History Main / TrueBeautyIsOnTheInside

Contrast with IJustWantToBeBeautiful.

* Done ''beautifully'' in the ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' episode "To Helga and Back" where Johnny orders what is essentially a mail-order bride. Of course what he gets is ''hideous'' and all he wants is to get rid of her. He drags her to places like the monster truck rally and pro-wrestling trying to drive her away, but it turns out she's into all that stuff as well and falls for him harder. After everything is said and done, he has an epiphany about how "she isn't pretty, and she doesn't smell too good", but comes to the realization that she's the perfect woman for him and decides her looks don't mean anything. Unfortunately this leads to him trying to woo her with his ''typical'' Bravo charm, which [[StatusQuoIsGod very promptly disgusts her and makes her dump him]]. Poor guy.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You", Rarity wastes a day angsting over her ruined mane before realizing that, by "shin[ing] from the inside out", she can still come across as beautiful (with a little help from a punk rock vest and mohawk hair weave).
* This is basically the message behind the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS11E14TheList The List]]". The girls make a list that ranks the boys from cutest to ugliest. Kyle is voted the ugliest[[note]]It turns out that the list was tampered with in order to kiss up to Clyde (who was voted number one) so that the girls could get free shoes from him, as his dad owns a shoe store.[[/note]] and spends the episode being depressed and contemplating burning down the school for it. The ghost of UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln visits Kyle and takes him on a journey to show him that ugliness can be more of a blessing than a curse. First, they visit an older woman who was considered the most beautiful girl around when she was younger. Everything was handed to her and boys would constantly tell her she was interesting, smart and funny, but none of it was sincere and she was able to coast through life on looks alone and never had to develop a personality. It wasn't until the woman reached middle-age and began losing her looks that she realized she wasn't very interesting and special at all and now has nothing to show for it. Next, they visit one of Kyle's new ugly friends who is learning to play the piano. Abe tells Kyle that the ugly friend may be struggling now, but the struggle will pay off when he's an adult. Since ugly people have nothing handed to them and are given no special treatment whatsoever, he'll have to put in work in order to make people appreciate him and as a result, [[MiseryBuildsCharacter he will develop character]], something that people who are hot rarely do.

Compare BeautyEqualsGoodness and BeautyIsBad. Related to EvilIsSexy. Often paired with UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain and BeastAndBeauty. In settings with InterspeciesRomance, this can override the belief of the non-human party that HumansAreUgly, and can even explain ''why'' characters from different species with vastly different standards of beauty would still be attracted to each other.

** Played straight in the [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera 1990 miniseries]]. Although Christine initially faints at the sight of the Phantom's face, she gets over it and by the movie's end, is able to remove his mask and kiss him without flinching, showing that she knows he's a good person deep down. (Even though while he isn't nearly as bad as his theatrical incarnation, he still murders several people who dare to venture into his lair and terrorizes Carlotta much in the same way as he did in the show.)

* ''Literature/JenniferMurdleysToad'' by Creator/BruceCoville is about an ugly girl with a nice personality. At the climax of the story she encounters a witch who [[spoiler:offers to turn her "inside out," metaphorically speaking, so that her inner beauty will be on the outside, but upon thinking about this, Jennifer realizes that this would make her ugly on the inside, which she realizes would be worse]]. So she stays outwardly ugly (but a good person).

* The song "Style Where It Really Counts" from the end of the ''Little Dogs on the Prairie'' episode "A Flip, A Twirl, A Wave, and A Curl" is all about this trope.

* Creator/DustinHoffman realized this when preparing for ''Film/{{Tootsie}}''. When made-up to look like a woman, Hoffman asked the make up artist to make him look more beautiful. The artist told him that's as good as he was going to look. Looking at himself as a woman he had an epiphany. In an AFI interview in 2002 he tearfully admitted there were too many interesting women he ignored before that moment because they didn't fit the standard of beauty that society had instilled in him.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' did slightly better in that Fiona decided to become an ogre at the end, keeping the trope intact. Of course, she was a rather cute ogre, and was voiced by the even cuter (at the time) Cameron Diaz, which tended to deflate that, especially since Shrek was an ogre and one assumes he finds ogres attractive. [[MarsNeedsWomen Not that it's particularly easy to tell]]. Taking both to their logical conclusion makes this a sort of a reverse "Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast" as it would mean that Shrek first fell in love with Fiona ''despite'' her human appearance once he discovered he and she actually shared a lot of things in common. It just so happens that her human form was one most audiences would consider beautiful.
** However the sequel is probably a straight example of this since Fiona chooses Shrek as an ogre despite how handsome he was as a human and that she herself would live as an ogre instead of a human. And she even chose him over Prince Charming

* Music/MichaelJackson's ''[[Film/MichaelJacksonsGhosts Ghosts]]'' short film tried to impart this moral as well as disprove LonersAreFreaks. Jackson played two characters at odds with each other -- a Mayor and the mysterious Maestro (really, Jackson himself) -- and stated in the making-of documentary that the Mayor's problem was his inability to see a person's inner beauty; just because a person looks and acts strange doesn't mean they're bad. But it's a BrokenAesop -- Maestro is a JerkSue and the Mayor himself is presented as an {{Acceptable Political Target|s}}: a fat, middle-aged white guy whose concern over [[RealitySubtext young boys secretly meeting up with Maestro for ghost stories]] is seen as merely bigotry against anyone who's different.

