Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat. The list of social media apps that encourage the use of different filters is growing. Not too long ago, it was fun filters giving the user bunny ears or hearts spread over their face. Now it is filters that make lips bigger and the skin softer. Some of them are even shown to cosmetic surgeons by potential patients, resulting in faces all around the world slowly but surely starting to look eerily similar. It’s no wonder that the Kardashians are often referenced when it comes to the topic of cosmetic surgery and the extensive, even dangerous, use of filters.
Only recently, Netflix has released a new movie, which is supposed to unveil just that — highlighting the dangers and insecure mindsets that are present on social media and spread through society like poison. Whether it is the chilling depiction of “perfect” humans who look like a walking Instagram filter thanks to cosmetic surgery or the fact that A Family Affair’s Joey King, Outer Bank’s Chase Stokes, and many more are a part of this project, the YA dystopian Netflix movie, Uglies, is sure to capture attention. Above anything else, though, Uglies conveys a message that might be more important now than ever before.
What Is Uglies About?
At the center of the story is Tally Youngblood, a 15-year-old teenage girl, who is desperately waiting to turn a year older in order to finally receive her cosmetic surgery and start her life in the city as one of the Pretties. Until then, she is doomed to spend her days in Uglyville, where she goes by the name of her biggest insecurity, Squint. Joining in the waiting game of getting a transformation is her best friend, Peris a.k.a. Nose, but their shared path ends with the day of his birthday three months before hers. Only her strong desire to see Nose again brings action back into her life, but when she breaks all the rules and travels to the city, Nose is not who he used to be.
Shocked by the realization, she is left trying to avoid being caught by guards, and with the help of an unexpected friend, Shay, she finds her way back to her home. While Joey King’s Tally is rebellious in the sense that she loves sneaking out and bending the rules inside the dormitory occasionally, Shay is rebellious in the way she thinks. She doesn’t find the idea of cosmetic surgery and perfect humans appealing, but much rather sees beauty in the uniqueness of people. It is Shay’s disappearance that sets Shay on a path toward an essential, even if dangerous, realization.
Uglies Is Based on A Book
Uglies is based on the dystopian novel of the same name written by Scott Westerfeld. Even though the Netflix movie was released just recently, the book was published all the way back in 2005. Uglies, which was written specifically for young adults, includes a handful of heavy themes, such as emotional and physical change, offering readers an important perspective on what society perceives as being pretty as opposed to what it truly means.
Originally, Uglies was the first book of a trilogy and was followed by Pretties, Specials, and a companion novel to the Uglies series, Extras. However, over a decade later, the author announced his new installment, the Imposter series, which focuses on a time after the Pretty Regime, and offers complex characters who are caught in non-stop action as well as a sweet romance.
What Is the Message of Uglies?
The message in Uglies is a simple one, even though society makes it difficult to grasp and remember sometimes. It is no secret that our world is filled with expectations. Whether it is good grades, an impressive job, or excellent behavior, the overall theme is perfection. Uglies picks up the same topic, but at its core is perfection from the outside. The common thought is that you can only become a part of society and live a fulfilled life when you are pretty, and the only way to become pretty is through cosmetic surgery. The message that is eventually conveyed in the movie and brought closer to the protagonist Tally by her friend Shay is that beauty comes from the inside.
Uglies shows that beauty comes in different forms and shapes and that beauty standards are futile. There is no need to follow any concept of beauty since society’s norms are constantly changing. Looking at it from a logical point of view, it can be argued that cosmetic surgery is often based on some sort of insecurity, which is fueled by social media. Uglies ensures that this point is brought across, as it quickly becomes clear that the leader of the Prettys’ city is pressing the younger population to look at their faults every single day, turning the decision of what they eventually want to look like into an impossible choice. It shows that insecurity is created from the outside, but what is on the inside is of much more importance.
Appearance-wise, there is beauty in being unique and having features that no one else has. The characters in Uglies constantly remind each other and the viewers of the very fact that this extensive cosmetic surgery cuts them off from who they truly are. Ultimately, the message is that there is no need to change yourself, because you already belong, just the way you are, but, most importantly, it is a reminder that everyone is entitled to make their own choice.
Why Is the Message of Uglies Still Relevant?
Even though the novel Uglies was released so many years ago, the message it conveys is still relevant, maybe now more than ever before. In the early 2000s, the desire to fit in with society’s problematic expectations and fulfill all the criteria in order to be regarded as pretty was as prominent as it is today. However, what wasn’t as prominent was the use of social media. Especially since the beginning of 2020, using social media at some point in the day has become as natural as drinking a glass of water.
For many, their day doesn’t start with having a cup of coffee or enjoying breakfast. Instead, the first thing they do in the morning is scroll through various social media apps. While there is a lot of inspiration that can be found on different feeds, social media have a major downside, which heavily impacts the mental health of young people, in particular. Users are fed the idea that they have to hide their true appearance in order to belong and be regarded as worthy of attention.
Social media create the illusion that only pretty, perfect-looking people are good enough to live a fulfilled life. Simultaneously, everyone else who doesn’t fall into the same category of appearance is taught to believe that they have no chance nor the right to feel like they are enough. What is incredibly important, though, is that this truly is manipulation. In Uglies, manipulation is shown to a greater extent. In the movie, it is all about using those beauty transformations in order to create lesions in people’s brains and take away their self-determination. In real life, this might seem overly drastic, but, ultimately, trying to fit in with these beauty standards and using cosmetic surgery to achieve them still takes away the uniqueness of each person and inevitably influences a person’s mindset.
There is hope that Uglies can be seen as an incentive to see the beauty in each and every person, whether it is from the inside or the outside, and remind each other that we are all pretty. Cosmetic surgery, softening or face-changing filters, the fundamental message to take away from Uglies today is that there are people out there who are waiting for someone else to take the step and be confident in who they are, encouraging them to do the same and overcome unnecessary societal norms.
Check out our interview with Uglies‘ Joey King and Brianna Tju below, and hear what they had to say about this passion project of theirs, the movie and the book’s relevance, and their sweet friendship. Uglies is available to stream on Netflix.
