Uglies by Scott Westerfeld is a dystopian novel about a society where everyone must get surgery at sixteen to become “Pretty.” At first, Tally only cares about fitting in and becoming Pretty. However, by the end of the novel, she understands that the surgery controls people’s minds and takes away their freedom.
After finishing the book, I think the main message is about individuality and the pressure to be perfect. The society in the novel believes beauty creates equality, but it actually removes personality and independent thinking. This connects to real life because many teenagers feel pressure to look a certain way in order to be accepted.
Tally’s character development is important because she changes from being selfish and immature to being more aware and responsible. Even though she makes mistakes, she grows as a person. Overall, I think Uglies is relevant for teenagers because it makes us question beauty standards and the importance of thinking for ourselves.