Keris Stainton's latest look at the TV women we love...
When Betty Suarez turned up for her interview at Mode in the first episode of Ugly Betty, I was afraid for her. I knew mockery and derision was bound to follow, but I underestimated Betty’s response to it. Once she realised she would be mocked, she accepted it, understood it had more to do with the people laughing at her than it had to do with her and got on with the job in hand.
As assistant to playboy and new editor-in-chief of Mode magazine, Daniel Mead, Betty has her work cut out. Not only does she have to deal with the stresses of her day job, she has to manage Daniel who doesn’t have Betty’s maturity. He’s lucky to have employed her though and he knows it. One of the things I love most about Ugly Betty is Betty’s relationship with her boss. They clearly care for each other, but unlike a lot of TV shows, there’s no lurking sexual tension, just mutual respect.
When Daniel’s fiance Sophia, who Betty had just begun to work for, humiliated and dumped him on live TV, I worried that Betty wouldn’t be able to resist the charms of her new job and would choose to stay with Sophia. Again, my fears were in vain - Betty quit that same day. It wasn’t just what Sophia did to Daniel that Betty didn’t approve of, it was Sophia’s lack of honesty and integrity.
It’s not just at Mode that Betty shines, she takes care of her family, sometimes to their irritation, but she’s obviously been looking out for them for so long that it’s become second nature. Yes, they resent the long hours she has to work, making her miss family events, but they also know that what Betty does she does for the good of everyone and not just herself. That’s why I’m so desperate for her to get together with Henry. Yes, Walter’s sweet, but you get the impression that Henry sees just how special Betty is and will treat her the way she deserves to be treated.
The irony of the title is clear: despite the hair, the brows, the braces and the clothes, Betty is far from Ugly.
Keris Stainton co-edits Shiny Media’s fabulous women’s fiction blog, Trashionista and contributes to TV Scoop and The Bag Lady. She's got a crush on Daniel Mead, but she doesn't like to talk about it.