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Jaime Pressly from My Name Is Earl hates Ugly Betty. But I don’t exactly understand why.
According to In Touch, Jaime Pressly thinks Ugly Betty is a joke. “It bores the hell out of me. I can’t stand it,” she said. “They’re purposefully big-upping the ugly fat girl to make everybody feel great, but it also glamorizes the fact that people are getting plastic surgery because they can. It’s really bizarre.”
The crucial problem here is that I don’t understand what “big-upping” is. Oh god, I am old. I mean “big-upping the fat girls” seems like a great tagline idea, if I could be sure that it was a good thing. Anyway, if you are watching Ugly Betty (it’s on opposite The Office, so I don’t watch) I would love to know what you think of its underlying message regarding fat. Is it good or bad?
Also, America Ferrera is still fabulous. And not fat.
It’s ironic, because if you hang around with many actors you discover that most of them don’t look that great either. It takes hours of make-up to make these people look the way they do. So it makes me feel good when young girls write in that Betty makes them feel beautiful, or their mothers write to say that Betty has really helped their daughters feel good.
Big ups to her! (See? Totally getting the hang of it.)
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Anna Nicole Smith, Celebrities, TV
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Big up is a good thing! It means you are giving props to someone. So you can use that tagline! It’s a pretty awesome tagline.
How in the world does Ugly Betty glamorize plastic surgery? It’s not mentioned often on the show, and when it is, the characters who talk about it are airheaded bimbos or bitches we’re meant to dislike. Ah, but I love when a hater hangs themselves out to dry.
I don’t know what big-upping means either, but I assume it is some derivative of “big ups.” Are those like Pull-Ups, only plus-sized? Anyway.
I love the show Ugly Betty. Thank God for TiVo because if I had to pick between The Office and Ugly bets, I’m not sure which I’d pick. Ugly Betty isn’t fat. Or Ugly, for that matter, she’s just not a glamorpuss, and she’s not very stylish (okay, that’s an understatement) compared to her insane fashion-magazine co-workers. But the show is intentionally overdramatic and extreme, in the style of a Univision telenova, and Salma Hayak created it that way on purpose.
The show’s message is that in the end, the good guy (or girl) hopefully does win, and that we’re all cheering for her. And that having integrity, brains, and honesty pays off in the end… it is a great show. Definitely get it on NetFlix when it comes out on DVD!
I think she’s just irritated because “Ugly Betty” kills “My Name is Earl” in the ratings. Honestly, I find “My Name is Earl” to be a fairly fat-positive show, Jaime Pressly notwithstanding. Like, I wouldn’t stop watching it just because of this statement.
I *love* Ugly Betty. I think it’s a fabulous show, full of really good and positive messages about a variety of things – not just fat positivity – and the characters are just a riot. I am in love with Marc and Amanda. And Daniel. Rawr. Hott. :D
First of all, I co-sign the comment about DVRs, because now I can watch my NBC Thursday night comedies and “Ugly Betty.” Loves it!
Second of all, the message that I’ve taken from “Ugly Betty” is that even if the world considers you less-than (in all the different ways that the world could consider you less-than), being smart, caring, and a good person is what matters most in the long run. It’s a feel-good sort of show, for all types of people.
I don’t even think betty is meant to be fat – only in comparison to her size zero fashionista colleagues – i’ve always taken any references to her weight as being ironic – she’s not fat, she’s not ugly – she’s just different and “unfashionable”. I think they would have chosen a bigger actress if they wanted to make a point re: fat positivity. Personally i would rather look like america ferreira than jaime pressly any day of the week. If you see pictures of her when she isn’t being betty, she is gorgeous. Much more stunning than jamie. Her smile is insured for some ridiculous sum and she looks healthy and happy.
Just to second the first poster, “big up” means to praise, compliment, extol the praises of, etc… It’s a *good* thing.
I’ve heard the expression “I give big-ups to” before, but never heard it used in that context, “big-upping.” weird.
I guess she was trying to say they make the ugly fat girl look good compared to everyone else. Jaime Pressly just needs to get her head out of her ass.
Sorry in advance for the long post and slightly off-topic rant! ;-)
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I can’t really comment on Ugly Betty because I’ve refused to watch it. A) I don’t need yet another soap opera/telenovela in my life (LOL) and b) the title and the previews of the show turned me off.
The title: Ugly Betty? Sure, she may not be stunningly gorgeous compared to the models in the agency (normal size, out-of-date clothing, glasses, braces), but by no means is she ugly.
The previews of the show: In the commercials to promote the show, you can see Betty turning up in the agency in a very colorful and quite ugly poncho. My first thought was “Just because she doesn’t look like a model doesn’t mean she doesn’t have common sense.” I mean – if I am going to work in a modeling agency (or any office for that matter), I’d wear standard business attire (basic business suit) – it doesn’t have to be expensive OR by some designer. And we know it is possible to buy business clothing in normal and in plus sizes.
But as I stated before I have never watched the show in whole, so I may have gotten a wrong impression – to be honest I have never cared enough to find out if I’m wrong or not. :-)
What also added to my not wanting to watch the show: Here in Germany we had (still have) a German version of “Ugly Betty” which started airing about two years before the American version did. For this version, the producers took a well-known, size 4 German actress, stuck her in a fat suit so that she was a size 10 (why didn’t they pick a normal sized actress in the first place?), made her wear tight, fugly clothing, braces, glasses and a horrible wig (that looked as if she had never combed her hair in her entire life).
The show – even though it actually wasn’t that bad – just slaughtered every cliché in the book: The frumpy, “fat” girl from the country who gets a job in a fashion company in the biiiiig city and falls in love with her good-looking, yet vain and unreachable asshat boss, hoping he will finally see past the glasses and recognize her beautiful personality. You got the impression that just because a girl is fat and from a rural area, she has no idea how the world turns – as if brushing her hair and buying clothes that fit are things that only city people do. *shakes head*
Anyway, when “our” Betty married at the end, I felt as if she had sold out. She had turned into a thin fairytale princess bride without glasses and braces and had finally learned to brush her hair. I have absolutely nothing against the transformation (every girl should do what makes her feel good!), but it projected the message that the media/society preaches every day: You have to be slim and good looking (no glasses/braces/blemishes/abnormalities/etc.) to find truuue love and happiness. Gah. Since I feared that “Ugly Betty” would send the same message, I didn’t even start watching it.
I have to say, that is my greatest fear for the US “Betty”; that they give in and end up with the perfect fairytale ending, Betty being transformed into a sleek fashion goddess. It would just be a complete slap in the face to thinking fans, and kind of an “f-you!” to the message of the show. I’m thinking that even if Betty and Daniel get together, she won’t get the whole “extreme makeover” treatment; I imagine he’d be the one that changes the most.
I love the show Ugly Betty. I don’t see how it glamorizes plastic surgery…it just shows the extremes that people will go to in the fashion industry just to fit into the ideals of beauty. Betty is a fabulous character who is proving to everyone that she’s worthy of working in the industry even though she’s not a “typical” beauty. It sends the message that you can be successful and feel good about yourself even if you don’t fit the standards.