* Done in the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' episode "Pokemon Fashion Flash", though somewhat poorly -- Vulpix is ''[[RidiculouslyCuteCritter not]]'' a particularly ''un''attractive Pokemon (its personality is more of a DefrostingIceQueen, ironically), and yet it's used to prove this point. (Specifically, her trainer cultivating its natural beauty is contrasted with the tacky makeovers Jesse, James, and Meowth are giving other Pokemon.)

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* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', during the episode, "The Girl Who Waited," Amy Pond had an absolutely ''beautiful'' speech about this regarding her husband [[http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/12700000/Rory-Vampires-in-Venice-rory-williams-12748792-500-281.jpg Rory,]] whose nose and general adorable awkwardness made a few people think that Amy might be a step or two out of his league (This was before he took his multiple levels in badass.) Then she says this:
-->'''Amy''': You know when sometimes you meet someone so beautiful and then you actually talk to them and five minutes later they're as dull as a brick? Then there's other people, when you meet them you think, "Not bad. They're okay." And then you get to know them and... and their face just sort of becomes them. Like their personality's written all over it. And they just turn into something so beautiful. Rory's the most beautiful man I've ever met.

* Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway pokes fun at this in a sketch based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Quasimodo (Ryan) tells Esmeralda (Colin) how beautiful (s)he is. When Colin tells him that he is beautiful too, Ryan claims to be hideous, only for Colin to chuckle and come back with, "I didn't mean on the outside!"

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* This is basically the message behind the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS11E14TheList The List]]". The girls make a list that ranks the boys from cutest to ugliest. Kyle is voted the ugliest[[note]]It turns out that the list was tampered with in order to kiss up to Clyde (who was voted number one) so that they could get free shoes from him, as his dad owns a shoe store[[/note]] and spends the episode being depressed and contemplating burning down the school for it. The ghost of UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln visits Kyle and takes him on a journey to show him that ugliness can be more of a blessing than a curse. First, they visit an older woman who was considered the most beautiful girl around when she was younger. Everything was handed to her and boys would constantly tell her she was interesting, smart and funny, but none of it was sincere and she was able to coast through life on looks alone and never had to develop a personality. It wasn't until the woman reached middle-age and began losing her looks that she realized she wasn't very interesting and special at all and now has nothing to show for it. Next, they visit one of Kyle's new ugly friends who is learning to play the piano. Abe tells Kyle that the ugly friend may be struggling now, but the struggle will pay off when he's an adult. Since ugly people have nothing handed to them and are given no special treatment whatsoever, he'll have to put in work in order to make people appreciate him and as a result, [[MiseryBuildsCharacter he will develop character]], something that people who are hot rarely do.

* Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac, the WarriorPoet with the big nose, is [[GrumpyBear too cynical]] to believe people actually believe this, despite what everyone else in the play tells him. Nevertheless, he invokes this trope at Act I Scene IV when Viscount De Valvert mocks his [[ImpoverishedPatrician poor clothes]]:

** Parodied in ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'' -- Nobby Nobbs, who is so ugly that he has to carry around a paper from the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork stating he is human, complains that women won't date him. Angua points out to him that maybe he should lower his standards, as he shouldn't expect to be able to date the more sought-after women, suggesting Verity "Hammerhead" Pushpram, an ill-tempered fish seller whose eyes don't face the same direction and who usually reacts to seeing Nobby by [[SlapSlapKiss telling him to bugger off and throwing fish at him]] (because hey, free seafood). Nobby shoots down that option by pointing out her eyes, and Angua inwardly observes that while "they say they want a soulmate, but the description usually includes hair like silk and a chest fit for a herd of cows." *** However, Nobby does sort of end up with Verity, after the events of the book give him a little perspective, and when he does land himself a gorgeous girlfriend, Tawnee, in a later book, Angua is horrified for her - not because Nobby is a bad person (as Vimes observes, he has "a criminal mind, but not a criminal soul"), but because she can do ''way'' better. Fortunately by the end of the book Nobby is back with Verity (largely because she's [[ThroughHisStomach a better cook]]), while Tawneee is cured of [[AttractivenessIsolation "jerk syndrome"]], the cause of the situation.

