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This text is really good because it explains the way that the society shows beauty and how we are supposed to be.

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I have been inspired to write a piece about beauty and what it is perceived to be. I have grown up around many people who tend to judge others based on their physical features. I also know what it feels like to be judged because of my appearance. Growing up in my generation (90's babies) is not an easy thing and I am sure many other generations feel the same. Growing up, in general, is not easy. The issue I have noticed immensely with my generation is the overbearing, delusional, over-represented idea of what the media, and everyone else, believes what can and cannot be considered beautiful in our world. I tend to eavesdrop on conversations when I am alone in a public place because I am always fascinated with the conversations people are having on a daily basis. Sometimes, what I hear sickens me. It appalls me to the point that I am now here writing to attempt and express the horrible belief that people have accepted only a small amount of physical qualities to be deemed as suitable for society's standards.

As stated before, when I am sitting by myself in a public place I tend to eavesdrop on people's conversations. I do not mean to be rude, but if I am sitting somewhere quietly studying and there is a loud conversation going on next to me, it is difficult not to pick up on what is being discussed. Through my eavesdropping escapades, there are various topics I have heard more than once. One of the most common topics I hear, especially with teenagers, is the amount of "likes" someone has got on their photos that they upload onto social media. The first time I ever heard this topic being discussed the sentence from the speaker went just like this,
"Oh my God, she has had their photo up for two hours, and she has only gotten three likes on it."
It is as if people can judge the worth of somebody's appearance just from a number of likesthey have received. How is it okay to put a person down just because their picture on Instagram or Facebook does not have the proper amount of likes to be considered a beautiful person? Has our world really come to this type of social judicial system?

The other topic I pick up on frequently is one that the social media generation has called "creeping." Creeping consists of looking at someone's social media page and going through their photos that they have uploaded and checking out their status updates to see what they are up to. It is basically a way to get into someone else's life without them even realizing it. Now, the concept of creeping itself is not harmful to anyone. It is the reality of what comes with creeping that begins to turn the gears of judgement in a negative direction. When I have listened to people "creep" others, they tend to say some vulgar things about the person's appearance. People click through the hundreds of photos someone has uploaded and nit-pick their appearance for what they think is ugly. "Creepers" will think of absolutely anything to say about whoever's photos they are looking at. From a person's hair to their facial features, to their body size, all the way down to a somebody's two feet and toes. I have heard these types of sentences many times:
"That is such an ugly picture, why would she upload that?" "Her hair looks really bad in this photo." "Why wouldn't she put a filter on this?" "Look at how much she photo shopped her picture."
"Why is she standing like that? She looks retarded." (Yes, someone said that word).

Unfortunately, I cannot lie and say that these are just made up quotes. These quotes are literal quotes that I have heard, more than once, in my everyday life.

The question I really want answered is why? Why do people treat others this way? Why is no one ever good enough to just be called a beautiful person? My personal theory on the issue is that people judge others on their appearance when they are jealous of the physical traits another person has. However, I could be wrong, maybe people are just that cruel.

My belief behind the reasons that all of this happens is the ideas that the media puts into our heads from what they display in advertisements. People see these perfect models being shown as the image of beauty, but people do not understand how photo shopped advertisements truly are. Even major celebrities who are icons for being sexy get photo shopped in their covers on magazines. If the sexist, elite status people in society even get photo shopped, then where does that leave the rest of us? Doomed to an unbearable fate of forever believing we are ugly.

A study has been shown that people see roughly 5,000 advertisements in a single day. By seeing that many ads a day, we are bound to have them stick into our minds. Girls as young as eight years old are now struggling with confidence about their looks because of advertisements and what is perceived to be beautiful. Who decided that the media gets a say in who and what is attractive and what is not? Confidence is an extremely hard part of our lives to build, and when it is being crushed at the young age of eight years, then how can these girls ever regain it? So why are people making these rude comments about each other on social media?

Kristen Cullen in a Youtube video about this issue claimed, "Because of this issue, more and more people feel the need to get plastic surgery to feel confident and accepted by others. I think that is really unfortunate that, that is how people are feeling. Maybe I am living in a dream world here people, but I don't understand why we have to be such assholes to each other."

