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There is a striking contrast between America and her character
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I've had this idea in the back of my head for a long while now, and after yet another pick asking whether or not Betty should get a make over and be pretty, I decided to finally address my frustrations with this idea in soapbox form.
Regardless of what's been done in shows like Betty, La Fea, upon which our Ugly Betty is based, I think the show will jump the shark if/when Betty gets a makeover and is suddenly beautiful and fashionable. Why? Well, I'll tell you.
First of all, this idea initially popped into my head when I was watching Beauty and the Beast with my roommate and she commented, "You know, it's such a cop out when the beast turns back into a prince. If I was Belle, I'd be pissed. 'No, dammit! I like hairy men!'" She was kidding, but she still didn't like that part of the plot. And to be honest, neither did I. It's the same story with Penelope. And though I love both movies, it's hard to deny that by the end they completely contradict the moral they're trying to illustrate. The classic maxim, "beauty is only skin deep." It's as if the characters couldn't live equally happily ever after as they were after they had accepted themselves and found someone who loved them for who they are. No, they had to be transformed into something physically beautiful, because that's just how the game is played.
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America Ferrera is Absolutely Fabulous, but Betty... well...
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In Betty's case, she has already accepted who she is, for the most part, and she's already tried the makeover thing and failed at it. She has found multiple people to love her in all forms possible: her family, Henry, Christina, Daniel, and Gio I'm sure would never have her any other way. So why the need for the makeover?
Well, this brings me to my next point. America Ferrera very obviously doesn't need much to look beautiful. In fact, it takes a lot to make her not beautiful. We know how gorgeous she is, and like the image conscious culture that we are, we want to see her look her best on her starring TV show. Because her character is so beloved, and has such a wonderfully fun personality, we want to see that manifest itself physically, so she can show off how beautiful she is outside as she is on the inside. But seriously, does this logic really make sense? If you strip away someone's good looks, everyone knows they can be ugly underneath. So why does someone who's beautiful underneath need to prove anything? Also, if she does look as gorgeous as she really is, maybe she and Daniel could be in the same league and end up together! Gasp!
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Betty is just Betty. Gorgeous simply because she isn't gorgeous.
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I am very sorry Daniel/Betty shippers, and I know that it has occurred on other shows like our Beloved Betty, however Daniel and Betty hooking up seriously would be another thing that would make the show jump the shark. If they did it once in a drunken passion, it would be hilarious. But if they were serious... It would just ruin the point. I liked Henry, for a little while at least, and I adore Gio, and these are the guys who really deserve a classy gal like our Betty. Daniel does love Betty, but I see them more in a sibling-like relationship than anything else. And besides, the fashion editor sleeping with his assistant? Can we please do something that ISN'T cliché?
But I digress. My own personal preference on ships aside (you Betty/Daniel shippers keep on hopin'!), the real point of this article is to show that Betty wouldn't be Betty anymore if she got all glamored up. She would be one of the "Glamazons." It would shatter everything that this show is trying to tell us! I think the pique of exhibiting this moral occurred in "Zero Worship." Betty has accepted who she is, and she likes it, and she wants everyone else to do the same! We all know America Ferrera is gorgeous, and Betty is too, in her own, adorable Betty way. Which is exactly why if/when Betty ever looks beautiful on that show, I will promptly stop watching. Because that's not what Ugly Betty is all about, and it will have gone to the dark side to please the image-conscious culture it is trying so desperately to mock.
That's all. I'm done.
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Really good article!
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