Why Latines Have Been Awaiting the New “Betty La Fea”

When “Yo Soy Betty, La Fea” aired its first and solely season beginning in 1999, nobody may have imagined the influence a Colombian telenovela that adopted Betty Pinzón, a unusual, company Latina protagonist navigating her profession and love life, would have on hundreds of thousands of individuals world wide. The present was televised in 180 nations, dubbed in 15 languages, and remade into 28 worldwide diversifications — with probably the most distinguished remakes starring America Ferrera as “Ugly Betty.”

In “Betty La Fea” — and each rendition thereafter — Betty’s lengthy, frizzy darkish hair, outsized glasses, mouth filled with braces, and bushy eyebrows elicited unwarranted disgust and ire from most of her coworkers. Her seems had been the throughline of each episode, which was becoming, on condition that the Spanish title interprets to “I Am Betty, the Ugly One.” However for numerous Latines who grew up watching the present, Betty was a beacon of hope for these of us raised in beauty-obsessed Latine cultures.

Betty’s perseverance whereas combating the stress of society’s magnificence requirements made her probably the most relatable TV characters of our time and definitely performed a task in making “Betty La Fea” essentially the most profitable telenovela in historical past. After greater than 20 years because the authentic sequence’ launch, Betty returns to the small display within the new Prime Video sequel “Betty La Fea, The Story Continues.” It is going to stream on July 19 with the unique solid, together with Ana María Orozco because the titular star. She’s now in her 40s, seems elegant and is taken into account a profitable girl, mom, and spouse. However together with her return, Betty is again to remind us and people round her that her success was by no means solely contingent on her appearances.In truth, that is the primary lesson Betty teaches us firstly of the 1999 “Betty La Fea” sequence.

Forward of the sequel’s launch, it is necessary to relive the unique. Within the very first episode of the telenovela, two jobseekers are interviewed for a similar assistant position on the trend firm Ecomoda. Whereas the hiring managers ogle the blonde-haired, blue-eyed applicant Patricia, they gawk and grimace at Betty. Betty is aware of, based mostly on their response, that she made the best determination not attaching her headshot to her resume or else she most certainly would not have made it this far within the hiring course of. Even after seeing her, Ecomoda president Armando realizes Betty has the required experience and competence to advance the corporate’s wants and he hires them each — a lot to the hiring managers’ chagrin.

Within the 2006 U.S. adaptation “Ugly Betty,” Betty Suarez dizzyingly traversed between the 2000s American tradition’s obsession with thinness and Latine tradition’s obsession with curviness. Her coworkers blatantly shamed her for her physique, typically going so far as insinuating that Betty did not deserve designer garments or the alternatives she labored for as a result of they thought she was unattractive. In the meantime in Colombia, the place plastic and beauty surgical procedure had been widespread and gaining traction all through the remainder of Latin America, Betty Pinzón confronted an infinite quantity of feedback about how not even cosmetic surgery may make her lovely. As a substitute of getting worn down by their commentary, Betty processed her feelings and confidently carried on to chase and obtain her goals.

Whereas we now stay in a post-Girlboss world the place feminine empowerment is prevalent in TV reveals and films like 2023’s “Barbie,” “Betty La Fea” challenged the definition of magnificence world wide, particularly in Latine communities, on the flip of the twenty first century. For a lot of Latinas who grew up watching “Betty La Fea” and “Ugly Betty,” it was about extra than simply seeing our cultural struggles with not possible magnificence requirements mirrored on a display. We now had our personal Latina heroine who challenged magnificence norms and succeeded despite the misogyny she confronted at each flip.

In 2024, Betty continues to mannequin the ability of self-assuredness within the face of adversity and the modern-day issues that include being an bold profession girl, mom and companion. She works on breaking generational trauma by repairing her relationship together with her teen daughter Mila and encourages her to chase after her ambitions in trend. Lastly, as Betty returns to Ecomoda, the place her story started, we get to see her confront Armando, Marcela and the opposite characters who relentlessly undermined and underestimated her.

Whereas Betty is now conventionally lovely in “Betty La Fea, The Story Continues,” life is not essentially simpler due to it. In truth, when Betty faces powerful choices that may change the trajectory of her household’s success and her romantic relationships, she trades in her fancy garments and smooth hair for her previous secretary-themed wardrobe and reverts to her previous curly coiffure, full with bangs that she lower herself. As Betty makes house to be taught new classes in these new elements of her profession, parenthood and love life, she’s bracing herself to share essentially the most actual, weak and empowered model of herself we have ever seen.

Zameena Mejia is a Dominican American freelance author born and raised in New York Metropolis. She is enthusiastic about storytelling and uplifting various voices in magnificence, wellness, and Latinx way of life. Zameena holds a BA in journalism and Latin American research from the State College of New York at New Paltz and an MA in enterprise reporting from the Craig Newmark Graduate College of Journalism.