People, especially the media, need to realize that no one on this planet is absolutely perfect. No one is going to have all of the traits that are seen as the most beautiful of all noses, or eyes, or hair. No one can acquire all of these traits naturally. Everyone has at least one flaw no matter what it is and we need to learn to just accept that everyone is beautiful in their own unique ways.

I took the liberty to ask close friends of mine about any flaws they have been pointed out for while growing up. These friends of mine are people I have always found to be strikingly beautiful. Comments they received ranged from the paleness of their skin to their weight to diseases they cannot help, all the way to "having too small of a behind."

The way people ridicule others astounds me. Why is it anyone's concern about what someone's appearance is? There are only so many times I can say to people that we are all meant to be different. I could not imagine living in a world where everyone looks exactly the same. It is time that people realize that beauty comes in a wide range of colors, sizes, and brands. I, for one, am tired of hearing that my differences are imperfections that should be changed. Instead, let's demonstrate how people's differences are really just unique to everyone's bodies and how it is exciting to live on a planet where every single living being has their own exclusive qualities and features. That is a planet that I would much rather spend my days alive on. Everyone is beautiful.

Originally written by Christina Donati on Hubpages and reshared to Unwritten

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Here's Why Society Has Unrealistic Beauty Standards

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I have been inspired to write a piece about beauty and what it is perceived to be. I have grown up around many people who tend to judge others based on their physical features. I also know what it feels like to be judged because of my appearance.

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I really liked this text because it really explains the way women think and see themselves. I think we can relate it to the book because it's the way that Tally sees herself.

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When you look in the mirror do you see an image staring back at you that reflects your ideal image of beauty? Take a moment to describe the ideal woman's physical features. What color skin tone does she have? How much does she weigh? What do her eyes look like? What does she wear when she goes out on the town? How is her hair styled?

Now take another moment to figure out the answer this question: Where did your idea of beauty come from?

If the woman you described as ideal does not look like the woman you see in the mirror chances are along your life journey you were bamboozled by society's impression of what a woman should look like. Don't be upset with yourself. In our quest to decipher our purpose and mission in life we often adopt the beliefs and expectations of those around us in order to gauge whether we are living life correctly.

Suppose you were taught at an early age that you were expected to finish high school, go to college, get married, have children and retire by age 55. Those seem like reasonable life expectations don't they? Well, how do you know that those expectations were the right path for YOU?

Now go back to the woman you described as your ideal image of beauty. Chances are you've met her before and it caused you great distress. Where did you meet her?

Was she the woman who stole your first boyfriend? Was she the little sister who came along and stole all of the attention away from you when you were a child? Was she the most popular girl in high school? Was she the woman all the boys drooled over as she crooned pop music on television? Was she the girl who won all the awards at school without ever trying?

The point I am making is simple. If the ideal woman you imagined does not look like you, somewhere along the line you compared yourself to another woman and felt that you fell short. Somewhere along your life journey, you decided that there was another woman in existence who had something special that you did not. Somewhere along your life path, you listened to opinions about what is right and wrong and you decided not to decide for yourself.

And that's okay. It's already done and now we have to unravel this mess.

"So you think you're not pretty?"

What does this really mean? The images of women that we see being celebrated as beautiful were carefully crafted for a purpose. The sole purpose of every image in every advertisement is to sell a product. In order to sell a multitude of products the marketing director knows that the product must be appealing to a multitude of women. For a multitude of women to find a particular product appealing the product must be outside of the norm, something that only a few women can actually attain easily.

You are allowing people who are driven by profit to validate your sense of beauty.

"But I'm still not pretty!" you say, as tears began to flow down your cheeks.

Guess what? You don't have to be.

You can be as ugly as Medusa and still achieve your life goals. You don't have to be pretty to be beautiful.

If you know that you are not pretty, which simply means that you don't fit the ideal image that a marketing director crafted in order to sell you products, I want you to know that you can still be beautiful if you want to be.

"How can I be beautiful?" you ask.

I'm glad you asked.

