UK Orthodontists: Down With Betty!
July 14, 2009 by Tom
British Orthodontists are speaking out against Ugly Betty.
They are upset over two things: the use of braces to portray someone as unattractive, and the fact that Betty’s braces are unrealistic.
I did not know this, but according to dentists, "train track" braces are very seldom prescribed to adults. One thing the orthodontists say that I do know is that even when they are prescribed, they are not worn for more than two years.
Most people I know (almost all of them children) who have braces wear them for about 18 months.
So, I can agree with the docs there. Most all Ugly Betty fans agree that the braces have to go, and costume designer Pat Field has promised that they will in season four.
(I wish they’d bring back Dr. Farkas for this, but that bridge has been burned, I think).
Tracey Posner, of the British Orthodontic society, said: "It is irresponsible of the programme makers to portray Betty as ‘ugly’ because she wears prominent braces…Betty’s braces are certainly intended to be seen by viewers as damaging to her appearance.
People who wear braces are not ugly. People considering treatment should not be put off by such a stereotype.
Many young people and adults see wearing braces as a right of passage, and enjoy the transformation."
It should be noted that most "Bettys" in the various incarnations of the show do not have braces – wearing glasses is the far more common method of un-beautifying Betty. The American version of the show has a bigger budget, though, so costume designers went for the Big Four: braces, glasses, bushy eyebrows, and unkempt hair.
America Ferrera is also "normal" sized instead of a size zero, which certainly diminishes her looks in the eyes of superficial Mode Magazine fashionistas.
But, back to the subject at hand. Dr Colin Wallis, a specialist orthodontist, said, "It is completely inappropriate to associate braces with being ‘ugly’, just as glasses have previously been an object of ridicule."
Yet, then we get to a chicken/egg situation.
Tim Newton, professor of psychology at King’s College London’s Dental Institute, said: "A student of mine, Huw Jeremiah, has done some work looking at public perceptions of adults wearing orthodontic devices.
"Essentially he found that adults wearing stainless steel brackets were considered less intelligent than adults with no visible brace, so there are social impacts of wearing braces.
"There is a long body of psychological research that has found that we tend to think that ‘beautiful is good’ – that is that attractive people are more popular, socially skilled and intelligent than less attractive people."
So, Ugly Betty may be reflecting social mores (however unfair) instead of creating a stigma out of thin air? Also, anyone who watches the show knows that Betty is always portrayed sympathetically, and the fashionistas are portrayed as superficial and mean.
Besides, have you seen how much action Betty gets? 
Image: Bauer Griffin
Ooh! Maybe they will bring Farkas back when Betty gets her braces off! I hope they do. I loved him!
First of all, these orthodontists are taking it all waaaaay too seriously. Betty’s braces are just one thing about her appearance that makes her stand out from everyone else around her at Mode. Second of all, there is a major factual error in the article where they state, “It should be noted that most “Bettys” in the various incarnations of the show do not have braces.” Absolutely EVERY one of the international Bettys has worn braces, as well as glasses. Each and every one of them.
I just noticed that the part about the other international Bettys was not in the original article, so I guess you wrote that, right Tom? Anyway, as I said in my previous post, all of the Bettys have worn braces. There was talk that Brazil’s Betty (in “Bela, a Feia”, which premieres in August) would not have braces or glasses, but I doubt that this is true.
I just got off the phone with my niece and, coincidentally, she told me that she just got her braces off yesterday. Thinking back, I realized that it seems that she had them for a loooong time, so I asked her when she got them and she said six years ago. I found that surprising, considering it is much longer than the average, so I guess it wouldn’t be extremely unusual if Betty had her braces on for as many as six seasons, if it weren’t for the fact that they have already established that Betty got her braces a while before she started working at Mode. My niece thought it was funny when I congratulated her for getting her braces off before “Ugly Betty”.
I myself had a schoolmate who had braces for six years, so it does happen sometimes. The first orthodontist I consulted wanted to put me in braces all through high school, and my teeth weren’t especially horrible (I wound up spending two years in Invisaligns).
Of course *British* orthodontists are pissy about Betty’s braces…British orthodontists have a hard enough time convincing patients to get their teeth straightened! According to my friends in England, very few Brits go beyond cleanings, having the occasional cavity filled, and absolutely necessary extractions – it’s seen as “vain”, and no one wants that.
I wore permanent braces until last week for a bit more than a year and a half, and the only drawback I found is that people look at you as much younger than you are… I used to have trouble getting into some clubs (I’m 23) and I had to show my ID because they thought I looked younger than 18… but no one ever considered me less intelligent or competent because of my braces, in fact, I work as an English teacher and my students respected me the same way.
I think Betty portrays a stereotype, because it’s not only braces that make her ‘not as beautiful as so and so’ (I don’t believe there are ugly people, every one has their own good and bad things) it’s the whole thing, she wears glasses AND braces, her hair is most of the time unkempt, she’s clumsy, etc. I think that orthodontists got a bit touchy about the subject… lol
I really, really don’t get why people get their undies in such a twist about the lack of realism on “Ugly Betty.” It’s based on a Spanish soap-opera, for the love of Pete. If I want a gritty imitation of realism, I’ll watch old episodes of “Law and Order”
And I happen to agree with Tom. The entire driving force behind the show is taking what society, like it or not, dubs as “unattractive” and turning it on its head through the strength of Betty’s character. Apparently the show needs to open with a disclaimer: “You’re watching ‘Ugly (the title is ironic) Betty’”!