Uglies

Content Warning: This section of the guide references and discusses physical appearance body image issues.

Tally Youngblood is the main character of Uglies, serving as the third-person close perspective focus of the novel. She describes herself as having frizzy brown hair, blemished skin, and eyes that are too close together, earning her the nickname “Squint” from her ugly counterparts. Tally turns 16 over the course of the novel—a significant birthday because it means that she can become “pretty.” At the beginning of the novel, becoming pretty is her deepest desire, as it will allow her to reconnect with all the friends who have gotten the surgery before her. Tally, although impatient, has a mischievous streak that shows itself through “tricks,” or pranks. For example, she has tricked the artificial intelligence of her room to believe her to still be in bed when she is really wandering the night, and she often refers to pranks she once pulled with her best friend, Peris.

At the novel’s beginning, Tally is a passive main character. While she spends time with Shay, pulls pranks, and learns how to hoverboard during this time, she is primarily concerned with her inevitable future as a pretty.