While pretty conforms to societal expectations and in no way guarantees an awesome, pain free life, beautiful speaks to the magic that every woman possesses. Yes, you have this magic too.
The Difference Between Being Pretty And Being Beautiful
Beautiful women wear sweat pants and rumpled t-shirts in public and are still pursued by men.
Pretty women have to wear make up at all times in order to feel attractive.

Beautiful women have this gleam in their eye because they are aware of their inner powers as women.

Pretty women have to carry eye drops to moisten their colored contacts.

Beautiful women have satisfying relationships with friends, romantic partners, their families and themselves.

Pretty women do anything they can to hold on to relationships, often sacrificing their own needs because they do not believe they are more than just their looks and desperately need approval.

Beautiful women do not care if they are wearing the right color for the season or if their handbag is out of style because they understand that these accessories only accentuate their inner magic.
Pretty women must have the latest in all fads and fashion trends because their value is linked to being approved by society's ever changing barometer of beauty.

1. Understand right now that you have the vagina. The vagina is the source of all things. The vagina has caused wars, weakened civilizations, provoked men to achieve great things and gives birth to the human race. Because you have a vagina, you have the power. The power is the option to be a vessel to bring forth life and to mold that life by the seeds you plant as wisdom, affecting generations to come. The power is the knowledge that through YOUR influence all things are possible.

2. Throw away all fashion magazines. Fashion trends are the devil. You must understand that what you wearing has very little to do with who you are and the power that you hold inside. It's just cloth. It's just cloth. You will know you OWN your beauty when you can wear the same outfit for a week straight and not feel awkward about it. You can do this. You don't need anyone's approval on what you should wear and how you should wear it. If your clothes are clean you are fine. If you can not do this, you are still striving to be pretty.

3. Disregard your skin. Take a few minutes of private time to sit alone. Close your eyes and imagine that your body is melting away. It is vanishing before your eyes. What is left? Can you feel its essence? THIS is who you really are.

As you sit and get to know your real self, the you without your skin, harness your power by recognizing that you are nothing and you are everything. Can you see a beginning and an end to your existence in this state? There is none. You are all powerful outside of your skin.

When you are ready to acknowledge your skin again, do not forget this state of power that you just felt. Play with it. Respect it. Disregard the criticisms of it. Your body is merely transportation for the essence of who you are. Take care of it, appreciate it, but do not berate it for not being molded the way that some profit hungry MAN dictated it should look. Look past the shallow lies of society and into the vastness of the essence of who you really are. You are everything. You are nothing. You are all that is. You are the authority. You decide what is right and wrong. You decide what is ugly and what is pretty. You decide what is great and what is common. You decide if you are beautiful or not.

4. Walk in your power everyday. Flow in it. Play with it. Laugh in the face of every brainwashed Betty or Bob who dares to tell you that you are not beautiful. Understand that they are playing roles in a movie that they have no idea has been scripted and sadly, no one is even tuned in to watch. Feel sorry for them and then let it go. You dictate your life by your perception and your choices. You authoritatively decide if things are good or bad. You decide if you are happy or angry. You do not need to allow situations to dictate your mood. You have the authoritative power to decide how you want to feel about the world, your situation and even your body.

You own your body. You own your life experience. Walk in your power. Be grateful you have the vagina. Make men earn it. Set its bounty very high. Not everyone deserves to taste or touch. Be picky with your friendships, your time and your love. Time is limited. Everyone doesn't deserve an appointment.

You are the authority over how you view yourself. You don't need anyone's acceptance or approval. If anyone tries to make you feel less than perfect it is because that is how they feel about themselves. They want you to join them in their self hatred.

Decide you are beautiful and never try to force anyone to respect it. You earn respect by respecting yourself and making yourself a rare commodity.

You have the POWER. The magic is yours to harness to create everything or nothing. It's your decision.

Stand up. Walk tall. Deflect everyone's definitions or directions for your life. You are the authority. It is what you say it is.

5. Be good to yourself. Celebrate yourself in as many ways as you can think of. Celebrate your right leg on Friday. Celebrate your hair on Saturday. Praise yourself for being intelligent. Buy yourself a gift for making it through another work week. Honor yourself. You DO deserve it. You ARE awesome. You ARE special. You ARE magic.

