The Ugly Betty in Me
It premiered in the UK last Friday and as predicted everyone is talking about Ugly Betty or rather, the UK audience are eagerly awaiting Betty's transformation into a knockout because cynics that they are, they have boxed this show into the 'entertaining but highly predictable' bracket. My first thought when I watched my Sky Plus-ed episode on Saturday morning was: 'Um.... what kind of an interpretation of ugly is that in her style?'
'Guadalajara' poncho aside, every outfit I've seen in the screencaps look a whole lot more fun than the supposed 'Mode' people. Ok, so there's the clashing prints, garish colours and maybe too much of a leaning towards the knitted waistcoat but if I saw any of those individually in a thrift store, I'd snap it up pronto. Eduardo Castro, the costume designer scours vintage stores for retro polyester rags to custom make all Betty's outfits. Sounds like a pretty groovy wardrobe to me. This could be my flu talking but there seems to be a lot more interesting if not always 'chic' things going on in Betty's wardrobe than in those of Willhemina 'All White' Slater or Amanda 'Pencil Skirt' Secretary.
I'm well aware it is JUST a TV show and yes, most people will take it with a pinch of salt but you know, it's just a little stale and repetitive to keep on honing in those fashion stereotypes so that if you weren't keen on fashion before, after watching the show, your opinion can only sink lower. I probably am the only 'Bah humbug' around here who can't just see it for the light entertainment that it is but has to rally on like an old biddy. But mark my words, some people who watch that show will take it literally and suck it all up and when they start scorning fashion as a world full of botoxed-obsessed editors, predictably bitchy assistants and slimy photographers and above all, a world where diversity is not tolerated, you're gonna want to raise your eyebrows really high up.
As light and comedic the show is though, it did stir a wee chord in me. I'll try to say this in the least sob story manner I can but many moons ago, I was not at all comfortable with my looks. Let's just say that my awkward young teenage phase stayed with me longer than I thought - the braces, the glasses, the bad hair, yup I once had all those things. It is a little trite to be relating oneself to an ABC TV show character but hey, I can't deny that really, that there is an Ugly Betty inside of me, only nowadays, I'm pretty much comfortable and strangely glad I'm an Ugly Betty rather than belonging to the perfectly preened and pretty. At the most material level, I share her taste in prints and clashing colours. And just to be clear, the outfit on the left, I would honestly wear out and about with no qualms or cares.
(All Ugly Betty pics from Ugly is In)
Lol. I totally see what you mean. When I watched UB I realised how boring my own wardrobe is compared to hers, and the fun she must have mixing and matching every morning.
Also wanted you to know, that as a fashion student,(barcelona) I am addicted to your blog. Its sooo cute and very useful. Im always checking to see if u have something new posted. I find it hard to believe ur not studyin fashion, your dedication and fascination to this industry is inspiring, since studying fashion has kind of absorbed mux of the excitment i once had for this field.
Farah
Posted by: Farah | 10 January 2007 at 00:28
america ferrera is so cute, dont you think???
www.iguanafashions.com
Posted by: Annaka | 10 January 2007 at 01:56
cute post! yes, I agree, her outfits are not "ugly"... though they are challenging. to wear them well requires more pose than, say, a chic and plain pencil shirt outfit.
Posted by: fallcollection | 10 January 2007 at 03:56
two things to say...
1. it gets much better in a few episodes.. especially leading up to the finale.
2. i wish they had respected the industry a little more how the devil wears prada did and not use fake designers, etc. it's just not accurate and thats the worst thing about the show. but it's fun to watch and it's rare to have a fashion themed tv show, so it works.
Posted by: alex | 10 January 2007 at 04:45
After watching Ugly Betty marathons over the holidays for the first time and becoming very addicted, I've noticed this same thing--the lack of ugly in ugly betty's wardrobe. There definately is something quirky, clever, and very grandma-meets-modern about the way they dress Betty, and it is much more appealing to me than the other characters' "sharper" styles of dress. And here's the thing. We are expected to love Betty--I do, at least. I can't stand that Amanda and many of the other antagonistic characters. As the show preogresses, we realize that Betty is better than these people who will never appreciate Betty and all that is simply great and fashionable and amazing about her. The prim and pristeen outfits of Wilhelmina are things you start to loathe. I think the quriky clothes are supposed to add to the idea that Betty is destined for better things and that she is a step above the other office mates. You can't help but love Betty. So while many people will probably have their ideas of the fashiom industry very narrowed into stereotypes, others will note how FASHIONABLE Betty is for not caring and still wearing what she has and what she likes.
