In that distant 1999, Yo soy Betty, la fea, the most international telenovela in the country, arrived on Colombian television. The plot, starring Ana María Orozco and Jorge Enrique Abello, not only managed to conquer the local public, but also the different countries where it has been broadcast.
With the arrival of streaming services, fiction has seen how its success has increased. His characters, but especially the story behind each one of them, has given rise to more than one debate, but also to various analyses.
YOU CAN SEE: Final of Betty, the ugly: secrets exposed by its actors in funny special
Who has shared their comments on the success behind Yo soy Betty, la fea es Giuliana Cassano, professor at the PUCP Academic Department of Communications. The specialist explained that the soap opera, through humor, “reveals machismo, the places of power between men and women, and the discussion about what it means to be beautiful or ugly.”
Likewise, Cassano explained how Betty, la fea exposes what hegemonic and heteronormative beauty means in society. For the teacher, the way in which female characters are described, their physical appearance and their fields of action build a stereotyped image of women.
“One of the fundamental characteristics in female representation is beauty. Although in recent years there has been a change in the way women are presented on screen, the stereotype of hegemonic beauty still exists, “he shared.
“Even though Betty is smart and responsible, she can’t get a job because she’s ‘ugly.’ She accepts this derogatory term but claims it, that is, transforms it to achieve bonds of sisterhood. Thus, it joins the ‘Cuartel de las feas’ as a support among its members,” it reads.
The also member of the Peruvian Audiovisual Observatory Group (OAP-PUCP), analyzed the dichotomy or separation between the ugly and the pretty in the plot, where some represent goodness and others evil, a scheme that later disappears.
“For example, we feel empathy with Marcela for Armando’s mistreatment, or with Patricia when she was the victim of Daniel Valencia. The characters and their dialogues address issues that are currently part of feminist debates,” she explained.
Betty’s convictions as part of the plot innovation
Giuliana Cassano shares that part of the important moments of the fiction are in the convictions of the protagonist, who seeks to exercise his career and support his family throughout history.
“This profile contrasts with the female characters that have dominated the screens: women who need to be rescued. I think the important thing about Betty, la fea is that it keeps us talking and questioning these issues, 23 years later. That’s what good stories do,” he said.