"Yo Soy Betty La Fea" Unites Colombia!

I was truly inspired after reading Juan Forero's New York Times article entitled, "An Ugly Duckling Wins TV-Watchers' Hearts". To hear how a telenovela such as, "Yo Soy Betty La Fea" has ultimately brought a struggling country of turmoil together for 30 minutes everyday is phenomenal. As a country, Colombia has been dealing with warfare and corruption, yet the airing of this telenovela has provided temporary comic relief for Colombians.

In Colombia, beauty is everything and women are even required to provide a photograph when applying for job positions. It is no wonder that "Yo Soy Betty La Fea" has received such rave attention since the telenovela goes against Colombian norms. Millions of Colombians tune in to see what Betty would get get herself into despite what is going on outside of their family homes. And Betty doesn't stop there. There have been other versions of the telenovela worldwide, including the United States, which makes this telenovela inter-cultural and something numerous of cultures have in common.

During class time, we discussed the impact of politics on telenovelas and "Yo Soy Betty La Fea" is an example of how reality's struggles are ignored and put to the side by a group of people who sharing a common interest for a cultural phenomenon. Not only is Colombia's current turmoil not thought of while its citizens watch this particular telenovela, but they are also provided temporary peace. And that is absolutely beautiful. Thanks Betty.