Reconstructing Beaitifull All Along

I think Beautiful All Along is an amazing trope with a lot of potential.However it has become so overused as blatant Wish-Fulfillment that it's quite possible the biggest Discredited Trope.

Whenever the trope is used is either used as blatant Escapism or as a parody( shrek,) In fact the True Beauty Is on the Inside trope has seemingly deconstructed Beautiful All Along in media's eyes. it is almost known as the biggest of the Common Mary Sue Traits.

Do you have any ideas/opinions/believes on how this trope could be reconstructed? I would like help on this one thanks!

edited 28th Jun '11 12:34:37 AM by FallenLegend

Well, treating Wish-Fulfillment not as a bad thing would be a start.

I'd also suggest that making beauty something that doesn't even help the context of the story something worth pursuing. For example, the Sue Duckling finally manages to show off her true beauty to the guy of her dreams, and it turns out that it doesn't matter. He's extremely spiritual, while she's analytical and empirically minded. Sure, it's nice that she's really hot, but that's not what he's looking for.

Maybe try mixing up Beautiful All Along and True Beauty Is on the Inside, so that it doesn't come off as too shallow. Most Beautiful All Along situations deal with the girl getting dressed up for a party or a dance, which aren't meaningful things when it comes to morals.

Like... what if it happened when they're giving a meaningful activism speech? Or helping others? Or standing up for someone? That could change it from "wow, I didn't realize how beautiful she was" into "wow, I didn't realize what an amazing person she was". It would be a really nice direction to go in, IMO.

edited 28th Jun '11 1:09:45 AM by Dec

Or, rather, let the character be really beautiful, but with low self esteem for whatever reason. Other people can say that she is pretty, but the story is about the character learning that for herself.

The character is a haute couture fashion model who regularly puts on heavy makeup and somewhat outlandish clothes for her job. Her beauty is not commented on in her job very often, and only criticized when there is something to say, because that's her job and everyone is too busy doing other things or fitting her to a specific image.

After washing off the makeup and changing into normal clothes, she gets complimented on the street by a normal person.

Simple.

edited 28th Jun '11 8:17:44 AM by Leradny

It seems more like an anvilicious inversion to me.

One possible way of going about beautiful all along - you don't need to make such drastic expensive clothes buying and make-up applying. Because you find someone who isn't by all means beautiful, but who inside really wants to be a swan.

You give her the encouragement, to have her smile and express herself outwardly. When she realizes it, she doesn't need to be the artificially pretty. She is herself, just like that, and which nobody else can copy or steal away.

edited 28th Jun '11 8:28:08 AM by QQQQQ

Hmm. You're right. But it's still "every day" beauty rather than that of being a glamorous model, which I think is truer to the spirit of the trope.

That sounds pretty much exactly like Bella Swan.

You speak of a glamorous model dropped down to "normal" and still be looked at as pretty. I feel it undermines the message of everyone's innate beauty, when you seem to suggest "Ha, I was pretty with ze haute cuisine on, but I'm still beautiful anyways!"

What about the rest of us "Normals" who don't get to experience the luxury of having been a model? That is not likely to speak for them, but rather seems to suggest (unkindly) how some people are naturally prettier than others anyway. An unhealthy message to take, regarding yourself.

edited 28th Jun '11 8:43:32 AM by QQQQQ

Point.

But anyway, I meant that she is known to be beautiful and lands a job because of it, in fact, but gets caked over and criticized anyway because of the ridiculously high standards of the fashion industry, and it's only when she's not wearing a wig and fancy clothes among people who are, essentially, jaded, that she is actually appreciated for herself rather than how good she is at being a living canvas.

Ugh, I'm not explaining this right.

edited 28th Jun '11 8:40:43 AM by Leradny

It speaks for the fashion industry's high standards, with little regard for the self-confidence which ze people need in themselves.

edited 28th Jun '11 8:50:32 AM by QQQQQ

She has lower self-confidence than one would expect due to constant nitpicking from her boss, then?

Anyway this is turning into a debate. I concede.

Ja, sorries if I seemed forceful. I imagine the issue with Beautiful All Along is that it seems to suggest people conform to a certain standard of beauty - which often involves going on crash diets, shelling out cash on makeup and the "right" clothes, and an unhealthy spending at that.

The reconstruction of the trope involves a more healthier message, of say the magic of a positive self-image, and showing it.

edited 28th Jun '11 8:58:33 AM by QQQQQ

Well, the problem with that is that there's still a "standard" of beauty. For example, you can preach about inner beauty all you want, but someone with clumps of missing hair, an asymmetric face and abnormalities with skin complexion isn't going to be seen as "beautiful" as the Hollywood Homely, assuming all other things (personality included) are equal.

edited 28th Jun '11 11:29:56 AM by KingZeal

Mhm. As with art, the elements combine in various ways to make an appealing whole. The major slights you can touch up, and the rest might be self-expression.

It is.. that some like to think only these things make beauty - like an alabaster white complexion, thinly frame or that silvery silk dress, and in their possibly vain attempts to echo such, they can disintegrate. There's one Dove ad I remember, where they bring in a woman, speed-show the laborious make-up and hair-brushing moments, then photoshop her neck and cheeks for display. How uncanny.

For me, they already have it, even without all that on. They're pretty in their own way. (I think freckles look cute.)

edited 28th Jun '11 12:08:30 PM by QQQQQ

Thankfor the input guys. Wow using this trope without Unfortunate Implications will be harder than I tough

shameless bump

You can just pull a Hermione from HP Book 4. Anyone can look pretty.

Looking pretty however, is pretty hard work.