Ugly Betty, Tyra, Willa & Vanessa: When Pretty People Act Stupid

Who knew that fat suits were making a comeback among the pretty & thin in Hollywood? Recently, I've noticed this trend slumping its way back into pop culture. I thought it was over after the movie Shallow Hal came out. You remember - just how did they get Gywneth Paltrow to look fat? Who's the real fat chick? What's it like to be that fat & unattractive? Fortunately, Gwyneth Paltrow's movie flopped, she moved her skinny ass to England and popped out a few kids that gave her cellulite. That experience made her develop a social conscience & helped her to start thinking that she was above Americans. And the trend went away.

Well, with the popularity of ABC's breakout hit, Ugly Betty, this very serious issue has come to the forefront for Americans to deal with: conduct a "social experiment" by having the beautiful people walk around in fat suits! Let's get them to walk around in a fat suit so they (and America) can see what it's like to be experience the only acceptable form of prejudice left - openly critizing fat people. I guess from the outset it sounds like a good idea - get people to think twice before judging a book by its cover, blah, blah, blah... So, my problem isn't with the premise per se, it's with the execution.

Instead of just getting a regular person dressed in a fat suit, they go out of their way to get some traditionally beautiful person to don a fat suit & clothes that NO ONE ( fat, unattractive, nerdy, lacking any fashion sense, glasses-wearing, bad skin having, no sex having, social misfit, wallflower, crazy person, homeless person, serial killer or otherwise) would EVER wear! Let alone pair all the aspects of a hideous outfit together for a complete ensemble. All of the women that participate in this 'experiment' resemble both the looks & social ineptness of the Pat character from SNL.

I think it started with the Tyra Banks show. Last Spring, Tyra performed the "unthinkable" by donning a fat suit for a few hours, getting uglied up and walking around town to see what both men & women's reactions were. So, she proceeds to get done up in the ugliest outfit the world has ever seen. Tyra rolls the footage to her audience. Both men & women treat her badly. She gets indignant & angry at possible suitors. She rips off the fat mask to reveal her glam self to surprised men. Her audience swoons with sympathy. The camera cuts to Tyra. Tyra's literally sandwiched between two big mamas. I worry that Tyra may have fallen through the sofa cushions. Then, the truly unthinkable. F------ Tyra is being COMFORTED by the 'real' ugly & obese! Like, " there, there skinny one. It's a good thing that you don't have to go through your entire life looking like us. It's good that you only have to do this for a few hours with a camera crew." Ugh.

You'd think & hope that the insanity would have ended there, but it gets worse.

Recently, The Insider/Entertainment Tonight thought that it would be great to have Vanessa Minnillo (Nick Lachay's gf) dress up too. Vanessa, frequently the subject of paparazzi photogs, got made up in her two-tone wig, fat suit, hideous & huge clothes and took to the streets of NYC. While watching the story, I didn't know whether to be insulted or laugh at a nervous & shaky Vanessa getting prepped. Vanessa asked what size the denim skirt was that she was going to be subjected to wear - wait for it - a whopping, fat size 12! While trolling the streets of NYC, poor Nick Lachay's girl got the shock of her life & experienced (gasp!) discrimination. She stood crying into the camera. Sadly wiping away tears with her well-manicured nails.

At the same time, the entertainment news show Extra decided to take Willa Ford, a Playboy model & Dancing with the Stars nobody & do the same to her. They had Pretty Willa & Ugly Willa. To get Ugly Willa's look just right, they added pimples, thick glasses, crappy, messy hair, a hideous outfit & an aura of no self respect. Ugly Willa stumbled & fumbled her way through the day. Pretty Willa walked into a room & had men wrapped around her finger within seconds of entering the room. Willa was upset & horrified over the difference in treatment she experienced from people based on her appearance.

She asks the camera in a tone of righteous indignation "Don't these people know that I was in Playboy? Grrr..."

At that instant, my mind flashed back to a scene where Ugly Willa is bending over in the street hopelessly fumbling about. All I could think of was - well Willa, maybe they would have recognized you if you were bent over that way ... and had no clothes on.

Pretty people pretending to be Unpretty ....So Unpretty.