Ugly. It’s a word that can ignite a feeling of worthlessness. But somewhere in our unconscious mind may also be triggered a feeling of comfort as we recall, The Ugly Duckling which in his simple language inspired hope, that one day, everything will be alright in the end. This article explores the lessons taught by this classic children’s book and how these lessons may be different today.
“I wish I looked like them”
The ‘ugly’ duckling was not loved by his siblings, however, his luck seemed to turn around when he realised he was a beautiful swan. He appeared to finally find happiness through his external beauty. This is synonymous with the millions of people obsessed with displaying external beauty in social media platforms in order to drive happiness and belong to a bevy. Should we re-write, The Ugly Duckling today, the chick would remain an ‘ugly’ bird and instead would grow to love what was on the inside rather than relying on external beauty and the validation of others to be happy. Children would be taught that the only validation they would need to lead a happy and fulfilling life would be their own.
“I’ll just hide here forever”
As children we are taught that, good things come to those who wait and everything will be alright in the end. Human nature assumes everything must be ‘perfect’ for us to be happy. This notion is entrenched within the story of the Ugly Duckling as the chick resigns itself to hiding away, hibernating, where nobody can find him. We spend our lives waiting for everything to be perfect. The perfect job, the perfect partner, the perfect house. Today, children would be taught to be bold, don’t wait, don’t hibernate. Step into action. Now.
Be the Ugly Duckling and be beautiful.
