Ugly Betty Meets Minging Liz

“TOMORROW: THE REAL-LIFE UGLY BETTIES.”

The Sun has noticed that with Celebrity Big Brother failing in the ratings it is time to focus on another TV show.

So here is Ugly Betty, the Cinderella story of a girl who despite being ugly still gets to live the American dream. With luck and pluck she will rise to the top to the fashion world and earn enough money for some liposuction, a facelift and regular sessions with a hair removal practitioner.

It can also not fail to escape anyone’s notice that Ugly Betty wears braces on her teeth. These braces are both massive and terrifying.

But the braces will make Betty’s smile engaging and straight. You cannot help but think that had Ugly Betty been Minging Liz in a UK version of the show, she would have crooked, stained and missing teeth.

And tomorrow the Sun will show the world some real life ugly women. Fed on a diet of Page 3 stunnas, Wags and soap babes, Sun readers may find it hard to believe that people are less then perfect.

Tomorrow the Sun will dismantle the myth. You want ugly women? The Sun will give you some pug ugly women, no matter how long the search takes.

And the things we can expect are highlighted in this story. “Nerdy,” says a sub-heading. “Pimples,” comes another. “Ugly” is the watchword.

But beneath that panoply of manmade fibres, glasses and face metal, Betty is really not that bad looking. The Sun says America Ferrera (even her name is part of the dream) is a 22-year-old “beauty”.

She is not. She is 22, of that there is little doubt. But beauty is not the word many would choose. America is not bad looking. She is what may be termed a handsome woman.

And, in any case, if she were a ravishing beauty, would America have got to play Ugly Betty? Or would this talented actress have been forced to try her luck as the screen heroine, the siren of major films?

And then what her chance of success?

Posted: 10th, January 2007 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink