Last summer, I finally decided to check out the show Ugly Betty, on ABC. I had heard so much about it and it instantly became my weekly addiction. Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) is the lovable nerdy, “ugly duckling”, who sticks out like a Fendi bag at a Coach store at the prestigious fashion magazine, Mode, as a personal assistant to Daniel Meade (son of publishing giant, Bradford Mead).
Ugly Betty is the adaptation from the Columbian show, “Yo Soy, Betty, la fea”, which has since turned into different versions of the show in other countries as well.

The show which also stars Vanessa Williams as the in -demand fashion diva who is the Creative Director, is filled with laughs, petty fights, and insight into the high paced fashion and publishing industry. Although the show is called, Ugly Betty, she has surfaced as a stronger and more confident character this season. The show is funny, but it exploits the idea of how we view people. After being hired in the first season, Betty definitely struggles with fitting in with the people she has to work around. As comical as the scenarios are, we still see Betty as a real person. Most of us may or may not have black rimmed glasses, braces, bad fashion taste, and an overwhelming case of constant clumsiness – but there’s a bit of Betty in all of us.

No matter how beautiful or confident we may often feel, sometimes we just don’t feel like we fit in at a certain environment. We’ve all had an experience where we didn’t fit in; whether it was at college, high school, work, a friendship circle, or in our family. However, beyond the glamorous fashion world Betty experiences at work, she has family issues as well. She returns home to a family which struggles. Her sister is at times unemployed, all while trying to care for her son,J ustin and her father has immigration issues. Yikes! Through those entertactions with her family I saw that she does go home to issues just like myself and many other people I know. She’s real, she’s human, and she has to balance life just like we all do.

Despite her appearance, and her lack of knowledge of the scene she is in, she emerges as a strong character. The character of Betty is extremely charasmatic and you can’t help but want to see her progress as a person in the show. There is everything, but ugly about Betty. She’s in all of us; we all have a bit of “Betty” . She doesn’t need to change what she looks like to be “beautiful”, she simply is beautiful because she exhibts the imperfections in us all, but is still inspired and motivated.

The character of Betty has her own website filled with “Bettyisms”. The site centers around the character of Betty. She tells us about her start at Mode, her family life and even some career advice. Step into Betty’s world at
Betty Suarez.