Summary

  • The title "Ugly Betty" is not appreciated by modern audiences as it inaccurately describes Betty's appearance, which many find attractive and relatable.
  • The portrayal of gay men being more respected in the fashion industry in Ugly Betty perpetuates a stereotype that is far from reality.
  • The airing of Ugly Betty episodes out of order created continuity problems and made the series more difficult to follow, which is unusual for a television show.

Based on the telenovela, Yo Soy Betty, La Fea, Ugly Betty featured various elements including fashion, journalism, family, friendship, career, feud, coming back from the dead, LGBTQ issues, and in hindsight, some of these Ugly Betty elements have problematic touches. While all these things made the show interesting, it is the contrasting principles of different characters that added more realism to it. While we have Betty Suarez's (America Ferrera) father Ignacio Suarez (Tony Plana) who puts his daughters first, there is also Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa L. Williams) who prioritizes her career.

Released more than a decade ago, it was described as a one-of-a-kind series in American television at the time of its release. Be it the way people view aspects of storylines or even the law itself, so much has changed from when Ugly Betty first aired until now. On that note, some things in Ugly Betty aged well and would be part of modern television while others that did not.

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Ways Ugly Betty Has Aged Poorly

The Title

The Ugly fades in the Ugly Betty title card in the final episode of the series

Betty wore braces and glasses; she was not skinny and style-conscious like most people working at MODE, but these things definitely did not make her ugly. When the show ended, the "ugly" part of the title fades away leaving only Betty on the screen showing how she is not ugly anymore because of the change in her looks. With beauty being a very subjective concept, describing Betty as ugly is definitely something that audiences today will not appreciate. America Ferrera with glasses, braces, and layered, mismatched clothing isn't someone modern audiences find unattractive.

Pretending To Be Gay

Alec Mapa as Suziki in Ugly Betty

With the series being set at a fashion magazine, some of the stereotypes that are part of the niche setting were also brought up. One such thing is that Ugly Betty created the impression that gay men are respected more in the fashion industry than straight men. For instance, Suziki (Alec Mapa), a fashion television anchor, pretends to be gay while in reality he is married to a woman and has two sons.

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Elsewhere, there is Amanda Tanen's (Becki Newton) designer boyfriend who also pretends to be gay for the same reason. Now or even then, the aforementioned stereotype is far away from reality.

Episodes Aired Out Of Order

Henry looking to the left in Ugly Betty

For those who watched Ugly Betty live during its initial run, there may have been some confusion. The episodes didn’t initially air in the order in which they were produced. Even on streaming sites, they aren’t always placed in the correct order. That leads to continuity problems in the series. This is best exemplified in the first season of the show when Betty and Henry first meet. They’re introduced to one another twice in the first season because the episodes were reordered by the network after they were filmed.

Episodes are even further in a different order on the season 1 DVD with episodes two and three reversed, creating more continuity issues for those who were introduced to the series that way. It’s not unusual for network executives to make decisions about the production of a series, but it is unusual for decisions to be made that actually make the series more difficult to follow.

Retouching Photos

Betty Suarez wearing her red poncho to MODE

When Natalie Whitman (Sarah Jones), a popular actor is at Mode for a photoshoot, the team at the magazine company goes on to retouch her photo in such a way that she looks thinner than she really is. While Betty initially points out that it sets wrong body standards for young girls, she later agrees to Daniel's decision to use the edited photo. Later, the unedited photo gets leaked which eventually turns out positive.

While publications are still retouching photos, magazines these days also show people of different sizes. It's also well-known that this is common practice for magazines, while at the time, it wasn't. Ugly Betty makes it seem as though photo retouching is a necessary and positive thing since even Betty agrees for it to happen. That wouldn't be the case in modern television. A character like Betty would continue to fight for natural photo practices.

Illegal Same-Sex Marriage

Amanda, Marc, and Nick in Ugly Betty

When Wilhelmina and Marc go to jail to visit Connor Owens (Grant Bowler), Marc points out the way it only takes 20 bucks and five minutes on a computer for her to get married to Connor, but it is illegal for Marc to marry a man. While gay marriage was not legalized then, almost a year after the series ended, same-sex marriage became legal in New York in July 2011. This means unlike then, Marc can get married to his partner thus taking away the reason for his sarcastic comment. The comment isn't in poor taste, but instead, is a a reflection of the time in which the series was created.

Too Old For Modeling

Daniel Meade in his Office in Ugly Betty

Wilhelmina tricks Daniel into thinking that a designer specifically requested that Daniel model for their show. Excited about it, he agrees to it and starts preparing for it. He is then constantly reminded of how he is too old to be modeling until he looks at his own reflection and realizes that he is not young enough for it.

Models like Lou Kenny who walked the runway when she was 58 and Joani Johnson who was part of Rihanna's Fenty campaign at 67 show how the fashion industry has changed its perspective on older models.

