Uglies Scott Westerfeld Analysis

“Society can serve its citizens only to the extent that it knows them”- David Marusek. Unpleasant, undesirable, the worst possible conditions for humans to live, this is the very definition of a dystopian society. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld presents readers with a post-scarcity dystopian society set in the future where former cities have fallen apart after the world’s oil supplies are completely destroyed. These collapsed cities are known as Ruins, with the former inhabitants branded as “Rusties”. In this new society, a government power forces extensive cosmetic surgery to be performed on all individuals at the age of 16. Following the surgery, individuals are labelled as “pretties” and are given years of and fun and no responsibilities. Prior

Many aspects of this time period is shown to have had an impact on Westerfeld’s novel, Uglies. Women beauty standards have been prevalent since the beginning of history, however the 1960s saw birth to unrealistic beauty standards. Women during this time were expected to have a willowy look, which includes a thin body, long slim legs and an adolescent physique. Women who did not meet this standard were looked down upon by other members of society for not holding a desired beauty. The discrimination “uglies” face from pretties is linked to this standard faced by women in Westerfeld’s community. Many pretties laugh at respective “uglies” prior to their operation as “uglies” look different than their pretty counterparts. When Tally sneaks into a pretties only party, she “[feels] uglier every second she [spends] there. Being laughed at by everyone she met wasn’t helping much” (Westerfeld 13). For being an “ugly,” Tally is laughed at, and made to be like a second class by the pretties because she is different than them. In Westerfeld’s American society, if a woman does not achieve the thin, willowy look that is desired, then she experiences the exact feelings of inferiority. The discrimination faced by “uglies” as well as women who do not meet the beauty standard, are connected in the ideology that being ugly, makes you of lesser importance than a prettier counterpart. The 1960s saw a strong push for equal rights for African

The inspiration for lesions being implemented during the operation comes from Project MKUltra done by the CIA throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Emerging shortly after World War II, and continuing into the 1990s, the Cold War was a major part of Westerfeld’s life, with the peak of the war occurring during the 1960s. The democratic United States waged an external conflict with the communist Soviet Union due to different government ideals. The United States chose to fight the Soviet Union because they did not agree with their democratic views. This world event could have been Westerfeld’s inspiration for the conflict between Special Circumstances and runaways. Special Circumstances is a police force that strives to prevent runaways as they choose not to get the operation to turn them pretty, and they are revealed to “not being able to take anyone being different. That’s why once you turn, specials won’t mess with you….. Because you’ll be happy and won’t make trouble anymore” (392). Special Circumstances want to stop runaways and force them to have the operation because they choose a lifestyle that is different than their own. This is a parallel to the Unites States wanting to change the Soviet Union’s ideals simply because they operate with a different political system. The internal conflict shown with lesions being