Hollywood Homely/Playing With
Basic Trope: An average-looking woman (or, more rarely, man) is regarded as absolutely hideous.
- Played Straight: Alice isn't ugly, but is regarded as ugly.
- Exaggerated: Alice is very beautiful, but is regarded as a example of The Grotesque.
- Justified: Alice is a regular woman from somewhere out in Flyover Country who finds herself in LA for whatever reason(s).
- Alice lives in a society full of people who are more attractive than her.
- Inverted: Alice is one of The Beautiful Elite, but still feels self-conscious.
- Alice is ugly, but is regarded as one of The Beautiful Elite.
- Subverted: She Cleans Up Nicely or is Beautiful All Along
- Double Subverted: Alice gets a makeover and/or plastic surgery, and ends up looking worse than before.
- Parodied: People are Driven to Suicide by the mere sight of Alice, even though she is average-looking.
- Deconstructed: Alice feels a lot of pressure to look like the models and actresses in today's media, and has some serious body-image issues. May lead her to such things as eating disorders, excessive plastic surgery, spending money she does not have on trendy clothes, etc.
- Reconstructed: Alice learns that she is not ugly, and goes out to face the world, average looks and all. She makes an effort to look nice and presentable, but does not go to extremes.
- Zig Zagged: Some think Alice is a goddess, others see her as an Eldritch Abomination
- Averted: Alice is one of The Beautiful Elite.
- Alice is a regular woman with regular looks, but is beautiful for her time and place. Maybe even exceptionally so.
- No real commentary (positive or negative) is made regarding Alice's looks. (This troper would love to see that day!)
- Alice is a regular woman with regular looks, but is beautiful for her time and place. Maybe even exceptionally so.
- Enforced: "We need a plain (not ugly, per se, but still nonthreatening) best friend for our female lead."
- Lampshaded: "Dude, Alice is so plain, she's fugly!"
- Invoked: Alpha Bitch Betty, being jealous of Alice being quite pretty yet having a boyfriend, starts saying to the public that Alice is ugly. * Defied: Alice does not change anything about her looks, no matter how frumpy they may be.
- Discussed: "You know, Alice, if you put on some makeup, lost a couple of pounds, and put on a new outfit, you'd be hot!"
- Conversed: "Alice isn't ugly! What kind of drugs are you on?! She looks like a regular Girl Next Door!"
- Played For Laughs: Everyone teases Alice about her looks as a Running Gag, and she gets very angry, possibly even violent with them for it.
- See "Parodied" for the Dead Baby Comedy version (I'm lookin' at you, Family Guy!)
- Played For Drama: Alice obsesses over her looks and runs into problems (see "Deconstruction")
- Alice matures and learns that she isn't ugly.
- Alice gets a makeover, but learns that she was never ugly, just plain.
- People's hurtful remarks harm Alice's self-esteem.
- Alice gets a makeover, but learns that she was never ugly, just plain.
- Alice matures and learns that she isn't ugly.
Hollywood Homely? But she's hideous!