(no subject)

[tinyjo]

I'm watching Ugly Betty and I quite like it but to be honest, she's not really ugly. She's just wearing braces. Which rather undermines the concept.

Comments

[art-geek.livejournal.com]

Well, they make a lot of good points in the show, that what's "ugly" for an uptown fashion magazine office is "pretty" in Queens.

[applez.livejournal.com]

Ah, but does she then unpin her hair, take off her glasses, and do the hair-throw of slow-mo sexiness? ;-)

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

The point about braces (unlike glasses and bad hair) is that they are inherently temporary in nature, so there is a limit to how long you can delay the reveal. This is why it's originally a telenovela, which has a finite lifespan, rather than a full length soap/comedy. God knows how long the US will spin it out now it's a hit.

[twic.myopenid.com (from livejournal.com)]

And glasses. Cf the nerd/babe ZOMG OUTRAGE incident.

But yes:



As they say, like the fist of an angry god.

-- tom

[iruineverything.livejournal.com]

clearly the US don't dare put genuinely ugly people on their screens... i'm reminded of "the truth about cats and dogs" where the supposedly "ugly but funny" girl is actually rather attractive.

[i-ate-my-crusts.livejournal.com]

I read an article about how "ugly betty" in spanish comes off more like a nickname, like "vibrating liz" or "hairy ben" or "tiny jo" than an actual descriptor. She's not meant to be ugly, but she is meant to ... well, have no sense of style, basically.

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

Ok, that makes more sense. So the point is intended to be a more subtle one, I guess.

[twic.myopenid.com (from livejournal.com)]

vibrating liz

...


-- tom

[i-ate-my-crusts.livejournal.com]

a member of the feminist blogosphere -- I just love her nick.

[ginger-princess.livejournal.com]

Isn't it more about the fact that braces, glasses etc. are seen as 'ugly' by the kinds of people who work for fashion magazines etc.? Things that are considered 'unattractive' in common popular opinion?

[badasstronaut.livejournal.com]

I queried this, and was told that she wasn't really meant to be ugly, just she wasn't artificial-fashion-industry-beauty-ideal like the other people who work there. I watched it once, and found it vaguely amusing. I think it's about regular person in plastic environment rather than about a genuine ugly.