The Beautiful All Along Trope

     I had first decided to do my final project on the media's obsession and romanticization with the outcast in schools. From Heathers, to Superbad, to Booksmart, these films focus on the main character outcast, making their loner life more appealing and fun to the audience. It has always intrigued me as an outcast myself, because my experiences in high school had never been like that of those characters. I didn't have a coming of age moment that changed me.

     Unfortunately though, there seems to not be many articles on this fact. So, I pulled my attention to something else within films that always confused me. The nerd to beauty trope. I know this is something we've all seen. Grease, Clueless, The Princess Diaries, and even Cinderella leaned on this trope. The main character is a clumsy and ugly, and is often seen with curly or unkept hair with glasses. Throughout the film, the character learns how to present more attractively for others, usually gains popularity, and wins the heart of the love interest that wouldn't even spare a glance at them before their transformation. It's predictable, it's tiring, and it's damaging. It teaches people (often girls, since the characters are usually a girl herself) that in order to be respected or worthy of attention, they must be physically appealing to the eye. Forget about individuality, outer beauty is where it's at. 

    Not only does it imply that appearance is more important than personality, but it also implies that curly hair is ugly (example: The Princess Diaries). Imagine the impact that has on young kids with curly hair. They're going to be embarrassed by their natural state of being because it has been deemed unattractive. Beauty standards have always stuck to one type of person, and this trope is another example of this. I look like Mia before her transformation in The Princess Diaries, and that is apparently an incorrect way to look. Are we not worthy unless we are attractive to you? 

    I'm going to try and find where this trope all began, and the impact it has had on its audience since then. I want to see if there are films that take on this trope in a less damaging way. I believe 10 Things I Hate About You deal with the trope in a way that doesn't focus solely on physical beauty when the character undergoes a transformation.