Unreliable Beauty : Teaching the Power of Beauty Norms and Critical Literacy Through the Use of Uglies

Sammanfattning

This essay explores how the book Uglies could be used in the EFL classroom to teach students how to use critical literacy and how this can be used to dismantle and resist beauty standards. The essay finds that when the main character gains access to diverse views, she is able to redesign her idea of her world's beauty norms. Because the book shows how beauty norms work as a form of social control through the main character and the supporting characters, the essay has shown that Uglies is a valuable resource in the EFL classroom since it can help students understand the power structures behind beauty norms. Furthermore, the novel allows students to practice using critical literacy which may lead them to scrutinize their own society´s beauty standards. The essay has also found that at times the author's own indoctrination can be made visible. Lastly, because body image is a very relevant topic and many students suffer from body dysmorphia, it has shown to be a relevant study for the EFL classroom.