How to Share Your Faith Using Ugly Betty
Does sweet and sincere win out over stylish and sexy in the real world? Millions of viewers tune in each week to root for sweet, unsophisticated Betty Suarez on Ugly Betty. ABC 's comedy series follows the ups and downs of life for unfashionable Betty as she makes her way in the high-glamour fashion mag world. Winner of two Golden Globe awards, Ugly Betty gives viewers a glimpse of what happens when sincerity and determination are matched against snootiness and superficiality.
Betty's been hired as assistant to the irresponsible, womanizing, editor-in-chief, Daniel Meade, who is being groomed by his father to take over Meade Publications. She's been hired by Daniel's father for the assistant position precisely because she's not sexy and glamorous - and therefore will not be a temptation. Daniel's not too happy about the new arrangement, to say the least. The show follows Betty as she pits her sincerity, hard work, and determination against the hostility, office politics, and maneuvering she encounters at work.
America Ferrera, who plays Betty, commented in a recent interview, "This show is not about being ugly at all. More than anything it's just about looking past what you see. Achieving that image is not all that we're on this planet to do." So how about you? How do you deal with the whole 'image' thing? Do you spend a lot of time and effort perfecting your outer image?
As a Christian, there's nothing wrong with expressing yourself through your clothes and hair and the look you choose to fit 'you'. God Himself is creative and artistic. One look at a sunset or a mountain tells you that He loves to express Himself and He uses beautiful things as part of that expression! And since you are made in the image of God, being creative and expressive should be part of who you are.
But the whole image thing can easily get messed up when clothing and image choices move from expression to obsession - when you find yourself spending huge amounts of time and money on outer appearance. And when you care more about your look than who you are on the inside or what God is calling you to be about with your time and money. Jesus had a lot to say about this very subject in Matthew 6:25-34:
If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion--do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best--dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers--most of which are never even seen--don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. (The Message)
Or check out these verses from 1 Peter 3:3-4:
What matters is not your outer appearance-the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes-but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. (The Message)
Teen talk is loaded with references to appearance, and Ugly Betty can be an easy opener for taking the conversation deeper. So try using some of these questions to move the conversation with your friends toward God-talk.
- What do you think of Betty Suarez?
- Do you admire her?
- Feel sorry for her?
- Identify with her?
- Do you think sweet and sincere wins out over stylish and sexy in the real world?
- How important is your outer image to you?
- Do you think some people pay so much attention to the outside because they are empty on the inside?
- Where do you get your sense of value from, your outer looks or who you are?
- Share with your friends how your relationship with Jesus has helped you understand that you are loved and valued by God for who you are and not for what you look like or what you've accomplished. The Good News is that God's love is unconditional!
- Do you agree with America Ferrera's statement "Achieving that image is not all that we're on this planet to do"?
- Share with your friends what you believe you were put on this planet to do. For help with this check out the Soul Fuel You Don't Have a Clue .
Whether it's a compliment or a dis, comments on appearance flow freely everyday in teen conversation. Look for ways to take the talk to a level that's more than skin deep!
