(Reviewed by JD Jung)
In this deeply personal book, author Moshtari Hilal interweaves memoir, history, and sociology to explore the painful realities of feeling “ugly” in a world that prioritizes symmetry and Eurocentric beauty standards.
Born in Kabul, Afghanistan and later moving to Germany she relates her lifelong insecurities about her “crooked” nose and excessive facial hair, offering an account of the emotional toll of not fitting conventional ideals.
What I found the most fascinating though, was her exhaustive research into the history and sociology of the perception of “ugliness”. Imitation and assimilation are a means of social mobility for some and survival for others. This is especially true of immigrants. However, western imperialism also plays a role as she provides examples of how women currently living in the Middle East seek to become attractive by European standards. She examines the history of plastic surgery, specifically rhinoplasty, the goal being for patients to feel better about themselves by trying to attain the ideal appearance and to be accepted in society.
Through her comprehensive historical research, she discovered that not until the twentieth century did scientists consider asymmetry to be standard. Hairiness was often linked to insanity until the late 1800s, and individuals with unconventional appearances were often labeled as “monstrous” and exploited in circus sideshows.
She conducts a comprehensive study of eugenics in the twentieth century and how this concept of symmetry fed into fascist ideology and was weaponized against Jews and other minorities. This examination of symmetry’s dark role in history is both thought-provoking and unsettling.
Written with poetic introspection and meticulous research, Ugliness offers a fascinating study of how culture, politics, and history define beauty and ugliness. It is an essential read for anyone interested in identity, and the societal forces that shape our perceptions of self-worth.
