S-05. Ugly Betty

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Hello. I'm Marina Santee.

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And I'm Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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Pooja Bhatt remembers when she was a little girl in India. She remembers a particular day. She received a gift. It was a plastic doll. Pooja looked at her doll. She touched the doll's long hair. She looked into the doll's blue eyes. She talked quietly to her doll. She treated the doll like a real person. This was a special doll. It was a Barbie! Many girls wanted a Barbie. Barbie was very beautiful, tall and thin. Barbie had nice clothes to wear. Barbie even had a good-looking boyfriend doll - Ken. Many people believed Barbie was the image of a perfect woman. Pooja hoped that she would look just like Barbie when she grew older.

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Years later, Pooja Bhatt has become a famous actor in Bollywood, India's film industry. For a long time Pooja did not think she was beautiful. She believed she was fat. Many of her employers in the film industry also believed she was fat. They said she needed to lose weight - about ten kilograms. Pooja remembers:

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'You have lost so much weight Pooja. Good! I am happy to see that you are taking this seriously.'

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Pooja tried to speak. But the man just kept talking:

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'Continue losing weight. It is good to be thin.'

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From an early age people learn to believe that beauty means good. 'Ugly' just means 'not beautiful', but people act as if it means 'bad'. In popular children stories, the heroes and heroines are always good-looking. And the evil creatures like witches and monsters look ugly. For example witches have pointy noses and long chins. And they try to hurt children.

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People often carry ideas about beauty from childhood into adulthood. Research by expert doctors shows that these ideas can affect human behaviour. For example, people do not vote for presidents or prime ministers that are fat or unusual-looking. Normally top elected officials have a full head of hair. They look young for their age. And they appear strong and healthy.

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This way of thinking can affect many areas of life. News reports found that in court, good-looking people on trial may get less severe sentences. People often believe that a person with a sweet, kind face could not do very evil things.

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Good-looking people may have an easier time finding a job. Employers in many countries ask for pictures of job candidates. The most beautiful people have an immediate lead. This is particularly true in parts of Asia. The competition for jobs is increasing. People believe that if they are good-looking they will find a job more easily. Many young women are making sure they fit the public idea of beauty. They are having plastic surgery. This involves an operation in a hospital. The women can experience a lot of pain. And they may pay a lot of money for the surgery. But they want to do it. They believe their faces and bodies will be much 'nicer'. One employer in China said:

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'China has so many people. How do you make yourself important? Imagine your employer sees two people with similar skills. He will surely choose the person who looks better.'

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Some people blame television producers and magazine owners for the public's extreme interest in beauty. They think young people do not see enough real people represented. Pooja Bhat agrees with this:

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'Most films and television shows create an idea of female beauty. But more than ninety percent of women cannot reach this idea. Most covers of women's magazines have at least one lead story about how to change our physical looks.'

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One television programme from the United States raises questions about popular ideas of beauty. The programme is called 'Ugly Betty'. It is based on another television programme, from Colombia - 'Yo Soy Betty La Fea'. In the US version, Betty works for an important fashion magazine. This magazine has pictures of the newest clothes. All the girls who work for the magazine are very beautiful and very thin. But Betty is not beautiful. To begin with, she cannot see very well. So she wears thick eyeglasses. Also, her teeth are not straight. To correct this problem she wears metal braces on her teeth. And Betty is not thin. To make things worse, Betty wears unusual clothes. She does not care if the colours or materials do not look good together. She does not even care if the clothes fit her badly.

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But Betty is a very loveable person. Betty is kind, intelligent and wise. People who watch the television programme like her very much. Betty comes from a poor family. And her mother died when she was a girl. But Betty thinks about good things. She does not feel sad for herself. And she is not angry. She just tries to do the best she can in her life and work.

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It is not easy. Many times her co-workers insult her clothes. Betty says that she simply does not care about fashion. It is not important to her. Betty knows who she is. And she likes herself. Pooja believes that knowing yourself is important.

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'Women especially need to understand that improving yourself from the inside out is more important than from the outside in. Take my own example. I was a film heroine for about fourteen years. And I was trying to lose weight for at least seven of those years. Every year there was a new diet. And every year my health got worse. I wish I had thrown away all those Barbie dolls. Today I weigh more. But I am healthier. I understand now that I just need to be myself. And I am finally free.'

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Joel Olsteen is an expert in the area of self image and change. He has written books and given speeches on the subject. He is minister of a Christian Church in Texas. He meets many people who want to change themselves in some way. They are not happy or at peace with themselves. So what advice does he give them? Joel says that happiness and peace will not come from changing the outside appearance. A good self image comes from knowing what you are worth.

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'You may think you have many weaknesses. But you are very special to God! You are created in his image. Too many times people compare their lives to other people's lives. They do not celebrate what God has given them. Begin to see yourself as God sees you - his most valuable creation.'

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The writer and producer of today's programme was Rachel Hobson. All quotes were adapted for radio in this programme. The voices you heard were from South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Computer users can find our programmes on our website at www.radio.english.net. This programme is called 'Ugly Betty'.

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Thank you for joining us today. Until next time, goodbye.