Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Cover of the first book in the Uglies series

 

Overview

       Uglies by Scott Westerfeld focuses on 15 year old protagonist, Tally, who lives in Uglyville-- the town right next to Pretty Town. Uglyville is where those are considered "uglies" must live until they reach the age of 16 and can undergo cosmetic surgery to become "pretty" and move to Pretty Town. Uglies are not allowed to cross over to Pretty Town until they complete their surgery. Tally's best friend, Peris, has just moved to Pretty Town as the novel begins and while she is only months away from her own surgery, she decides to secretly visit Pretty Town one night. During her journey to and from Pretty Town, she meets another fellow ugly named Shay. Both girls soon form a friendship and learn that they will both be having surgery at the same time. While Tally has been obsessed with receiving this surgery, Shay expresses her belief that society is manipulating them to believe they are ugly when they actually aren't and refuses to partake in it. Shay introduces Tally to David at a place called Smokes, a community of rebels that also refuse to undergo the pretty surgery. As the two girls continue to butt heads and disagree about the intentions of society regarding what it means to be pretty, Tally eventually leaves Shay and returns home to receive the operation. On her 16th birthday, she meets Dr. Cable who tells her that they have been after her friend Shay for a while and that if she wants the surgery she must reveal everything she knows about the Smokes and where Shay is located. Tally must decide whether she should betray her new friend Shay to receive the surgery or follow in Shays footsteps, by resisting society's expectations to transform into what the government believes is beautiful. 

Discussion of Gender 

    Gender is a powerful lens that we have discussed throughout the course of this semester. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld represents gender identity and emphasizes societies expectations for both female and male adolescents appearance by forcing characters like Tally to undergo cosmetic operations by the time they reach age 16. In class, we have talked about the value of gender within literature and media, focusing on looking at works from the perspective of the body itself. Reflecting back on Uglies, this novel captures this topic perfectly illustrating how society can manipulate young teens relationships with their bodies, pressuring them to feel like they have to look a certain way rather than embracing their natural traits. In Pena's book review, she explains the details of the surgery and points out specific changes made to female bodies by saying, "facial features are carved and filled until perfectly symmetrical, eyes enlarged, lips plumped, legs elongated, abs carved"(2020). These features can add to a great discussion about gender. Changing young teen girls lips to be more pumped can indicate that they are trying to sexualize and manipulate girls bodies to fit an idealistic beauty standard of female girls. From another perspective that can create complexity when looking from a gender perspective, carving girls abs could open up a discussion about how society is trying to shift female bodies to look more athletic in relation to masculine bodies. This concept can reflect the pressure females might feel towards shaping their bodies to look both physically fit and desirable. By exaggerating these changes in the pretty surgery, readers can think critically about how gender norms influence self esteem, body image, and personal identity from a young age. 

    Female empowerment finds itself becoming immersed within this novel through Shay's character, giving readers more opportunity to think critically abut gender identity. Shay's character criticizes the established beauty center and challenges the expectations to undergo mandatory pretty surgery through acts of defiance. In the novel Shay chooses to stay "ugly," illustrating her identity as one of independence, confident, and strong. These characteristics Shay upholds serves her as a model for female empowerment which opens up for a great discussion of gender representation and identity. Through Shay and how other male characters interact with her, readers can engage with the way gender norms are reinforced or challenged within society. In Shay's case she is challenging the gender norms societies by breaking away from the submissive and delicate female stereotype and rising to become a powerful figure who demonstrates self-determination and independence. These traits are not limited to any gender and allows readers to see the impact female empowerment can have internally and externally when Shay interacts with other characters. 

Discussion of Dystopian

    In Uglies, Westerfeld explores a dystopian society that takes place in the future and exposes political and social control the government has on people by forcing unified beauty standards on its citizens. Something that makes this novel particularly interesting when looking at dystopian elements is what the protagonist represents. Tally finds herself immersed in the desire to be pretty and views the mandatory cosmetic surgery as a system that is fair for their community. Wilson further elaborates on this in their book review saying how, "in many dystopia novels the protagonist hates the system and wants to get out of it, but here we have a protagonist who is desperate to turn pretty and thinks her friend is crazy for running away and wanting to stay ugly. This aspect of the novel is really refreshing" (2015). It is clear that this dystopia novel has a certain way of capturing the reader like Wilson's attention by breaking away from the normal standards for dystopia novels and standing out on its own. In comparison to other novels we have read this semester, this novel is similar to The Compound by Aisling Rawle regarding the type of protagonist that loves how the system operates. Both Tally and Lily find themselves immersed in how each dystopian system runs the community. In Lily's case its materialism and in Tally's its beauty. This type of protagonist can showcase how manipulation works effectively when individuals believe the system is acting in their best interest. Tally's eagerness to uphold the societies norms can highlight how dystopian control can be easier, help with fear, and make an individual feel like they belong. 

    Article: "The Ultimate Guide on How to Start a Beauty Business,"
 October 23rd 2019

     This novel does a great job criticizing society's obsession with beauty and thoroughly explains the struggles of pretty privilege. One component of this novel that really strengthens the discussion of dystopia is how appearances impacts the way the rest of society treats you. In this novel, the "uglies" live in Uglyville, a town of poverty and outcasts. Meanwhile, those that live in Pretty Town and uphold the beauty standards are treated with more respect and have more luxuries surrounding them. The background of this story highlights and criticizes the idea of pretty privilege in society. Pena comments on this topic in her book review explaining how "the correlation between appearance and a life of luxury is made explicit in the book, making pretty privilege abundantly clear." Furthermore, she goes on to express her love for the book, saying it was one of the best dystopia novels she had read in a long time because of its uniqueness (2020). The clear separation between what it means to be pretty and ugly not only engages readers like Pena, but also captures a larger picture of how society views physical appearances and uses it to control ordinary citizens into believing their worth is defined by how they look. 

    Defiance is also a large part of this novel and how the progress progresses, making it a valuable literature work that could potentially be added to the class list. Dystopian societies are only represented best when there are other characters or elements in the narrative that challenge the system already in place and reveal its flaws. Characters like Shay and David who openly express their hatred towards the Special Circumstances organization and the mandated pretty surgery help readers see the oppression embedded within the governments control and highlight in various ways how personal autonomy is stripped away from citizens due to these laws and manipulation tactics. Through using defiance and having characters like Shay and David rebel, this creates an exciting rising action in the plot that keep readers on the edge of their seat and recognizes the value in resistance as a tool for exposing the truth behind manufactured societies. 

Works Cited

 Wilson, M. “Book Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.” The Last Book On The Left, 25 Sept. 2020, thelastbookontheleft.com/2015/01/26/book-review-uglies-by-scott-westerfield/. 

Pena, Olivia. "Must Read for Teens: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld." Public Sociology, 19 Oct. 2020,                                         courses.bowdoin.edu/sociology-3325-fall-2020-opena2/book-review/.