for society - and the reason I avoid the show.

Then again I avoid almost everything on ABC so it was a given. The sad thing is I adore Vanessa Williams, but there's no way I could ever sit through it.

[ironpoet.livejournal.com]

The show is an adaptation of a popular Columbia soap opera, starring this "ugly" actress. As I understand it, both shows are something of a satire on society's concepts of beauty.

Basically, (A) Betty's look is pretty faithful to the original telenovela, and (B) since the point of the show is to make fun of society's expectations, I wouldn't be too offended by it.

(I've only seen one episode, actually, but it seems reasonably charming and harmless.)