Posted by: | 10 January 2007 at 06:09
I must agree..! The holiday marathon of Ugly Betty got me addicted. But towards the end of the episode I realized how nice her wardrobe was!! I must say the combination of prints is ingenious. And that I think is what fashion really is... Anyhow, I love your posts. I'm hoping it's okay with you if I link you in my site.
Posted by: kaye | 10 January 2007 at 06:14
That's Hollywood, They dont want Ugly betty to look tooooo ugly. That
is just the nature of production these days.
I too thought Ugly Betty was even a bit stylish. Very quirky hip
librarian. A hint of Parker Posey in "Party Girl".
Either way she is unlike the original beaut here who plays Ugly Betty:
http://www.antena3tv.com/betty/web/img/cabecera.jpg
the looker after her transformation:
http://www.telenorba.it/tln_images/ccfa4f1944ca2f5e3781fa703e11d1d6Betty%20250x200.jpg
muy CALIENTE!
Posted by: stcolapop | 10 January 2007 at 06:32
her clothes ARE awful... but the cast's wardrobe is awful too.
i think most warm and friendly people have an ugly betty in them, especially as the workplace just gets colder and colder and bitchier and more competitive than ever.
some of the girls i work with look at me like they want to claw my eyes out.
Posted by: d | 10 January 2007 at 07:23
Thick hair, great skin...there is nothing ugly about Betty. Maybe some consider braces and sweater vests unattractive, but they are not permanent, so what's the big deal!? She is cute as can be and it's cliche that Hollywood has chosen this particular set of characteristics to portray "ugliness", yet again. I know it is just a TV show, but with a great concept like this, it seems there would have been room for a little originality.
Posted by: Senri | 10 January 2007 at 10:58
I agree. These outfits look FUN. I think there is an ugly Betty inside all of us. I married such a hot guy. But even he has an ugly Betty inside of him, and I am always comforted and amused to see it. So much of pretty, impeccable fashion can be SO unapproachable, and that is not the side of the spectrum I want to err on, if I must err, and i must! There is something so NOT true about Vogue editor fashion. I think that is why we all keep coming back to your blog. There is something true here. It fits who we really are and what we really want. Let's face it, the editors of fashion world are dollar motivated and are therefore forced to create a norm which we are all supposed to want to be a part of. If you are trying to sell someone something, you must first convince them that they lack it and are in need of it. I approach fashion as though I come to it complete already. I am in need of nothing but to cover my nakedness and express who I am. And that includes having fun. Everybody, embrace your ugly Betty!
Posted by: Anita | 10 January 2007 at 11:13
Considering I looked like Napoleon Dynamite with braces as a teenager, Ugly Betty is rather gorgeous to me! And I do covet some of the clothes.
Posted by: Gata | 10 January 2007 at 15:25
could it be that ugly has become the new beautiful?
and will this mean that wearing eyeglasses from five years ago will be the envy of all the rachel zoe wanna-bes lunching at fred segal?
...what a lovely, nikon-moment thought!
Posted by: theuglyearring | 10 January 2007 at 15:29
I've never seen this show but Betty's outfits indeed are pretty cool. And she, too, seems to have a 'formula' like Wilhemina 'All White' (except it's madcap prints and colorful vests). Just being yourself is what makes it wonderful.
Posted by: hoyan | 10 January 2007 at 16:31
Personally, I'd rather look like my fat-assed 13-year-old self forever than like Rachel Zoe. That woman looks older than my mother and I'm 22 years old. In fact, I'd be willing to bet she has more wrinkles than my grandmother.
That aside: I've always believed in fashion as an expression of self. I have no idea what the final transformed Betty will look like but I know that even in the Indian Ugly Betty I liked Betty ugly more than Betty beautiful. Betty ugly had personality, she didn't look like any other baby-tee-wearing bimbette. Betty pretty unfortunately...did.And even the wardrobe- I'm not big on Indian clothes but I've always liked the idea of bucking the notion of what pretty is. Which is why I've always admired the idea behind your style even if I don't agree with some parts of it- you're not afraid to march to your own tunes as far as clothes go. Which might perhaps have not been the case if you'd never been through the 'ugly' phase (though honestly I think you're gorgeous and I'm quite capable of divorcing my opinions of the aesthetics of a person from my opinion of the person themselves). I may not make sense, but I've seen the personal style of girls who never went through the awkwardness (I know this cause I was friends with some of them) versus that of girls who have, and it's always the ex-teenage ugly Bettys, possibly because they've learned to make being on the outside work for them, who are more interestingly put together even if the ex-teen queens have better access to designer stuff.