Forgive yourself. Hug yourself. Give yourself a second chance. You don't have to be perfect to be beautiful, you just have to decide that you are beautiful and then act like it by treating yourself well.

You don't need anyone's permission to treat yourself well. If no one else as noticed you yet, then give yourself the treatment you know you deserve. Find a reason to fall in love with yourself everyday. Become your own greatest admirer. No one else in the world has to fall in love with you in order for you to feel that you are valuable. You ARE love. Feel it within. Touch it. Fondle it. Kiss it. Frolick in it. Every single day.

I now pronounce you... beautiful.
This article was originally posted on MySavvySisters.Com

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The Difference Between Being Pretty and Beautiful

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When you look in the mirror do you see an image staring back at you that reflects your ideal image of beauty? Take a moment to describe the ideal woman's physical features. What color skin tone does she have? How much does she weigh? What do her eyes look like?

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Comparison with the book - Beauty Standards 

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Comparison with the book - Beauty Standards 

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I think this video is really a good example for the book because we can see that's there are beauty standards in every society and all around the world.

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Favourite character (caro): My favorite character is David because he never lived some where else than in the Smoke so that means he never got the influence of the society. He never learns the stereotypes of being pretty or ugly, so he is able to see the inner beauty in everyone. That's not it, David accept the fact that some people are considered ugly. For him, it's okay to be ugly. I find that he has a really good influence on Tally, because she was her self with him. When David told Tally that she was beautiful, we can observed that for him "being ugly" doesn't count. Also, David is not really rebel so he bring a good side in everyone. Like when he gave the glove to Tally, it was a pretty big step, because in this community, people don't give present to each other. David is a good guy, and I was so sad when Tally betrayed him, because he's the one guy that doesn't deserved it.
Link: David makes me think of George O'mally in Grey's Anatomy, because of his kindness. Even, sometimes, people can use their good faith. David is being betrayed by Tally at the end of the book, and George, when he really needs people no one is there for him. I though, both are really similar.
Least favourite character (aud): Our least favorite caracter is Shay for multiple reasons. First of all, while we were reading the book, we really had the feelings that Shay didn't want to become a pretty just to follow the rest of her friends. She is our least favourite character because if you take a look at her personality, she is the one that is less funny. What we mean by less funny is that she looks cold and difficult to approach. She is taking things way to serious which makes her a bit more difficult to like. We could consider her to be a bad influence for Tally because for example, she is trying to convince her that she shouldn't do the surgery and also she often gets her in trouble like with the Special Circumstances.  Also, at the end, we see how Shay is really when she said that she knew all along about Tally and that  she hated her since the beginning. I think she mostly hated her because of the fact that David, the boy that she loved, was in love with Tally.

Link: Shay made us think of a character in the TV show Gossip Girl. It made us think of Jenny, she is the Gossip Girl, the one who is behind the computer writing different things about others. We compare them because they both are really jealous and easy to influence.

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Short breaking news about the invasion of the smoke (caro):
As a lot of you know, Smoke is a clandestine city that was created by David's parents when they found out the secret about the operation.The function of this city, Smoke, doesn't represent the idealistic image of the society  they should be living in.
Yesterday, while everyone was sleeping, the city was invaded by the Special Circumstances. People were waking up because of the flame the city got into, the smell of burning and for sure all the screaming. Everyone was scared, the Special were like superheros; they were strong, fast and they had the best reflects.
That was the end of the Smoke, this beautiful city where everyone can be them self.

Short breaking news about the fall of Special Circumstances (aud):
The invasion of the Smoke made by the Special Circumstances was horrible for their city. Everything burned down and they captured a lot of people that lived in the Smoke except for Tally and David. They didn't catch them and they had a plan to rescue some of the victims, especially David's parents, who were ancient surgeons for the Special Circumstances. They made a plan with other Uglies to distract them so Tally and David could get into the place to save the others. Their plan worked   but they didn't find all the people that they wanted too. They found Shay and David's mother but they didn't find his dad because he died after a surgery that they tried on him. They tried the surgery on him because he is the one who told about the secret of Special Circumstances. They modified people's brain when they transformed them into pretty. The people who made the surgery now all have brain damaged so they see the world like everything is perfect and they all have the same mentality. That was the fall of Special Circumstances.

