History Characters / UglyBetty

* HiddenDepths: At first comes off as a party animal but as the series progresses he shows tremendous character development

* TheMentor: To Justin in later seasons.

* ParentalSubstitute: To Justin, moreso as the series goes on (though he still thinks Justin is Betty's son).

* ParentalSubstitute: Marc for him, which eventually got Hilda jealous.

* SpicyLatina: Averted. There are moments where she reminds Marc that she's from Queens and will hit him.

* BreakTheCutie: So many attempts are made to do this over the show, Betty pushes through all of them. Notably the pilot
* {{Dojikko}}: Fits this trope almost perfectly.
* FishOutOfWater: Especially in the earlier episodes

* HypercompetentSidekick: To Daniel Meade.
* ImportantHaircut: Part of Betty's make over near the end of the show.

* LukeYouAreMyFather: A French boy called DJ (Daniel Jr) shows up claiming to be Daniel's son.

:: '''Betty Suarez''' (America Ferrera)

:: '''Daniel Meade''' (Eric Mabius)

:: '''Wilhelmina Slater''' (Vanessa Williams)

:: '''Marc St. James''' (Michael Urie)

:: '''Amanda Tanen''' (Becki Newton)

:: '''Ignacio Suarez''' (Tony Plana)

:: '''Hilda Suarez''' (Ana Ortiz)

* HotMom: Mother to Justin.

* {{Miss Yo-Yo Knickers}}: It's implied that she's this.

:: '''Justin Suarez''' (Mark Indelicato)

:: '''Claire Meade''' (Judith Light)

:: '''Christina [=McKinney=]''' (Ashley Jensen)

:: '''Alex/Alexis Meade''' (Rebecca Romijn)

:: '''Bradford Meade''' (Alan Dale)

:: '''Fey Sommers''' (Christine Jones/Becki Newton)

:: '''Standard Betty Boyfriend'''

:: '''Daniel's Girl of the Season'''

:: '''The Mostly Bad Boys of Hilda'''

:: '''Other characters' love interests'''

** Considering gender-changing requires frequent hormone injections, [[FridgeBrilliance this starts to make some sense.]]
*** Actually no. She uses matrix plasters, [[Exposition somehow unnecessary visible,]] which provide a constant level.

* BreakTheCutie: So many attempts are made to do this over the show, Betty pushes through all of them.

* UngratefulBitch: [[spoiler: Did not seem to appreciate the fact that Wilhemina saved her from getting shot by Tyler, even going as far to bribe her to change her story.]]

* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler: To ''Betty'', of all people. She used to be Wanda, Fey Sommers "mousy" assistant before Fey decided to turn her into a supermodel in exchange for her silence about getting pregnant with Amanda.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: She does this a few times.

* Cliff St. Paul (David Blue) - A StraightGay boyfriend of Marc, who encourages him to PetTheDog. Left Marc when he [[ActorAllusion changed his name to Eli Wallace]] and [[StargateUniverse moved to another galaxy]].

A young Dojikko trying to MakeItOnHerOwn, Betty Suarez is the main protagonist of the show. She lives in the Bronx with her widowed father Ignacio, older sister Hilda and nephew Justin, and works as an assistant to the Editor In Chief at Mode Magazine. She quickly learns working at Mode will test the very fibers of her character, yet she remains resilient and excited in spite of all the conspiracies, drama and heartbreak she suffers. She hopes to be a journalist someday and will often take the chance to pursue her ambition. A [[GirlsNeedRoleModels role model for all girls everywhere]] in the view of the show's writers, she's liable to both give and receive [[AnAesop Aesops]]. By the way, she's [[HollywoodHomely not so much ugly as she has a really bad/strange fashion sense]].

* BreakTheCutie
* {{Dojikko}}
* FishOutOfWater (especially in the earlier episodes)
* GirlsNeedRoleModels
* HollywoodHomely: Kind of adverted by the fact that she's actually referred to as "average-looking" in the real world. The main issue is her obvious inability to fit into the cruel world of fashion.

* HollywoodPudgy
* HypercompetentSidekick
* ImportantHaircut

* LizLemonJob
* {{Meganekko}}
* MissingMom (Betty's mother died pre-series)
* {{Pollyanna}}

* DeadLittleSister: His brother's death weighs heavily on his mind.
* GoodFeelsGood: Takes someone else taking the credit for his "Normal People" modeling show in stride. Even comments how good it feels.

* LadyKillerInLove: (once a season!)
* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces:
* LukeYouAreMyFather
* MillionairePlayboy
* TheUnFavorite: Is often compared to his older brother[[spoiler: now sister]] Alex.
* UpperClassTwit (at the start of the series, at least)
* WellDoneSonGuy His relationship with his father is messy at best.

