Blog Fabulous

Ugly Betty.

by Kim on October 12th, 2006

My new favorite “dramedy” is ABC’ Ugly Betty. It’s an intelligently written show — rather like the old (Hispanic) Mary Tyler Moore, Meets Dynasty, meets The Devil Wears Prada.

Betty is the heroine of the show whose dream is to land a job at a major magazine, such as Time, or The Atlantic Monthly.

Instead she ends up at the ficticious Mode Magazine…very cleverly concealing it’s Vogue influence. Not.

As she is a very earnest and socially-minded spirit, she doesn’t have a clue about the pretensiousness of the fashion world — on her first day, she is proudly wearing this season’s must-have garment, the pancho — a gift from her father — whic had the word Guadalajara emblazoned on it.

A snotty little male editorial assisant gives Betty an mocking thumbs up on her outfit; and she graciously (read: guileless) responds with an excited “Thank You”! Hilarious.

Hilarious, because that was ME On My First Day at my first job in publishing! (I could go all the way back to high school stories to prove how clueless I was, but I’ll stick with my Random Hut job.)

First, I took the bus from Jersey to Manhattan, got off in Times Square by mistake, had to walk all the way across town (before I knew what “across town” meant).

Got to my building, rode the elvator up to my floor and was greeted by my colleagues and superiors…”wow don’t you look ready to work”…a very polite way of saying, what the heck are you wearing…this is PUBlishing, not the sock department at the Paramus Park, NJ Macy’s.

I looked little more sophistocated or savvy than Betty (although I bet in real life she’s a cutie). I was wearing a navy velvet skirt with matching “blazer”, black patent leather flats and a ruffle-neck cream!-colored shirt…with a string tie at the neck…with messy hair and oddly applied make-up.

Once, while tending to a publishing cocktail party, at the ever-so-glamourous (I thought) Museum of Modern Art Apartments…I was floored when the editor-in-chief of The New York Times spoke to me. Me!

I heard this low, deep, manly voice say…Young lady? Yes?, I beamed.

You might want to let someone know there is not bathroom tissue in the rest room….

But I didn’t care. For the rest of my life I told people that the editor-in-chief of The New York Times spoke to me at a party.

Just like Betty will learn… eventually, I began to understand big publishing lingo, who the players were, how not to get taken advantage of…and many years later…how to dress.

Share This

Related Stories

I’m A PIG? You’re UGLY!
The Best Christmas Tree Ever!
My TV Dream Job.
Television & Down Time
Signing Times Winner

POSTED IN: Fabulous Coffee Break