Ugly Betty: Interculturalization And Globalization

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From Yo soy Betty, la fea to Ugly Betty: Interculturalisation and Globalisation Globalisation is a phenomenon that has led to abundant connections between cultures and people, which has in turn stimulated the reception and the export of all types of artistic and cultural features. It was commonly believed that these cultural flows were simply a form of imperialism and domination by the Western world over the non-West. Nevertheless, as Chris Barker states in Cultural Studies, “Globalization is not constituted by a monolithic one-way flow from 'the west to the rest'” (163). In many cases, the West becomes the target of this flux of exchange, and it is influenced by the ideas and perceptions that are imported from other parts of the world. Some …show more content…

Accordingly, homogenisation is believed to be one of the negative consequences of globalisation and interculturalisation. As Barker states in Cultural Studies, the homogenisation thesis proclaims that culture is becoming homogenised and standardised around the Western pattern and that this phenomenon involves a loss of cultural diversity (Barker 161). Nevertheless, globalisation is not constituted by a one-way flow from the West to the rest, but by a multidirectional flow from all parts of the world. Consequently, “global interconnection does not necessarily mean cultural conformity” (Holton 140). A telenovela such as Yo soy Betty, la fea, which originated in the non-Western world and has reached not only the United States, but also Europe and Asia, serves as an example of how artistic creations travel and become a source of inspiration for other cultures. Nevertheless, the example of Ugly Betty has reflected that the adaptations differ and that cultural contact does not lead to homogenisation. To create Ugly Betty, producers selected features from Yo soy Betty, la fea and underwent a process of modification. Moreover, they introduced features of their own culture and the contacts between both resulted in the creation of a hybrid. Although intercultural contact might involve the extraction of elements from other cultures and adapting them into one's own, the hybrids that arise are so vast and diverse that it is nearly impossible to reach a completely homogenised culture. Conclusively, although globalisation connects the majority of the people of the world, it does not eradicate unique features of each culture. This contact leads to the adaptation and modification of social and artistic features to create new cultures, but not to a completely conformed and

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