** This is the basis of the main story arc surrounding main character Gwendolyn. The youngest princess of the Pastel Kingdom, she's a kind girl who acts and thinks of herself as a PrincessClassic like her two older sisters but [[FaceOfAThug has an intimidating appearance more akin to a witch or a goblin]]. Neither she nor the rest of her family see anything out of the ordinary about her appearance at the beginning of the story, but when Gwen overhears Prince Frederick, her arranged fiancé from the Plaid Kingdom, calling her "really ugly" to his brother, her self-image is severely damaged. It takes running into the eponymous Cursed Princess Club, made of misfit princesses who suffer from various unbreakable {{Curse}}s that render them "unfit" to represent their kingdoms, for her to try to regain her confidence in her own inner and outer beauty with the help of the girls there. While all that is going on, Frederick gradually realizes that his initial shallow and selfish impression of Gwen was wrong as he interacts with her more and comes to know the benevolent girl underneath the freaky face.

** This is also done in a more humorous manner with a character who is more conventionally attractive. Gwen's twin brother Jamie is a PrettyBoy with a BishieSparkle admired for his looks by everyone. The sole exception to this admiration is Lord Leopold of the Argyle Kingdom, a painter who despises the narrow standards of beauty that society holds and is obsessed with convincing people to broaden their perspectives on it. Leopold is notably the first person from outside Gwen's family to find her outwardly beautiful at first sight (in contrast to how Frederick had to correct his first impression of her) -- but finds Jamie's appearance to be SickeninglySweet. When Jamie starts wackily sabotaging Leopold's attempts to paint a portrait of Gwen (partly because Leopold insulted his appearance, but also because Jamie doesn't want Leopold to make moves on his already-engaged sister), it just reinforces Leopold's belief that Jamie is a selfish narcissist because of his looks. But when Gwen [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/cursed-princess-club/ep-71-gwens-answer/viewer?title_no=1537&episode_no=75 lets slip]] her [[InsecureLoveInterest insecurities over her feelings for Frederick]] and Leopold is visibly and verbally saddened to hear about this, Jamie stops his interference with the painting, apologetically explains that he only did so out of concern for Gwen (while admitting that he now sees Leopold has a similar, genuine concern as well), and gives Gwen a brief pep talk while gently patting her on the shoulders. This convinces Leopold that Jamie has an inner beauty rather than merely a pretty face; the two guys become VitriolicBestBuds from that point on.

** This is also done in a more humorous manner with a character who is considered more conventionally attractive. Gwen's twin brother Jamie is a PrettyBoy with a BishieSparkle admired for his looks by everyone. The sole exception to this admiration is Lord Leopold of the Argyle Kingdom, a painter who despises the narrow standards of beauty that society holds and is obsessed with convincing people to broaden their perspectives on it. Leopold is notably the first person from outside Gwen's family to find her outwardly beautiful at first sight (in contrast to how Frederick had to correct his first impression of her) -- but finds Jamie's appearance to be SickeninglySweet. When Jamie starts wackily sabotaging Leopold's attempts to paint a portrait of Gwen (partly because Leopold insulted his appearance, but also because Jamie doesn't want Leopold to make moves on his already-engaged sister), it just reinforces Leopold's belief that Jamie is a selfish narcissist because of his looks. But when Gwen [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/cursed-princess-club/ep-71-gwens-answer/viewer?title_no=1537&episode_no=75 lets slip]] her [[InsecureLoveInterest insecurities over her feelings for Frederick]] and Leopold is visibly and verbally saddened to hear about this, Jamie stops his interference with the painting, apologetically explains that he only did so out of concern for Gwen (while admitting that he now sees Leopold has a similar, genuine concern as well), and gives Gwen a brief pep talk while gently patting her on the shoulders. This convinces Leopold that Jamie has an inner beauty rather than merely a pretty face; the two guys become VitriolicBestBuds from that point on.

** This is also done in a more humorous manner with a character who is considered more conventionally attractive. Gwen's twin brother Jamie is a PrettyBoy with a BishieSparkle admired for his looks by everyone. The sole exception to this admiration is Lord Leopold of the Argyle Kingdom, a painter who despises the narrow standards of beauty that society holds and is obsessed with convincing people to broaden their perspectives on it. Leopold is notably the first person from outside Gwen's family to find her outwardly beautiful at first sight (in contrast to how Frederick had to correct his first impression of her) -- but finds Jamie's appearance to be SickeninglySweet. When Jamie starts wackily sabotaging Leopold's attempts to paint a portrait of Gwen (partly because Leopold insulted his appearance, but also because Jamie doesn't want Leopold to make moves on his already-engaged sister), it just reinforces Leopold's belief that Jamie is a selfish narcissist because of his looks. But when Gwen lets slip her [[InsecureLoveInterest insecurities over her feelings for Frederick]] and Leopold is visibly and verbally saddened to hear about this, Jamie stops his interference with the painting, apologetically explains that he only did so out of concern for Gwen (while admitting that he now sees Leopold has a similar, genuine concern as well), and gives Gwen a brief pep talk while gently patting her on the shoulders. This convinces Leopold that Jamie has an inner beauty rather than merely a pretty face; the two guys become VitriolicBestBuds from that point on.