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Short poem (caro):
Oh Tally, although you are considered ugly
You are still lovely

Some might call you names
And try to catch your soul into flames
Just remember whatever they claim
Will someday lead them to shame

Oh tally, know your real beauty
Is the one these people can't see

Alternative ending (aud):
In my opinion, I kinda liked the ending because it shows a true friendship between Shay and Tally. I think Tally did the good thing by doing the experimental to become a Pretty and the letter was a really good idea. If I had to change the ending, I think I would do completely the opposite of what happened. In general, even if it's really ironic and unrealistic, I would keep Shay, Tally and David as  ''Uglies'' and I would make them convince The Special Circumstances that they should stop the surgery. In my ending, all of the Pretties would've come back as Uglies and no one would be brain damaged. I think it would've been a great moral for the story to end like this because it would've shown the readers that they should all accept themselves like they are without changing their mentality for anyone.

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Two themes with quotes (caro):
(Friendship: p.398 "David?" Tally Said. "I have to do this" "Why?" "Because of Shay.") Explication: Tally is letting go David for Shay
Obviously, friendship consists of a major part in the novel because like everyone, the characters want friends, and Tally's adventures all started because she wanted to join Peris in his new city. Or when Tally being introduced to David as well as Shay. These 2 characters largely represent the theme as both of these subsist of Tally's friends. For instance when Tally obtained the choice of following Shay or becoming a pretty. The choice Tally makes can be directly linked to our current lives as you can often make choices in favor of your friends and the ones that support you even when against your own morals.
(Appearance: p.262 The word chocked off. "You really think I'm beautiful?" "Yes." Explication: David see the inner beauty in Tally and not everyone can in the book so I truly believe that it's a beautiful moment.
The theme of appearance vs. reality is quite prominent in this novel with the divide between both social classes: the pretties and the uglies. Within the novel, both these classes look at eachother quite differently as the uglies see the pretties as upper-class and the pretties see the uglies as lower-class. However in reality, the individuals consisting of both groups, when stripped of their titles and looks, are all the same. The novel represents quite well once you read between its' lines that initial appearance is not all that matters. Therefore, both classes seem quite different from eachother but in reality, deep down, are the same.

Two conflicts with quotes (aud):
1. (Tally) '' One day she might wake up and realize that she couldn't stand to live her entire life as an ugly, no matter who it hurt or what it cost... but for the moment, Dr. Cable could wait. '' p. 219
The first conflict of the book is between Tally and Shay. More exactly, I think that conflict is between Tally and herself. Since the beginning of the story, Tally has always wanted to become a Pretty but since she has met Shay, her opinion has changed because she influenced her. Her main goal was to become pretty so she could be living with her best friend in the New Pretty Town but then her life completely changed. Shay made her see a new way of life that she wasn't good at all and she told her the reality about being pretty which isn't great at all. Tally was stuck with that idea in her head of become a Pretty but then Shay got in her head so it changed all of her plans. She was then in a conflict with herself because on one side she really wanted to become a Pretty and be like the others because she didn't like herself as an Ugly but on the other side she wanted to stay friends with Shay because she was her only friends. I think she wanted to stay friends with Shay also because she was the only one that understood her and she really convinced Tally to stay ugly. She had to choose between staying ugly or betraying her friends. A little after in the book, Tally decided to stay loyal to The Smoke after what she learned by David's parents. His parents, who were working as surgeon for The Special Circumstances, told her that most of the people who had a surgery to become pretty, have also a brain damage now. The surgery made them this way so there wouldn't be any conflict in the town because they are all thinking and seeing things the same way.
2. ( David spoke up. ''The lesions aren't an accident, Tally. It's part of the way being pretty changes you.'' p. 252 )
One of the others conflict in the book involved David and the Society. All along the story, David tries to save everyone from the Special Circumstance and from the surgery because he knows the truth because of his parents. I feel like during the story we see him like ''One man VS the society''. As we said before, David is a really strong-minded person so he never let anyone convince him of anything about being Pretty. In the end, the society succeed to make the surgery on a lot of David's friends and family but not him. I think in this battle, David could never possibly win because first of all, there is not enough person who knows about the truth and mostly because they don't have the same mindset as him. Most of the people in this society wants to become pretty because they think that it's only thing that matters and that they will be happy when they're pretty. Which is true, they become happy but only because their brains have been changed and modified. The appearance for the people in the society is so important that they don't care about the rest. That's mostly why I said that it's a battle that David could never win alone so I think he did the right thing when he ran off because one man could never convince a whole town.

