My first college roommate, Marcie is a dear pal and downright lovely individual. What? You've never heard of her?! Okay, she's not Pauline Kael or anything... BUT she does currently reside in Austin, Texas where she's trying to pay rent by doing something that makes her happy, i.e. - nothing that involves cash registers, customers, uniforms or taking out trash. But seriously, she's a self-proclaimed optimist. She also likes UGLY BETTY a lot, which is why for her LOCO MUSINGS debut (and first blog entry ever) she's chosen to write a thank you letter of sorts to that bespectacled TV optimist we know as Betty Suarez.
Take it away, Ms. Mayhorn!
It is 12:57 A.M on a Friday night. One would think I would be out drinking the night away at the usual bar I inhabit, but tonight I wasn't feeling it. Tonight, I decided to stay in and watch the final episode of UGLY BETTY. And now, I can't shake this sadness. Let me explain...
I started film school four years ago. At about the same time, the show UGLY BETTY was premiered on ABC. I read about it, not quite sure what its premise was, but nonetheless I went about my business. It wasn't until my mother told me that she was a regular fan only after a few episodes that I started to become slightly intrigued, though I would never tell anyone this. The show revolves around around Betty Suarez, a 22-year-old Mexican-American girl trying to succeed at her job of personal assistant to the executive of a fashion magazine in New York City. Betty of course does not fit the "fashion" mold at all, with her frizzy hair, horrible red glasses and, most notably, her shining silver braces. She fits the description of "ugly". I watched a few episodes with my family, bouncing from season to season with word of mouth descriptions of what was happening and general boredom. Finally though, in the winter of my 4th year of college, I decided to give Betty a shot. I found a used copy of Season 1, and my friends and I embarked on a Betty path. I think it is safe to say that we went for two weeks straight watching at least one episode a day. We couldn't tear ourselves away from it.
The show struck me in a way that I did not think possible, and for one reason only - I could relate to everything that Betty was going through. Here was a girl trying to gain respect in a world so different from her own. She wasn't the "type" of girl that people were used to; she was ridiculed, taken advantage of, and pushed to quit. But Betty didn't... She faced every challenge with her head held high, even if she was afraid. She taught me that it is okay to be different. During my four years at school, I have constantly questioned myself and my abilities, asking myself almost every day if this is what I'm really meant to do. Seeing a show like this gave me hope - that I too, am just like Betty Suarez. Yes, being Mexican-American is part of it, but really that hard work pays off, and that, as cheesy as it may sound, dreams really do come true.
SPOILER ALERT I just finished watching the final episode of the show. It was recently cancelled on ABC, and the final episode premiered this past week. And I must admit - I was a little disappointed with the ending. But then I took a few minutes and thought about it... And, what do you know? I cried. Because in the end, Betty got what she wanted. At first I thought, "Wow, big surprise, Betty runs her own magazine now, that's what she's always wanted, no twists whatsoever." But then I remembered the past four seasons of the show, and how every episode was a new obstacle for Betty to conquer, and how it has taken her four years to achieve this goal. I cried harder because this show is coming to close just as my college career is ending. It's almost as if Betty herself has been embarking on this journey with me, telling me that everything is going to be alright, and that every day is an obstacle we must hurdle in order to achieve that dream of ours.
Betty got what she wanted, and I know that I will too. Because of her, I have learned to also keep my chin up, to battle the Whilimena's and Amanda's and the rest of the world that might not think I am capable of much, and to prove that I am anything but "ugly," just as she did.
I will miss you so much, Betty Suarez. I will never forget your heart and soul, your fumblings and bumblings and your cheesy smile. But I will always carry you in my heart, along with my own Ugly Betty, to show that people like you and I have the world in our hands. And we're not going to let people forget it. - Marcie Mayhorn
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