Netflix’s Uglies features a clever reference to one of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone, though it’s incredibly easy to miss the sly homage. Based on Scott Westerfeld’s novel of the same name, Uglies is a dystopian young adult (YA) story that’s set in a controlling society defined by government-mandated cosmetic surgery. When the denizens of the City turn 16 years old, they undergo Uglies‘ Transformation — a surgical procedure that turns them into beautiful yet dull Pretties. So-called “Uglies,” like Tally Youngblood (Joey King), dream of the day they’ll be transformed into carefree Pretties.
However, there’s a more sinister aspect to the Transformation. The Smoke, a fringe group of rebels that make up a good chunk of Uglies‘ cast of characters, discovers that the surgery causes brain lesions. In turn, these lesions are responsible for dulling the Pretties’ ability to think freely. Allegedly, the Transformation frees Pretty society from jealousy and hostility, but it also makes the populace easier to control. In true dystopian fashion, Tally is forced to choose between assimilating or standing up for folks’ agency and individuality — and one crucial Uglies scene references a thematically similar episode of The Twilight Zone.
Tally’s Pig Mask Is A Sly Reference To The Twilight Zone’s “Eye Of The Beholder” Episode
The Classic Twilight Zone Episode Plays With Our Ideas Of Beauty Standards
In Uglies, Tally sneaks into Pretty Town to find her friend, Peris (Chase Stokes), and disguises herself with a pig mask that’s reminiscent of The Twilight Zone‘s “Eye of the Beholder” episode. Various parties unfold on a nightly basis in Pretty Town, including this one. When Tally sneaks in, one of the celebrations is a safari-themed masquerade. Still, the movie is incredibly intentional when it comes to the Uglies‘ futuristic gadget, which transforms Tally into a “Pretty” pig. In popular culture, pigs are often associated with ugliness — a meaning that the classic “Eye of the Beholder” episode also plays with.
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Also known as “The Private World of Darkness,” the series’ 42nd episode originally aired as part of the second season of The Twilight Zone in 1960. Penned by Twilight Zone host and creator Rod Serling, “Eye of the Beholder” centers on Janet Tyler (Maxine Stuart; Donna Douglas), a woman who’s undergoing her eleventh State-sanctioned treatment to look more “normal.” The surgery is Janet’s last chance to be beautiful, but, for most of the episode, her face is wrapped in bandages. After the doctor (William D. Gordon) removes the bandages, he tells Janet that the procedure has failed.
In a sense, this fictional society’s beauty standards are the opposite of the viewer’s, which the pig-face-like appearance underscores.
Cleverly, The Twilight Zone episode keeps the doctor and nurses’ faces a mystery too. When the bandages come off, Janet is revealed to be a conventionally attractive woman by 1960s beauty standards. Still, both Janet and the medical staff are horrified by her appearance. The bigger twist comes when the hospital staff’s faces are revealed. In this Twilight Zone world, beauty is defined by drooping eyes, thick brows, and noses reminiscent of pig snouts. In a sense, this fictional society’s beauty standards are the opposite of the viewer’s, which the pig-face-like appearance underscores.
Uglies Shares Common Themes With Twilight Zone’s “Pig Face” Episode
Janet & Tally Both Grapple With The Idea Of Beauty Defining Their Worth
There’s no doubt that The Twilight Zone was ahead of its time when it came to the themes and stories it explored, but, even so, “Eye of the Beholder” endures more than most installments. In Serling’s strange world, what viewers would consider ugly is the norm, while conventional beauty is a deviation. At the end of the episode, a fellow “ugly” man, Walter Smith (Edson Stroll), comes to escort Janet to a village of “[her] own kind,” away from the State. Walter assures Janet that others like her will see her as beautiful, which Janet has a hard time comprehending.
Similar to Uglies, the Twilight Zone episode plays with the idea that beauty is really in the eye of the beholder. Moreover, it features a character going to extreme lengths to change her appearance so it better fits society’s ideals. At one point, the Twilight Zone doctor even comments that no one should be judged on their outer beauty — a sentiment echoed by the rebellious members of The Smoke in Uglies. Although Janet doesn’t have time to consider anything but her physical appearance, the suggestion is that she, like Tally, will come to understand that beauty isn’t a fixed ideal.
Uglies’ Pig Mask Is Also A Reference To George Orwell’s Animal Farm
Orwell’s Dystopian Classic Also Leans Heavily Into Pig Imagery
Like other works of dystopian fiction, Uglies borrows from the novels and movies that came before it, including George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The satirical novella, which was released in 1945, centers on a group of anthropomorphic farm animals who rebel against their human owner. The animals hope to create a truly equitable and happy society, but they wind up under the iron hoof of a pig dictator. When it comes to dystopian stories, Animal Farm cornered the market on pig imagery, so it’s easy to see Tally’s mask as a reference to the insidious nature of Pretty Town in Uglies.
