Entertainment: Is Ugly the New Beautiful?

The reason that the less than Giselle-Bundsen beauty who plays the lead character in Ugly Betty has made such a splash with audiences is because there has become a niche for someone who is less than perfect to admit that they’re less than perfect and that they hope to be as perfect as everyone expects them to be, but that the odds are really against them, and that they’re going to have a good life anyway, but they’re always going to strive for that goal of being beautiful in a commercial way.

This niche has been left because the alternatives are shows where the female characters are glamorous, like Desperate Housewives, Sex and The City, Friends, etc. Or….the female characters are slobs like Roseanne who was bitter about her appearance.

In the wake of Little Miss Sunshine, there was perceived a tremendous audience support, approval and empathy for characters who wanted to be admired and loved, but just aren’t up to the standards of Giselle Bundchen or even Teri Hatcher or Nicolette Sheridan — and probably never will be. We still loved them. And we love Ugly Betty.

AND THEN THERE’S THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE VISUAL IMAGE…AND IT’S IMPACT ON TELEVISION…AND IT’S IMPACT ON WOMEN…

One of the biggest changes that technology has brought to dating is the visual image — it’s more accessible than ever. And when it comes to dating, men are visual creatures by nature. And for women, seeing a man before she dates him will give her some clues as to what kind of person he is — at least physically. Same for men.

That’s why digital images are so important to dating. Photos taken by phone, camera or computer camera are valuable for online dating profiles or just sending images to others who want to fix you up on a date.

Not only are the pictures of yourself important for dating, but what you include in the picture, as well as the context the picture is taken in, will help daters make choices. Semi-nude or nude pictures definitely advertise a sexual relationship, whereas a picture of someone at a desk, in a suit, or with a child advertises a much more chaste or conventional relationship.

If online daters like each other’s profile pictures, getting more photos — by phone or by e-mail — are great ways to get a little more insight into who the person is. And digital cameras and photos make this kind of communication possible and easy.