Review #1 of Yo soy Betty, la fea- Alexis Farmer

        The telenovela that I selected to watch is Yo soy Betty, la fea. This Colombian telenovela is about a girl named Betty, who interviews for a job as the secretary to the president of the company, Eco Moda. She is much more qualified for the job than her competition, Patricia, but initially loses out because she does not fit the standard of beauty that the interviewer expects her to meet. He says, "Ella es fea," when explaining why he does not believe she would be a good fit for the company. 

        Right at the start of the show, I decided to take a break to research the reality of societally-deemed "attractive" people getting treated differently than societally-deemed "unattractive" people. A 2011 study from Harvard demonstrated that people view women who wear makeup as more likeable, trustworthy, and competent. Even though Betty had the experience at the Montreal Bank and was more academically-qualified than Patricia, the interviewers still saw her as less competent and unable to do the job. 

        Another thing that stood out to me was the difference in the way both Betty and Patricia were treated during the interview. While Patricia was speaking, the employer stood up, smiled, and listened intently. Meanwhile, while Betty spoke, the interviewer frowned at Betty and seemed to ostracize her, and then proceeded to walk out of the room while she was still speaking. The difference and disrespect was so evident, and it made me feel sad for Betty. They treated her as if she was less than them because of how she looked, and it was one of the most shallow things I have ever seen. Especially because part of the show is filmed through the perspective of her own eyes, I could truly feel the pain of the blatant disregard she was experiencing.

Betty

 Patricia

        As I continue this show, I am excited to do more research on the beauty "norms" that exist in Colombia and other countries and what created those standards. I despise that the phrase "It's what's on the inside that matters" does not prove true in this show or in this world, as the studies I found prove that idea entirely wrong. They took one look at Betty and decided she did not deserve a chance because of their preconceived notions, which was incredibly horrifying and awful. The whole episode was disgusting and bothersome to watch. Betty is a wonderful person and a wonderful fit for the job, but because she does not fit their idea of "attractive", she initially loses the opportunity. I am so excited to get to know the character Betty more and watch her prove the employers wrong.