Article Alert!
What: Move Over, My Pretty, Ugly is Here by Sarah Kershaw
Where: New York Times, Fashion & Style
Kershaw’s article about unattractiveness is as much about beauty as it is about ugliness. But I suppose beauty research provides a context for discussing ugliness and is a necessary comparison, especially when little research exists on the topic of ugliness, as she points out. The TV show “Ugly Betty” gets considerable mention, as does the related “Be Ugly” campaign by ABC. Thanks to Kershaw for writing an article that encourages intelligent discussions about attractiveness/unattractiveness research.
Perhaps “Ugly Betty” got one too many references in this article, though. I would argue that Betty isn’t really ugly at all — isn’t it clear that she is simply an attractive girl who isn’t sure how best to put herself together in the morning? A good show? Yes. An ugly star character? No. Take away the bad hair, glasses, braces, and poncho and you’ve got “Average Betty” or even “Attractive Betty.” I have to wonder what the show would be like, or if it would exist at all, if Betty were truly a physically unattractive person. I doubt they could get away with making fun of ugliness if the main character were actually ugly.
Towards the end of the article there is a lot of credit given to “Ugly Betty” for challenging beauty ideals: “It has been pegged as part of a larger shift away from the unreal perfection of…models,” said one professor in the article. Admitedly, there are a lot of models out there with the same sort of look (especially with the way the modelling industry has been for the past few years). But, there are models, successful ones, who challenge what typical beauty is and encourage us to expand our horizons when it comes to what a beautiful face looks like. Take, for example, Freja Beha, Kirtsen Owen, Irina Lazareanu and Erin O’Connor. These women are attractive, but their unique looks make them unconventional beauties.
What should you take away from this article?
While beauty research has been around for some time, academic research on the subject of ugliness has been slower to emerge and there is significantly less discussion devoted to it. This opposite end of the attractiveness research spectrum is an important — no, essential –piece to the puzzle of understanding how appearance affects people’s lives and what value it holds in society. As taboo as the subject of ugliness might be, its meaning and significance ought to be better understood.
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