November 13, 2006
By JOHNNY DIAZ

The title character of the series "Ugly Betty" (8 p.m. Thursdays, Channel 6) is a smart, ambitious, endearing Latina who doesn't give up easily despite working at a fashion magazine packed with superficial, backstabbing beauties. At home in Queens, she speaks English and Spanish, takes care of her father, sister, and nephew, and talks about her quinceanera, or sweet 15th birthday celebration.

In this ugly-duckling character, some Latinas see a positive role model ? and a little of themselves reflected on the TV screen.

Betty Suarez may not be a looker with her braces, curves, bushy hair and Guadalajara poncho, but she shines through her humble integrity. She also breaks the mold of the stereotypical Latina hoochie, maid, or gang member so often portrayed on network television.

On message boards, at work and in social groups, Hispanic women are saying the fictional Betty Suarez rings true in many ways. Not that they see themselves as unattractive women, but they say Betty represents the experience of first-generation Latinas who try to fit into the mainstream while negotiating a bicultural reality.

"Her persona in terms of her personality is what Latinas strive to be every day," said Ana Pereira, 27, who lives in Boston and watches the show every week. "You want to be a hard worker and be successful and go into any profession you want."

Pereira, who is from Venezuela, remembers watching the original Colombian telenovela "Yo Soy Betty La Fea," which aired on Telemundo and that ABC adapted for American audiences. A producer at Univision in Needham, Mass., Pereira says her fellow chicas talk about the new show and how they're glad that the character remained a Latina in her crossover to the United States.

"She has all these amazing qualities, and she has these high levels of ethics and morals," Pereira said. "In that sense, she is the super Latina woman, because she fulfills her professional desires and she's the good daughter."

In case you haven't met Betty Suarez, she's a portly, fashion-awkward Latina from Queens who lands a job at Mode fashion magazine with dreams of running her own publication one day. (In the original, Suarez works at a fashion house in Colombia.) In her new Manhattan setting, Suarez stands out immediately in the realm of haute couture and toothpick-thin office women.

Betty has attracted a following because her character is the unlikely Hispanic heroine. She bucks Hollywood's perceptions of beauty ? the blond and busty "Baywatch" type or the rail-thin model.

Suarez is average and optimistic, something that endears her to viewers, Latino or not.

"I think everybody, not just Latinas, can identify with her," said Rian Montgomery of Nashua, N.H., who launched uglybettyblog.com to gab about the show. "She is not skinny or super-pretty, and I think that's why a lot of people like her, for her flaws. She is always cheerful, regardless of what is going on, and happy despite all the problems she has in her life."

America Ferrera, the 22-year-old Honduran-American actor who plays Suarez, said in an interview that she connects with her character because of their common struggle to fit in as a Latina in American culture. "Being in the entertainment industry and not being the picture of what is a stereotypical successful [actress] has made me relate to the character," she said. "My journey in Hollywood parallels Betty's."

Betty is the only Latina character on prime-time network TV who anchors a show. Unlike characters played by Eva Longoria in "Desperate Housewives" or Roselyn Sanchez on CBS' "Without a Trace," who are part of ensembles, Betty Suarez is the heart, soul and namesake of the top-rated new series this season, according to the Nielsen ratings.

"She's really a metaphor for U.S. Latinos in general and their standing as 'ugly ducklings' in U.S. society," said Claudia Milian, a professor of Latino literature at Duke University and an "Ugly Betty" watcher.

Adding to Betty's appeal among Latino audiences: She seems to be a pan-Hispanic type relatable to many Latinos.

"It seems like this twist is getting a little magical realist, too, in the sense that U.S. Latinas and Latinos can be from anywhere in Latin America," Milian added. *

Source: Philadephia Daily News