Photo A - Ugly Betty (the character)
A few years back, I was introduced to a guy (we’ll call him Joe Guy) when I wasn’t looking my best - bad hair, loose jeans, oversized sweatshirt, no makeup. Joe Guy and I had a conversation and I remember he was polite but a little cool and never really looked into my face as we talked.
A few months later, we were in the same room again. This time, I was in a very nice dress, stockings, heels, makeup, having a great hair day with my contact lenses in. Joe Guy was there. I remembered him. After all, he was introduced to me, and we’d had a conversation. But Joe Guy acted as though he was meeting me for the first time. "Nice to meet you…" He didn’t have a clue that I was the same girl he’d already met. This time, he was charming, effusive, looked into my face. Why? Because I had on contacts and heels? I had a good hair day? This wasn’t about sex because Joe Guy had a girlfriend. This was about something else…
I never told Joe Guy that he’d met me before. Obviously, in his private Idaho, frump girl wasn’t worth remembering. So I went along. I smiled and nodded, but I was totally digusted. If you don’t understand why I was disgusted, then Ugly Betty is not the TV show for you. But consider this…
Photo B - Actress America Ferrera (who plays Ugly Betty)
The difference between Photo A (Ugly Betty the character) and Photo B (the glamorous actress who plays her) is a fairly typical list of magazine makeover tips: hair done, brows tweezed, braces off, contacts in, updated wardrobe, artfully applied makeup.
Hey, I’m not saying we shouldn’t try to look good. It’s great to look good, feel good, dress up, stay in shape. But…wouldn’t it be nice if the GLARING media spotlight of makeover madness was occasionally shined on things like lousy personalities, empty heads, selfish hearts, malicious souls?
Really, when you think about it, Betty’s an easy case. Afterall, hundreds of hours of therapy and thousands of anti-depressant pills still can’t fix a superficial beauty with an ugly interior life. Seems to me, tweezing eyebrows is a whole lot simpler.
When America Ferrera accepted her Best Actress Award at the Golden Globes this past week, she said that young girls come up to her on a daily basis and thank her for playing the character Ugly Betty. In a world where girls are made to feel they are not valued if they don’t look like Paris Hilton, Ugly Betty makes them feel loveable and worthy. It makes them feel as though they have something to offer. Indeed they do.
Like Betty, most girls all over the world are not supermodel thin. They don’t have perfect teeth and skin, or expensive wardrobes. They wrestle with do-the-best-you-can hair. They simply don’t have the bank accounts to make all the imperfections go away (and let’s face it, a good deal of "beauty" is bought. If you have five hours a day to devote to toning, whitening, straightening, shopping, and moisturizing, who wouldn’t look good?).
But Betty has something more…a brain, a heart, a soul full of empathy and understanding–what the world sorely needs. Judging from the global success of this wonderful show, it seems to me the world agrees - and that’s a step in a great direction, a step that warms my heart. Congrats on your Golden Globes Ugly Betty, you deserve them!
Luv, Cleo Coyle, author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries
#1 On What Grounds, #2 Through the Grinder, #3 Latte Trouble, #4 Murder Most Frothy, and coming in July 2007 #5 Decaffeinated Corpse…
Yay!!! Thanks for commenting on Ugly Betty, Cleo.
This is my favorite series for a number of reasons.
But what I think I appreciate as a *writer* is that they have not made Betty perfect in character; she makes mistakes, she feels insecure, she falls down, and sometimes even indulges in petty revenge (selling Mark the fake Gucci handbag!) but then she gets up and keeps on trying. I love that. The temptation would have been to balance her ‘ugliness’ with a perfection of character and behavior and intelligence. Making her the perfect saint would have been a disservice and I applaud the writers for getting it right.
Ugly Betty gives me hope that someone out there in mediaworld gets it; not all of us are fascinated with the Brit/Paris/Lindsay antics. Some of us want to see real people.
PS - I LOVE the supporting cast, too, esp. Betty’s family.
Comment by Donna — January 23, 2007 @ 11:51 am
Cleo, I came to the show late, as I have little time to watch tv, but I adore the show, the actress, the writing and acting, both great–and as you said, the message is terrific–most actresses can look good or not depending on the makeup and hair of the day. Makes an ‘ordinary’ person –translation, most of us– feel so much better.
Nicole
Comment by Nicole Byrd — January 24, 2007 @ 1:46 am
I havent watched the show myself, but I just may now. Myself, I’m the frump queen. I hate getting dolled up, don’t see the point in it, and thank God that my hubby loves me this way.
Comment by Alyssa Brooks — January 24, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
Cleo, well said. I haven’t seen the show, but I watch enough late night TV to think, man, all they’re doing is selling beauty creams and magic pills like that’ll solve all our problems.
Comment by Annette Blair — January 25, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
I am ‘plus sized’ and trying to date after being divorced a few years ago. It is pretty tough to keep at it when almost every single guy dumps me before he even meets me. They are interested, even keen, on meeting me right until I say I’m not thin. Then they don’t even bother to email or phone me back at all. Not even a no thank you. It’s pretty mean and petty. For sure men don’t care who you are, only what you look like. Makes me plan on reading a lot more and dating a lot less. Thanks for the post Cleo, it was nice to read another woman having the same kind of experience. I have seen Ugly Betty but don’t get the station now that I’ve moved again. I miss it.
Comment by Laura — February 1, 2007 @ 8:10 pm
PS- Why are romance heroines always thin or at the most curvy which just means normal, not fat. I have only ever read one romance where the heroine was fat and stayed that way to the end of the book and beyond. Meanwhile most of us are not thin.
Comment by Laura — February 1, 2007 @ 8:20 pm
Laura, thank you for your honesty-in-sisterhood post! Just having the gumption to share your own story tells me that you’re somebody special.
Hang in there. I’ve struggled with weight all my life. I, too, am divorced and went through a tough time before finding the true love of my life. Like Ugly Betty, I found out there actually are good men out there who want a good woman, even if the woman is plus size. It’s hard to believe, but Marilyn Monroe would be considered fat in our time!
Be good to yourself and don’t give up on love. In my experience, it finds you again when you least expect it.
As far as your P.S., I agree. There need to be more full figured heroines in out books as well as in movies and TV. You go, Girl! You’re absolutlely right! (It certainly didn’t hurt Oprah’s career to struggle with weight all her life, did it?!)
Luv,
Cleo Coyle
Comment by Cleo — February 1, 2007 @ 11:48 pm