
Society's preoccupation with beauty puts extra pressure on young people who are already busy trying to build a good career and enjoy life. Society says we have to be beautiful and slim if we want to be happy and successful. But do we? Does a pretty face and a good-looking body make you a better person? Better at your job? More important than someone who got hit with the ugly stick at birth and could afford to lose some weight? A hit TV show is certainly questioning our obsession with beauty. Ugly Betty, an American sitcom, is generating plenty of buzz with viewers around the world, not only because it is smart, funny, and easy for viewers to identify with, but also because it highlights the problems with society's obsession with beauty, all in an easy to digest and amusing TV show.
當今社會對美麗的盲崇給那些疲于創業和享受生活的年輕人帶來了額外的壓力。社會輿論無時無刻不在叫囂:想要幸福和成功,天使臉孔和魔鬼身材是不二法門。但果真如此嗎?是不是有了姣好的面容和玲瓏的身段,我們的人格就能升華,我們的事業就能成功了?是不是外表完美了,我們就比那些天生相貌平凡、身材臃腫的人更有價值了呢?最近一部正在熱播的美國連續劇就對我們已經走火入魔的“美麗”情結提出了質疑。《丑女貝蒂》在全球觀眾中掀起熱潮,該劇之所以能成功,不僅因為其劇情幽默、充滿智慧、使觀眾容易產生共鳴,更重要的是,它用一種輕松詼諧的手法將我們這個社會對外在美近乎瘋狂的崇拜表現得淋漓盡致。

Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), the star of the show, has just graduated from college and is looking for a job. With good qualifications and references, intelligence, a warm personality, and low expectations, she should easily be able to find a good position in her chosen industry - magazine publishing. But after knocking on every door, she still can't find a job. When she finally lands a job interview at Mode - the most important fashion magazine in the country, she is practically thrown out because her appearance doesn't cut it. However, through a unique turn of events, she is eventually hired by owner Bradford Meade to be his son's assistant, purely due to the fact that she is unattractive - Bradford Meade knows his son certainly won't make any moves on her, so he might finally get some work done.
該劇的主角貝蒂(亞美莉卡#8226;弗倫拉)是一個剛從大學畢業、正在四處求職的大學生。貝蒂有很好的學歷背景和推薦信,加上她聰明熱心,而且對第一份工作的要求也不高,按常理說,她很容易就能在自己喜歡的行業內找到一份好工作——雜志出版業。但事實上她卻到處碰壁,最后好不容易才得到一個去全國著名的時尚雜志社面試的機會,卻因長相和氣質平平而被拒之門外。但柳暗花明,機緣巧合,她最終被雜志社的老板布拉德福德#8226;米德相中,做了他兒子的助理。而雇傭貝蒂的原因竟是她毫無吸引力的長相——布拉德福德#8226;米德相信他的兒子絕不會對貝蒂動心,這樣就有可能專心工作。
Betty suffers all of the usual problems many of us suffer when starting a new job - working out how to fit in with her co-workers, trying to dress appropriately, and trying to make some new friends. However Betty's situation is exacerbated by the fact that almost all of her coworkers only care about appearances. With Betty's poor dress sense and \"ugliness\", she becomes the laughing stock of the company, as well as a target for mean pranks and nasty jokes.
最初貝蒂遇到了所有工作新手都無法逃避的問題——絞盡腦汁和新同事打好關系,著裝得體,結交新朋友?!?br>