Uglies Following trends : a way to fit in ? According to Angel, teens follow trends because it makes them feel better ; it makes them feel beautiful. According to Samista, teens follow trends because it makes them feel popular. According to Johnny Scare, it makes them feel cool.

It’s a novel entitled Uglies and written by Scott Westerfeld. We don’t know when this novel was published. What’s strange is that we can only see half a girl’s face. It creates suspense. Her eyes are blueish and her hair are brownish. It’s a famous novel because it’s a bestseller. “In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly” : in a world where most girl are as beautiful as Marilyn Monroe, if a girl is just normal, she’s considered ugly. I disagree with this idea because everybody has his own perception of beauty. Cindy disagrees because she thinks we all have our own look. After reading the back cover of Scott Westerfeld’s novel, Uglies, I’ve understood that Tally is a girl and she’s about to turn 16. When you’re 16 in Tally’s world, you are operated on to become beautiful. In Tally’s world, the only thing you’re supposed to do is to have fun. After reading the front and the back covers of Uglies, most of us don’t feel like reading this novel. On her sixteen birthday, Tally will have a dazzling smile, sparkling eyes and a symmetrical face with plastic surgery. She won’t have acne or fat. Tally’s friend, Shay, thinks it’s superficial. She doesn’t want to go to New Pretty Town. One is going to betray the other ? The main two characters are Tally and Shay. The Specials are policemen. They are cruel people. The main difference between the main two characters is that Tally want to be the prettiest and Shay doesn’t care. Tally’s option is to betray or not to betray Shay. Thanks to plastic surgery, you can have a dazzling smile and sparkling eyes and a symmetrical face. Thanks to plastic surgery, you can get rid of acne or fats. When Tally is beautiful, she will move to New Pretty Town and she will spend her time having fun. © Quentin Gibaud Bernard - 2013

According to Shay, if you become pretty, you’re going to be superficial. That’s why she wants to keep her natural face and run away to a secret community. After Shay’s disappearance, the Specials want Tally to say what she knows about her disappearance. Otherwise, she will never go to New Pretty Town. We don’t know if Tally will betray Shay in order to become beautiful. Tally’s dilemma The situation takes place in a factory. They’re 16 years-old girls who want to become pretty. A machine puts the same mask on each girls face. All the girls look the same ; they have numbers instead of names. They lose their identity. Most girls of our class wouldn’t like to be one of those pretty Barbie dolls. The girls had plastic surgery yet. Shay and Tally are discussing their future. “Will we have plastic surgery ?”. At the end, we learn Shay wants to run away instead of having plastic surgery. Part 1 : lines 1 to 14 (Tally’s look) According to Tally, she’s ugly because her eyes are too close, one of her eyebrow is too big, the other one is too small (tiny). Mr. Biology says “your eyebrows should be the same, your nose should be perfect, your teeth should be solid white and your eyes should be 4.5 cm apart. Shay doesn’t agree with those rules. Shay thinks these rules are crap (they suck = they are rubbish). She thinks there is not only one way to look or to be pretty. Part 2 : lines 15 to 26 The opposite of ugly is pretty. The synonym of ugly is break. The synonym of beautiful is gorgeous. According to Shay, what’s wrong with the pretties is that they all look the same and they’re hyped-up Barbie dolls. Part 3 : line 27 to the end According to Shay, what’s wrong with the pretties is that they don’t have imagination, they’re emptyheaded and they’re boring. Who do you feel closer too, Shay or Tally ? Why ? I fell closer to Shay because she’s all right : when they become pretty, the girls forget all they learned and they become very stupid. And beauty is a subjective thing : someone can think that someone is pretty and an other people can think this person is ugly. And if you’re beautiful with plastic surgery, it’s not the same beauty as a natural beauty. That’s why I feel closer to Shay than Tally. There is not one way to look. There is no rule for beauty. When you try to look like other people, you lose your identity. It’s better when everyone has his own look. Translate into English Je veux jouer au football  I want to play football Non, je veux que tu joues au rugby  No, I want you to play rugby Je veux aller à Paris  I want to go to Paris Non je veux que tu ailles à Lyon  No, I want you to go to Lyon Je veux que tu apprennes tes leçons  I want you to learn your lessons Je ne veux pas que tu ailles sur Facebook  I don’t want you to go on Facebook © Quentin Gibaud Bernard - 2013