I'm really rambling. Sorry.
Posted by: Blue Floppy Hat | 10 January 2007 at 17:12
This show is a copy of and indian one...there was this show about a "ugly" girl working in the fashion industry....in the end she "transformed" got the career and the guy.
on a side note....i don think the clothes in the show are bad at all....theyre fun....and not mundane...they could be mixed around betta though...
and yes plenty of high school sob stories for me too lol!
Posted by: amrita | 10 January 2007 at 17:13
She's actually quite pretty I think. In some sense, it feels as if they are trying to say "hey, break your stereotypes, it's not always like that". Or similar.
I understand what you mean by relating to the character, I think most people can because of various insecurities each person has in themselves. It's quite sad that they make it seem as if, to be fashionable, you have to dress like the 'mode' types. When in reality, that's not true!
Posted by: Leah | 10 January 2007 at 18:26
"And just to be clear, the outfit on the left, I would honestly wear out and about with no qualms or cares." By upstandingly straighten out this, you know yourself, that this outfit is by all means not considered as pretty. You just don't care. Of course this is what makes the whole thing cool. I would not wear it cause I'm just not that daring, but if I was, I would. With the right attitude you can wear what you want. Individually Betty's stuff might be not at all that bad. They're just worn strangely. My passed away grandma would have styled herself that way. Just to come to my point: It's always and !only! the way you wear out your stuff. If you see sth on a TV show that is sold as ugly and you knew how to wear it better, just go ahead. As long as it kinda fits you can style everything your way and make it look right... it's not t h a t surprising to find sth "ugly" beautiful.
Posted by: ninki_kitten | 10 January 2007 at 18:37
Cliched stereotyping aside, surely the biggest misjudgement here is that for someone supposedly not interested in clothes, Betty owns a relatively colossal amount! Someone truly uninterested would never go to the trouble of wearing completely different outfits everyday... and the clothes have life and soul!
Posted by: sopchan | 10 January 2007 at 20:54
^Yes that's the other weird thing. I really felt like I was going loopy because whilst everyone may deem Betty to be the fashion pariah, her wardrobe says different...
Blue Floppy Hat: Your comment was a touching one...I think you might have hit the nail on its head about people who have been through that awkward phase and some end up knowing theirselves better and reconciling themselves. I think because I thought I was so unattractive, I definitely used fashion as a way of escaping and making up for that... and in a way, has helped me overcome those insecurites!
Posted by: susie_bubble | 10 January 2007 at 21:06
Ah, thanks Susie.
Ugly Betty's outfits do actually look like a lot of fun. I'm a bit sorry the transformation and chic-ifying will have to take place at all, if it means she has to lose that quirkiness and look like a textbook picture of chic/pretty.
Posted by: Blue Floppy Hat | 11 January 2007 at 09:55
hey, i'm hannah. I watched Ugly Betty on Friday night and i have to say it's such a copy of The Devil Wears Prada. I mean Girl goes to work at Fashion magazine, doesn't fit in, blah,blah,blah! Also they Have 'clakers' and 'the Book' and it's a COPY!!!!! ( just thought I'd Express myself like that.) P.S love the blog, I can't believe you have been in Teen Vogue!
Posted by: hannah | 12 January 2007 at 13:57
i've been watching ugly betty for months (the cohort is a wiz with the tv torrents) and i love her wardrobe much more than many "fashion icons" of today. she obviously doesn't realise it but she has great style. no one should ever call her fugly.
Posted by: .francesca | 12 January 2007 at 18:03
Hannah, the show is a remake of a Columbian soap that came out before The Devil Wears Prada.
Posted by: pl | 12 January 2007 at 19:13
When I went to the Philippines a couple of weeks back some people said that my glasses made me look like Ugly Betty. Now I love my glasses, and some of the outfits up there I do like... but is that a compliment, an insult or an observation?
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Posted by: | 27 June 2007 at 14:00