** This is also done in a more humorous manner with a character who is considered more conventionally attractive. Gwen's twin brother Jamie is a PrettyBoy with a BishieSparkle admired for his looks by everyone. The sole exception to this admiration is Lord Leopold of the Argyle Kingdom, a painter who despises the traditional standards of beauty that society holds and is obsessed with convincing people to broaden their perspectives on it. Leopold is notably the first person from outside Gwen's family to find her outwardly beautiful at first sight (in contrast to how Frederick had to correct his first impression of her) -- but finds Jamie's appearance to be SickeninglySweet. When Jamie starts wackily sabotaging Leopold's attempts to paint a portrait of Gwen (partly because Leopold insulted his appearance, but also because Jamie doesn't want Leopold to make moves on his already-engaged sister), it just reinforces Leopold's belief that Jamie is a selfish narcissist because of his looks. But when Gwen lets slip her [[InsecureLoveInterest insecurities over her feelings for Frederick]] and Leopold is visibly and verbally saddened to hear about this, Jamie stops his interference with the painting, apologetically explains that he only did so out of concern for Gwen (while admitting that he now sees Leopold has a similar, genuine concern as well), and gives Gwen a brief pep talk while gently patting her on the shoulders. This convinces Leopold that Jamie has an inner beauty rather than merely a pretty face; the two guys become VitriolicBestBuds from that point on.

** This is also done in a more humorous manner with a character who is considered more conventionally attractive. Gwen's twin brother Jamie is a PrettyBoy with a BishieSparkle admired for his looks by everyone. The sole exception to this admiration is Lord Leopold of the Argyle Kingdom, a painter who despises the traditional standards of beauty that society holds and is obsessed with convincing people to broaden their perspectives on it. Leopold is notably the first person from outside Gwen's family to find her outwardly beautiful upon first meeting her (in contrast to how Frederick had to correct his first impression of her) -- but finds Jamie's appearance to be SickeninglySweet. When Jamie starts wackily sabotaging Leopold's attempts to paint a portrait of Gwen (partly because Leopold insulted his appearance, but also because Jamie doesn't want Leopold to make moves on his already-engaged sister), it just reinforces Leopold's belief that Jamie is a selfish narcissist because of his looks. But when Gwen lets slip her [[InsecureLoveInterest insecurities over her feelings for Frederick]] and Leopold is visibly and verbally saddened to hear about this, Jamie stops his interference with the painting, apologetically explains that he only did so out of concern for Gwen (while admitting that he now sees Leopold has a similar, genuine concern as well), and gives Gwen a brief pep talk while gently patting her on the shoulders. This convinces Leopold that Jamie has an inner beauty rather than merely a pretty face; the two guys become VitriolicBestBuds from that point on.

** This is also done in a more humorous manner with a character who is considered more conventionally attractive. Gwen's twin brother Jamie is a PrettyBoy with a BishieSparkle admired for his looks by everyone. The sole exception to this admiration is Lord Leopold of the Argyle Kingdom, a painter who despises the traditional standards of beauty that society holds and is obsessed with convincing people to broaden their perspectives on it. Leopold is notably the first person from outside Gwen's family to find her outwardly beautiful upon first meeting her (in contrast to how Frederick had to correct his first impression of her) -- but in contrast finds Jamie's appearance to be SickeninglySweet. When Jamie starts wackily sabotaging Leopold's attempts to paint a portrait of Gwen (partly because Leopold insulted his appearance, but also because Jamie doesn't want Leopold to make moves on his already-engaged sister), it just reinforces Leopold's belief that Jamie is a selfish narcissist because of his looks. But when Gwen lets slip her [[InsecureLoveInterest insecurities over her feelings for Frederick]] and Leopold is visibly and verbally saddened to hear about this, Jamie stops his interference with the painting, apologetically explains that he only did so out of concern for Gwen (while admitting that he now sees Leopold has a similar, genuine concern as well), and gives Gwen a brief pep talk while gently patting her on the shoulders. This convinces Leopold that Jamie has an inner beauty rather than merely a pretty face; the two guys become VitriolicBestBuds from that point on.
-->'''Leopold:''' ...[W]hen I saw Jamie actually walk over and speak to you, it was like a light shone down, and I was able to properly see him for the first time as he truly was. I saw someone who wasn't afraid to love and protect his sisters in the most bizarrely fearless way possible. And frankly... that's undeniably beautiful in my book.