* TheChessmaster
* TheCorrupter (as Tyler's AA sponsor, though that [[HoistByHisOwnPetard didn't work out so well for her]])

* DealWithTheDevil (don't make deals with Wilhelmina... just don't)
* DefrostingIceQueen

* HeelRealization - In the finale, especially after Marc chews her out.

* MustMakeAmends - When she protects Claire from Tyler at the end of the penultimate episode.

* KickTheDog
* PetTheDog - Rare in earlier seasons, but quite often in Season Four. Usually to Marc, Daniel or even ''Betty''.
* RichBitch
* VillainDecay - While still a danger at times, her backstabbing and schemeing wanes significantly as the series goes on. She undergoes the HeelFaceRevolvingDoor several times per season due to personal hangups, familial conflicts and the old "my career" vs "my soul" conflict.

* VisionaryVillain - She really, ''really'' cares for and loves MODE and will do anything to have a permanent share of it. [[spoiler:As of Season Four, she has succeeded and has an equal 50% control with Daniel. At the end of the series, she has complete control, but ''not'' by treacherous means.]]
* WomanInWhite

* CampGay

* DeadpanSnarker
* DefrostingIceQueen (male version - no gay jokes, please)

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* MoralityPet - To Wilhelmina, especially in the finale.

* PetTheDog
* PetHomosexual

* AnythingThatMoves

* BigEater (mainly when under stress)
* DefrostingIceQueen
* FagHag (to Marc)
* DeadpanSnarker
* MisterMuffykins (Halston)
* PetTheDog
* SassySecretary

* DotingParent
* MoralityPet

* ChattyHairdresser
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry
* HotMom
* MamaBear
* MissingMom (as she and Betty had the same mother)
* {{Miss Yo-Yo Knickers}} (possibly)
* SiblingYinYang
* SingleMomStripper (sort of at one point)

* AmbiguouslyGay
* DisappearedDad (who was eventually KilledOffForReal)
* ElephantInTheLivingRoom (See ambiguously gay, above)

* PerformanceArtist
* TellMeAboutMyFather
* TheTwink (starting in season 4)

* ClearMyName
* LadyDrunk (initially)
* MoralityPet
* WrongfulAccusationInsurance (possibly justified - the Meades are filthy rich, after all)

* TheArtifact
* BonnieScotland
* FunnyForeigner
* OutOfFocus
* RealLifeWritesThePlot (Christina was originally written as an American and was only made Scottish after Jensen was cast)

* AloofBigBrother (kind of...)
* DependingOnTheWriter
* HeelFaceTurn
* TheManBehindTheMan (for the first half of season one, Wilhelmina appeared to be working for her)
* ManIFeelLikeAWoman
* NoDoubtTheYearsHaveChangedMe
* PutOnABus
* SomethingsDifferentAboutYouNow
* {{Transsexual}}

* AlasPoorScrappy
* GuessWhoImMarrying (Wilhelmina, of course)
* IKissYourFoot
* KilledOffForReal

* IdenticalGrandson (identical mother)

* PosthumousCharacter

* HollywoodHomely

* MoralEventHorizon: What she did to her sister in season 2. However, as it was never mentioned again, she went back to being a sympathetic villain while the viewers and writers simply [[{{Discontinuity}} forgot about it.]]

Hilda [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys likes dating bad boys]], often with disastrous results. Ignacio is [[{{Understatement}} somewhat displeased by this]].

* ResuscitateTheDog - When she protects Claire from Tyler at the end of the penultimate episode.

* MomBringsMilkAndCookies: Betty's attempts at friendship are often of this nature, and met with just as much scorn.

* DeadLittleSister

* LukeYouAreMyFather:

* CardCarryingVillain

* TheDragon (early on)

* VillainDecay - While still a danger at times, she is nowhere near the threat she used to be in the first two seasons.
** It's not so much that she wasn't capable of taking over the company in the latter episodes. She had simply become so much nicer that it didn't seem like it would really be such a bad thing if she won, [[spoiler:which she does in the end.]]
** Actually, her villainous personality didn't decay that much, it's just that near the ending of Season 3 and throughout Season 4 the woman had to deal with the several consequences of her acts ([[spoiler:Her unstable romance with Connor, Nico's comebak, her feud with Clair and Hartley's siding with her, Marc's rapidly growing courage, the Tyler fiasco and many others]]), which took much of her scheming time.
** She even admits, after each of her several wind ups in the hospital, that she was letting herself settle with just being Co-Editor in Chief and that all ambition was gone from her, driving Marc to become her MoralityPet and she to become a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: until the Betty White incident.

