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Is there any correlation between physical attractiveness/dress sense and unpleasantness in people?

 
  

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ONLY NICE THINGS
10:51 / 03.05.07
Another interesting thing about Ugly Betty, of course, is that actually the only man who criticises her appearance is Mark, who is cartoonshly repulsed by women _anyway_. Daniel has to my knowledge never really made an issue of Betty's looks. Walter, Henry and Betty's orthodontist clearly find her attractive. It's only within Mode that she becomes "ugly" at all - take her a floor down to NYW and the description no longer makes any sense, even though she is in the same room as Salma Hayek.
 
 
Olulabelle
14:57 / 03.05.07
Well I think Daniel did make a comment about it at first, and then to his friend who came during fashion week. But then the 'ugliness' was overcome by her ability as his assitant.

Not to turn this thread into one about Ugly Betty.
 
 
All Acting Regiment
16:24 / 03.05.07
Could you explain this a little more? I have to say that honestly I can't see where you're getting this, and I've never heard the term 'Power Smile' before. Is there something specific about what America Ferrera is doing with her mouth in each photo, or is there a possibility that you might be projecting based on the other signifiers in each photo and your other ideas about the actress and the character she plays?

Ah, yes, possibly. Although I do think there are different ways of smiling IRL, yes? Or that a smile can express radically different things?
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
22:26 / 03.05.07
Yes, hypothetically. I'm just not seeing what you mean about those two photos.
 
 
This Sunday
22:29 / 03.05.07
I'm sticking by my assertion that those photos contain the same style of smile. Same tooth/lip positioning, et cet.
 
 
Shrug
08:46 / 04.05.07
People's pretty diverse appraisal of Betty's smile is quite interesting and makes me think of the Kuleshov Experiment.
While The Kuleshov Experiment was more specifically concerned with the psychological effect of editing, equally, signifiers like (clothes, hair, jewellery, etc) could lead to different suppositions regarding a person's intent/emotional make-up.(Which is so simplistic a thing to say as to be daft but nevertheless...)
 
 
This Sunday
09:09 / 04.05.07
It's one of the major tics for nineteenth century brand realism, in writing, too. And while it's not reliable, as far as being sure you're steering your reader, for various cultural and temporal reasons, it is effective at communicating something, those specifics of dress and style, hair, smile, and how straight their spine remains.

The problem being that, if it's not reliable in fiction, it definitely isn't in reality. Or perhaps that's backwards.
 
 
Quantum
22:18 / 14.05.07
I was thinking ugly betty reminded me a bit of Pygmalion, but having not seen it I can't say.
 
 
Olulabelle
08:43 / 17.05.07
Nothing like, because no-one is changing her to 'fit in'. She remains herself and things adapt around her.
 
  

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