A Disease

Being ugly;  It’s a disease. And we all know it. You look at magazines and envy every girl that is prettier then you. We tell ourselves beauty is determined on the inside, not the out. But, in the society we live in? That’s defiantly not how it works. People judge you. Your weight, your height, your hair? It’s all wrong. You feel sorry for yourself. You buy make-up and expensive clothes to cover the revulsion. But none of that can fix the way you’re eyes are too close together, the way you’re nose is too big, or the way you slouch because you are awkwardly tall. But wait! There’s a cure! The answer to your prayers! The day has finally come!  You’ll be as stunning the girls you envied! All you have to do? Change your personality.

Tally Youngblood lives in a world where ages 12-16 you are called an ugly. Nick names are made to taunt you with your flaws. “Squint” was the name she was tortured with for 4 whole years. But really, it was fine. The day she turned 16, everything would change. Wouldn’t it? That’s how it worked with everyone else! They take you in and cut you open. Grind your bones for the perfect shape, make your lips bigger, eyes wider, the whole shebang! Soon enough she would join all the pretties, and she can’t wait. She was going to be beautiful, she was going to leave “squint” behind and move on with her new life as a “pretty” . But, as Tally is forced on an adventure, she soon discovers that this operation doesn’t only involve appearances. The doctor’s insert a tumor in your brain. This tumor takes away any sense of rebellion, or opinion you ever had. Sure, mac n’ cheese is still your favorite food, and you still love the color pink. But, the stuff that really matters? You just don’t care anymore. You’re vulnerable. You refuse to think different then what you’ve been told. And Tally is granted a choice. She can either run away with the other people who escaped, and never turn pretty. Or turn pretty and have her brain get toyed with. The answer seems obvious. But is it really?

In fact, the more you think about it, the more questionable you get. If you were to turn Pretty it wouldn’t be that bad would it? You would have tons of fun, you would get to be with your friends, and you would get to of course, be pretty! So what if you didn’t care about important stuff? Less for you to worry about, right? Why would you ever want to go live with… ugly people? People will treat you with respect if your pretty. You won’t be judged on your looks, only on your personality. It’s kind of hard to see the flaws in the plan that these people have created. Turned everyone pretty seems to be the perfect solution to everything. If you were to stay ugly you would have to live without all the modern technology. You would have to actually make stuff yourself! Then there’s the fact that you could possibly get caught when you escaped. And last but not least, you are stuck being ugly. What part of not being a pretty sounds fun? None of it. So why when I read this book, why did I feel it was the right choice for Tally to stay ugly? Why did every time she thought of actually going through with being a pretty, did I secretly wish she would change her mind? For some reason staying ugly seems to be the better decision. You get to completely be yourself, and you get to do whatever you want without the city telling you otherwise. Maybe flaws are what makes everything interesting.

Tally is faced with a tough decision. And when I read the book I always try to put myself in her shoes, and think what the right thing to do is. When I first started thinking, I could honestly tell you that being pretty seemed like a reasonable choice. Everyone else turned pretty, why shouldn’t she? But as she met new people, and actually experienced life where you can accept yourself for who you are, I really hoped that Tally would make the decision to stay ugly. Even if it is a disease, It’s a disease you can live with. A disease that is fun. A disease that lets you…well… be you.