The Ugly Truth

Welcome to 2024, where the cult of perfection crumbles as pretty privilege loses its edge.

Have you created Pinterest boards of “It-Girl” aesthetics or liked Instagram posts of perfectly polished lives? Maybe you have tried the latest TikTok workouts, crash diets, or even dabbled in the contouring wizardry of the Kardashians as a veiled attempt to gain access to the lustrous world of pretty privilege. Because not doing that nowadays is almost considered an act of rebellion. But, what if the world we’re chasing with this is actively falling apart? What exactly is pretty privilege though? Or its traditional ideology, anyway?

Pretty Privilege can be described as the advantages some people get due to their physical appearance in social, economic, and political settings. This is where the traditional definition ends. However, Pretty Privilege may also create a dynamic that fosters discrimination, resentment, and discontent. An easy way to recognize that is to reflect on yourselves: Do you think you have pretty privilege? (You don’t need to admit it out loud). How many times have you been able to use that to your advantage? How many times has it worked as a disadvantage? Have those disadvantages ever cost you relationships or even your mental health? A 2023 study did suggest that pretty privilege can result in a decline in mental health and cause a lot of induced stress (The “Gorgeous, gorgeous girls have mental health issues” meme on Instagram may have some truth to it). You may realize that having that privilege isn’t what it is cracked up to be. Well, I am here to tell you that “Ugly Privilege” may have started to become a thing, and being perceived as “ugly” in 2024 may just be better than being perceived as “pretty.” But what is ugly, anyway?

As you know, the traditional definition of Ugly is to find someone extremely unpleasant or repulsive in appearance. However, similarly to Pretty Privilege, this definition of Ugly doesn’t fit well today. It now represents every unique feature that doesn’t fit into the glamourous (and unglamorous) world of Barbie Doll noses, inflated lips, and high cheekbones. Hence, being Ugly in 2024 refers to anyone who doesn’t fit our unrealistic beauty standards. If you haven’t guessed already, that is all of us. However, with the rise of advanced technology and cosmetology that emerged with high fashion in the 1990s, we are able to morph our faces and our bodies to fit into the very narrow scope of conventional attractiveness. And with it came the tireless attempt to be “heroin chic.” But what happens when everyone morphs their face to fit one kind of beauty standard? We all blend in.

Take Madison Beer, for example —once the poster child for elusive beauty standards, she now finds herself trapped in a paradox. Sure, she’s gorgeous, but in a world where everyone else is playing copy-paste with the same perfect cheekbones and glossy lips, her beauty feels less like a privilege and more like a limitation. It’s hard to stand out when the only thing distinguishing you from the next “It-Girl” is the shade of your lip gloss. Madison Beer herself commented that she is “not being taken seriously” and has since embraced the pimple patch look, wearing her blemishes as accessories.

The rest of Hollywood is catching on too. Several stars like Millie Bobby Brown have shown up at interviews and red carpets with clean faces, wearing only blingy hyaluronic stars. On the other hand, Mia Goth and Noah Cyrus are leading a quiet rebellion by shaving off their eyebrows—a symbolic middle finger to traditional beauty norms. Similarly, Dove Cameron went out of her way to achieve aesthetic perfection during her Liv and Maddie days, but once she got it, she bounced back and changed her face again, not necessarily to look “pretty” but to look unique.

Meanwhile, Victoria’s Secret (yes, they’re still trying) attempted a comeback, banking on nostalgia for supermodel slimness and the so-called elite look. But the once-coveted “heroin chic” body type now feels as relevant as low-rise jeans (which we collectively banished for a reason). Supermodel slimness doesn’t scream “privilege” anymore, it whispers, “try harder.”

That being said, it turns out that chasing unique beauty in 2024 means still not having your own face. Because people are not getting surgery to fit in anymore, they are getting it to stand out. What once was an exclusive club of pretty privilege has now turned into a vast open space of reinvention. Thus, the rise of the ugly aesthetic. And when I say ugly, I don’t mean repulsive. I mean messy and imperfect and untweaked.

So, let’s raise a glass (filled with your finest green smoothie, obviously) to ugly aesthetic. Here’s to the future of beauty—where pretty privilege is a thing of the past, and the real privilege is simply being yourself. Cheers to embracing The Ugly Truth.