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Ways Ugly Betty Is Timeless

Finding A Profession

Ugly Betty's Amanda Tanen sitting at her desk

Unlike Betty who was sure that she wanted to be a writer, Amanda was not sure what exactly she wanted to do in her life. She only knew that she wanted to have a career in fashion because of her interest in and knowledge of it. The storyline following her self-discovery from being an actor to being an assistant, receptionist, designer, and finally becoming a stylist is something that many audience members can relate to even today. Many people start out in one area of work and then shift to a career path that makes them happier. Amanda having this journey to find a career that works for her is part of her own coming-of-age in Betty's story.

Justin's Supportive Family

A compilation of images of Justin in Ugly Betty: Justin with Hilda, Justin with Betty, and Justin dancing with a boy

Justin Suarez (Mark Indelicato) discovered his sexual orientation and grew to understand himself over the course of the show. While he was constantly bullied in school for his interest in Broadway theater and fashion, his family supported him all the time and encouraged him to be true to himself.

Unlike Marc St. James's (Michael Urie) mother who walked out on him for being gay, the Suarez family celebrated Justin coming out in order to show their support. The situation definitely reflects how more people are accepting of homosexuality in the late 2000s than just a decade earlier.

Skinny Models

Betty sitting with model in Ugly Betty

Betty constantly talked about body positivity and was not happy with the idea of using only skinny models in the magazine and fashion shows. In one instance, she encouraged Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) to hire healthy models which he agreed to. However, when the same issue was brought up to Wilhelmina, she pointed out that designers prefer skinny models so that the focus is on the clothes and not the models. Even today, most designers use skinny models on runways for supposedly the same reason.

The fact that Ugly Betty was willing to address the topic was really ahead of its time. Very few other shows, movies, or even novels, were talking about thin models as opposed to larger models in magazines or on runways. Some designers have begun to embrace different body types, and if Ugly Betty were airing today, Betty would likely have been pushing for that in the series too.

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Fashion's Impact On Eating Habits

Justin and a few teen girls visit the MODE office in Ugly Betty

Over many instances in the series, there are different characters concerned about gaining weight. That's seen as common in the fashion industry where the employees are surrounded by extremely thin models and celebrities on a regular basis. For instance, Marc was seen skipping breakfast because he had French fries the previous night, and Amanda repeatedly refused to eat carbs. Then, there are the schoolgirls who came to visit the MODE office who threw away their sandwiches because they didn't want to become fat.

Unfortunately, the fashion industry has continued to impact the eating habits of many people because it has led many to think that only being thin is beautiful. Models and celebrities continue to come forward with stories about their relationships with food as a result of their careers. Since 2020, musician and actor Demi Lovato has been candid about her own struggles with food and substance use. Ugly Betty's pointing out of those skewed relationships with food is just as relevant more than a decade later,

Ageism In The Work Place

Amanda and Christina in Ugly Betty

Though models have continued to work to later ages than they might have 20 years ago, that doesn't mean ageism in the work place doesn't exist, and Ugly Betty gave a great example of that. During a conversation with Amanda, Helen (Kristen Johnston) told her that she used to be a receptionist too but had to give up on the job when she became old.

Amanda immediately became worried about her future and the way she would also lose her job. Unfortunately, even today it's more likely to see a young receptionist and sometimes job descriptions also have a specific age requirement. In the fashion industry where Amanda was working, that is probably due to the false mindset that a person is beautiful only until a certain age.

Betty Embraced Alexis

Rebecca Romijn as Alexis in Ugly Betty

There has been a lot of commentary from modern viewers who see Ugly Betty’s problematic elements more clearly than those who may have been watching when it first aired. One of those problematic elements is the transphobic comments and deadnaming of Alexis when the character debuted (and the casting of Rebecca Romijn instead of a trans woman to begin with). Many of those transphobic elements, however, are actually an important part of Alexis’ story.

The comments were largely made by characters like Wilhelmina, Marc, and Amanda, who are equally mean-spirited toward everyone initially. They are meant to demonstrate how two-faced the characters can appear, treating Alexis nicely, and then making snide comments behind her back. As these characters grow, they become more likable in Ugly Betty. On the other hand, Betty made a point to educate herself about what being a trans woman meant, and she also provided research for Daniel so that he could make an effort to have a better relationship with his sister. That element of Alexis’ story in Ugly Betty is not problematic, but a great way for the character to handle Alexis’ introduction to her boss’ life.

Ultimately, like any television series that is made during a well-defined time period, there are going to be elements of Ugly Betty that transcend the era in which it aired and seem timeless. There are also going to be elements of a show like Ugly Betty that appear controversial or problematic, allowing modern audiences to open a dialogue and understand why those elements were there in the first place.