Uglies by Scott Westerfeld: An Exploration of What it Means to be Pretty

Fig. 1 Russell Gordon and Rodrigo Corral, Uglies, book cover.
Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uglies. Accessed 7. Dec. 2025.

Uglies: An Overview

         A perfect addition to a class reading list centered around complex gender dynamics and elaborate dystopias is Scott Westerfeld's novel Uglies. According to the synopsis published on Goodreads, the novel follows the journey of protagonist Tally Youngblood, who is about to turn sixteen (Uglies). As discussed in the Goodreads summary, turning sixteen in the world of the novel means that characters must undergo a surgery that will turn them from "uglies" into "pretties" (Uglies). This becomes a problem for Tally when her friend Shay goes missing because she doesn't want to get the surgery. A choice is offered to Tally, "find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all" (Uglies). Ultimately, Tally's decision at the end of the novel to (WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD!!!) sacrifice herself and get the pretty operation for the sake of her friend is what makes the lessons and discussions of the novel so rich and well-aligned with the learning objectives of this course. 

Uglies and the Dystopian Genre 

        Like most dystopian novels, Uglies is set in a futuristic world where a new society has been constructed. According to the blog post "The Uglies Trilogy, and its Messy Legacy", the novel refers to past generations as the "rusties" and blames them for ruining the Earth 300 years ago (Crow Defeats Books). In the world created by Westerfeld, people are segregated by age and therefore beauty, since your age defines whether or not you have gotten the surgery to become pretty (Crow Defeats Books). While some of the dystopian novels read in class subtly imply dystopian elements, these elements are extremely prevalent in Uglies. It may make a good starter book for the semester, since the ways in which the novel's society shapes gender roles and expectations is much more obvious than in other novels.  

Uglies and Gender Analysis

        The novel Uglies contains a rich exploration of the beauty standards many women face and a protagonist who subverts traditional gender expectations. In her article "Why the Prince Bites It", author Gail Sidonie Sobat discusses traditional story lines in many fairytales, where the prince saves the princess while the princess does nothing for herself (141). Sobat then goes on to explain how protagonist Tally Youngblood completely flips this narrative because she is "[n]ever one to sit idly by and watch others-particularly males-do the acting or the dragon slaying" (142). The novel offers more than just discussion of female gender roles, but male as well. Tally has two love interests in the first book, Peris and David. Peris lives in the dystopian society and has undergone the surgery, while David lives outside of the society in what is known as "the smoke" and has not had the surgery (“Uglies - Character List”). The contradiction of the two characters can offer a rich discussion regarding society's expectation that males behave a certain way and embody certain characteristics that make them "manly".

Uglies: Final Thoughts

Fig. 2 Uglies, alternate cover. Simon &
Schuster, https://www.simonandschuster
.com/books/Uglies/Scott-Westerfeld/
Uglies/9781665940658. Accessed 7 Dec.
2025. 

        Scott Westerfeld's novel Uglies would make a great addition to the class reading list not just because of its strong dystopian background and rich exploration of gender roles, but also because it has a movie adaptation. In past classes we have written papers where we compared discussions present in the novel with those in the film adaptation and analyzed their consistency and differences. This ensures that students still read the novel, seeing as how they have to directly compare it to the movie. In addition to the discussions the novel facilitates on gender, it also provides room to discuss race and ethnic identity as well. According to a summary provided by Crow Defeats Books, "everyone is a vague olive skin, chosen from a limited slider by scientists who talk about the ideal human face being pure biology". Crow Defeats Books goes on to explain that the society in the novel did not trust people to treat everyone equally, so they decided to make everyone look the same. With so much to discuss and a protagonist so tough that she'll surely be a class favorite, why not include Uglies on the reading list? 

                  

Works Cited 

Crow Defeats Books. “The Uglies Trilogy, and its Messy Legacy.” Crow Defeats Books, crowdefeatsbooks.wordpress.com/2023/10/26/the-uglies-trilogy-and-its-messy-legacy/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025. 

Sobat, Gail Sidonie. "Why the Prince Bites It." Children's Literature Review, edited by Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 225, Gale, 2018, pp. 141-146. Gale Literature Criticism, link.gale.com/apps/doc/NGZHHE155553127/GLS?u=cwupa&sid=bookmark-GLS&pg=142&xid=63d89fd0. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025. Originally published in Mind-Rain, edited by Scott Westerfeld, Benbella Books, 2009, pp. 69-82.

“Uglies - Character List.” SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/uglies/characters/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025. 

Uglies. Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/book/show/24770. Uglies. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025. 

“Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - Review.” The Guardian, 22 Feb. 2016, www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/feb/22/uglies-scott-westerfeld-review.