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Compare and contrast the protagonist and another character (aud):  The protagonist in the book is clearly Tally Youngblood. She is the main character and the one that we see and follow through the book. In fact, the book is based on her story and her life's adventures with the different people that she meets during the book. In the beginning of the story, Tally just wanted to be like the rest of the others. She wanted to become a Pretty to be with her best friend Peris. During her journey of accepting herself, she really changed her mind because of the people that she met and at the end, she did it for the good reasons and it was the best things to be for her mental state. I think Tally is someone who is not afraid of taking risk by example, when she went in the Pretty town while she was still an Ugly. If we compare Tally to David, they have a pretty different personality. Tally is more someone who is easy to influence and who cares about how things will affect the world around her. David is more a confident boy who knows what he wants and what he doesn't like. I think we can consider him more as a leader and a strong-minded person. For example, at the end, David left because he knew he didn't want to be a Pretty no matter what and he didn't accept what Tally did because it was against his values. No one in the world could've make David changed his mind but in comparison with Tally, she was more easy to influence.
Describe the antagonist (caro) :
The antagonist of the book is obviously the Special Circumsistances because it feels like they don't realize the weight of their actions. The fact that they run the city and they make the rules, they have a big influences on people and they have a power that not everyone have. I deeply think that they use their power not for the good. For example, when they destroyed Smoke only because this city is not the ideal way people are supposed to live in.
Link: The Special Circumstances are quite similar to the nazi. I know it's a pretty big comparison because these days, this group of people is hated by basically the whole world. But when we analyse the're actions we can see what link I want to show. First, like Hitler, the Special Circumstances want everyone to have a certain beauty standard. (sorry, it was the only link I found)

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Comparison with our least favourite character

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Comparison with our least favourite character

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Character of Jenny in Gossip Girl

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What you like and dislike (caro):
In general, I really liked the book because it was very original. For example, the fact that the story takes place in our future made it so that we had to question ourselves on our society and it made us realize how complex it is. There were several ethical issues that were highlighted in the story which brought many important dilemmas that made us seen the different ways people think. I really like so important in the book. This made me realize that even in our world this concept is important for many of us and that people will try to fit within the standards of beauty. For example, people will have plastic surgery to make themselves look better. Beauty is different for everyone and in 2019 we should also take into consideration inner beauty. Even though i enjoyed the book, i thought the book was too long.

Short book recommendation or review (aud):
Uglies is the story of a girl named Tally Youngblood that at first, really wanted to become pretty to fits with her best friend in the ''New Pretty Town''. Later in the book she will meet people that will influence her and make her change her minds. In the end, she will do what's right for herself and for her relationships with different people. All along the story, we see her development and her way of thinking that will change because of others. We also see at the end, her maturity by the decision she took that we couldn't see in the beginning of the book.
In my opinion, Uglies is a book that shows us that we need to see the true beauty and the true value in each person. I think the main purpose of the book was to show us what our society will be like if we keep putting beauty standards on everything that we see. It also shows us that it wouldn't be a good thing if we were all the same because we would all think the same way and do the same things, that's why I think we need to appreciate the values and the beauty of each person because everyone brings a little something different to our society. I think Uglies is a book that should be read because we learn and see about different characters and their way of thinking which is really interesting. It shows us that we shouldn't let other people influence us in our decisions because in the end, we are the only one that it will affects. To conclude, I think Uglies is a book that make us see our future and certain things from a different perspective.