Is Ugly The New Beautiful?

We all know that Madonna's baby face, Volumetric face lift has been dubbed "the new, new face" by New York magazine. But this has led some to question why someone would pay good money to look like Madonna in the tired, haggard state she was caught in only a month earlier.

Here's another question: why is the public so obsessed with celebs caught looking homely and unattractive? Why do we constantly search for stars that have permanently disfigured their faces and bodies through poor choices in cosmetic procedures, photos of celebrities without makeup, pics of stars making odd faces? Could it be that we need to remind ourselves that the celebrity's perfection is actually an illusion? Is it the visual representation of the transience of life? Is it schadenfreude? Could it be all three?

I'm not ruling out any of the above, but perhaps I could propose another option. Maybe, just maybe, the public is tired of constant, consistent perfection. Perhaps what we are aching to see is reality. Certainly there's been a reality show boom in the past decade. We have created celebrities out of those who choose to live their lives in front of the camera, warts and all. Is it possible that a large section of the viewing public has simply grown apathetic to the glamour of Hollywood? Simon Rogers, head of a company called Ugly New York thinks so.

“I think people are really ready to start seeing a whole different kind of person out there,” says Rogers.

Ugly New York is a branch of The Ugly Talent Agency which opened in London almost four decades ago and has been swamped with business, from magazines to movies, ever since. The New York office, which opened this time last year, has seen an unprecedented boom. It would seem that casting agents for magazines, newspapers, television and movies believe that ugly is, indeed, the new beautiful.

Even though America still seems firmly obsessed with beauty and youth, Ugly is coming out on top and business is beautiful. The offices of Ugly New York now represent over 500 models of all ages, sizes, shapes, dental healths, tattoo habits and piercings. Rogers, a Brit, often takes to the streets of New York to cast and has had great luck doing so.

“It’s an incredible melting pot, so we now represent a really candid cross section of what America is,” say Rogers of the diversity of America and his agency.

To see that Ugly business is booming, maybe Dior Sport Homme and Dunhill shouldn't have retouched Jude Law's hairline. Maybe Madonna should've kept the toaster look. Perhaps Joan Van Ark's gravy face could have actually appealed to America... well, let's not go that far.

You can contact Ugly New York through their website, UglyNY.com

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