* BattleButler

* HiddenDepths

* YesMan

A SassySecretary (technically a receptionist) at ''[=MODE=]'' who serves as Marc's FagHag and goes around [[DeadpanSnarker Deadpan Snarking]] with him. Though she's conniving and catty she's not too intelligent (i.e. not knowing what wrath means) and is highly impulsive. Despite this she is not completely bitchy and, like every other main character, has plenty PetTheDog moments. In more recent episodes, she, Marc and Betty seem to have formed some kind of loose PowerTrio.

* TheBrainlessBeauty (somewhat)

Head Creative Assistant and daughter of a Senator, she's a woman of quick wit and versatility which she uses for selfish reasons. Her ultimate desire is to run a magazine and attempts to take over Mode Magazine numerous times. One of the most complicated characters, she performs the role of a CardCarryingVillain yet is not above the occasional PetTheDogMoment. She has an estranged daughter named Nico and Marc's manager.

** Actually, her villainous personality didn't decay that much, it's just that near the ending of Season 3 and throughout Season 4 the woman had to deal with the several consequences of her acts ([spoiler:Her unstable romance with Connor, Nico's comebak, her feud with Clair and Hartley's siding with her, Marc's rapidly growing courage, the Tyler fiasco and many others), which took much of her scheming time.

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: until the Betty White incident

{{Dojikko}} trying to Make It On Her Own. She hopes to be a journalist someday and is trying to get her foot in the door by working as a HypercompetentSidekick at a high-profile fashion magazine (the show ''does'' deserve some points for actually managing to remember what her ambition is). A [[GirlsNeedRoleModels role model for all girls everywhere]] in the view of the show's writers, she's liable to both give and receive [[AnAesop Aesops]]. By the way, she's [[HollywoodHomely not so much ugly as she has a really bad/strange fashion sense]].

Betty's somewhat incompetent boss. He's the TheUnFavorite of the Meade family (which owns the company) and spends his days LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him wherever he goes. He and Betty tend to take turns being each other's rock. Some fans have tried to [[{{Shipping}} ship]] them together, due to the fact that their telenovela counterparts ultimately get together, but the show itself has largely downplayed hooking the two up, going so far as to thrust Betty into various other {{Love Triangle}}s. In the show's finale the relationship [[spoiler: was left open-ended, though various hints throughout the episode possibly imply that they HookedUpAfterwards, the most obvious being that Daniel decides to stay in London for no discernible reason other than that Betty happens to be there. It remains unclear, however, if Betty feels the same way, though she does smile at his arrival]]

* DeadLittleSister (Wife, we mean)
* LadyKillerInLove (once a season!)
* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces
* LukeYouAreMyFather (happens to him once)

* TheUnFavorite

* TheWoobie: Besides the disastrous relationships mentioned below, he's also had to deal with his dead brother coming back as a woman, his mother killing someone and escaping prison, a serious car accident, his father's death, a lovechild that was revealed not to be his and taken away from him, and addictions to alcohol, sex, and drugs. All while Wilhelmina was constantly after his job and sabotaging his every move.

Originally TheDragon, Wilhelmina became the DesignatedVillain herself after Alexis did a HeelFaceTurn. Wilhelmina is TheChessmaster and a VillainWithGoodPublicity. Occasionally she'll get to PetTheDog despite being a CardCarryingVillain most of the time. In the third season, the dog-petting was amplified, for better or worse, into outright BadassDecay. By the end of the series, she's still a scheming bitch, but one who is (mostly) friendly with the "good" characters.

* BadassDecay

* DesignatedVillain

* VillainWithGoodPublicity

Wilhelmina's CampGay BattleButler, who fawns over her with lines like "you are a horror movie I wish would never end".

A SassySecretary (technically a receptionist) at ''[=MODE=]'' who serves as Marc's FagHag and goes around [[DeadpanSnarker Deadpan Snarking]] with him. In more recent episodes, she, Marc and Betty seem to have formed some kind of loose PowerTrio. Probably not part of the [[BackToTheFuture evil Tannen family]] (it's spelled differently anyhow).

Betty's somewhat incompetent boss. He's the TheUnFavorite of the Meade family (which owns the company) and spends his days LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him wherever he goes. He and Betty tend to take turns being each other's rock. Some fans have tried to [[{{Shipping}} ship]] them together, due to the fact that their telenovela counterparts ultimately get together, but the show itself has largely downplayed hooking the two up, going so far as to thrust Betty into various other {{Love Triangle}}s. In the show's finale the relationship [[spoiler: was left open-ended, though various hints throughout the episode imply that they HookedUpAfterwards, the most obvious being that Daniel decides to stay in London for no discernible reason other than that Betty happens to be there.]]