Our Concepts of Beauty Can be Pretty Ugly

Ugly Betty is beautiful.

Something I heard the other night stuck with me.

In a heart-breaking moment one of my favorite TV characters said, “I should have known when he said I was beautiful, he was talking about on the inside.”

Three seasons in, and I forget that “Ugly Betty” is supposed to be, well, ugly.

Yes, in many circles, especially that of her mean office rival, Wilhelmina Slater, Betty is considered a fashion victim. And her braces are bigger than modern metals. But when Betty smiles that huge metallic grin, it’s sincere. She lends a helping hand to friends and foes alike. She has the confidence to put on whatever she wants and wear it with pride.

Betty has all the things you learn in kindergarten about being a decent human being — kindness, honesty, humility. If that makes her ugly, then we could all stand to be a little uglier.

Justin Timberlake may have brought sexy back, but thanks to Betty, ugly is in.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, ugly is taking some of beauty’s spotlight.

“Shrek” is going to Broadway, the green witch in “Wicked” gets the guy and WALL-E, the archaic and technologically rusty robot, stole the hearts of millions.

Much as Tyra Banks caused the world to stop and think about what fat really is, America Ferrera’s Emmy-Award winning portrayal of Betty Suarez is doing the same for the ugly, geeky and otherwise unappealing.

“I don’t see her as ugly at all,” says Beth Guinta, 25, a Kansas City fashion designer. “You can buy beauty so regularly now that there are too many perfect-looking people out there. It is more attractive to see a real human with spirit. They are the ones who stand out now.”

Beth says Betty may have catapulted the “ugly” trend, but she thinks reality television is playing a part in our national embrace of regular-looking people.

“When you turn on reality shows, you see real people,” she says. “It’s everyday people, people you could be or know, instead of the Tom Cruises of the world, and you start to see the beauty in that.”

Sure, Halle Berry and Heidi Klum still will go recognized as among the most beautiful women on the planet. Ditto for their male counterparts (Denzel Washington, say, and Brad Pitt).

But the chiseled, Hollywood heart throbs have to make room for the lovable, lanky and dorky characters played by the likes of America Ferrera and Michael Cera.

People are seeing that beauty is bigger than size, shape and color. It goes well beyond the perfect nose, whitest teeth, sculpted abs and latest fashion trends.

And as beauty starts to be redefined, many will see that ugly is an entirely different monster — something hateful and hideous from within the perfect-looking Wilhelmina Slaters of the world.

Jeneé Osterheldt’s column runs in FYI on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. To reach her, call 816-234-4380 or e-mail josterheldt @kcstar.com.