Summary

'I'm Ugly. You're Ugly. So What?'

In Ugly as Sin Toni Raiten-D'Antonio, MSW, breaks the ultimate social taboo by insisting that she is ugly in the eyes of the world. More shocking still, she calls on the rest of us to own our ugliness too. But don't be insulted. There's a liberating purpose to her message, one that could finally set you free from the obsessing, self-doubt, and self-criticism that all of us participate in when we think about how we look.

In this unprecedented examination of ugliness, its pervasiveness in our society, and the havoc it wreaks on our psyches, spirits, and bodies, Raiten-D'Antonio bravely confronts the problem of ugliness (including her own) and opens a dialogue that is provocative and inspiring. She reveals the roots of our perceptions of ugliness and beauty, tracing them through biology, art, religion, and culture and shows how we have been led to fear being defined as ugly ('ugliphobia'), and how this dread has become a universal problem. Comparing ourselves to impossible and ever-changing ideals of beauty, we endlessly cycle between efforts at self improvement and hopelessness.

What you will learn from Ugly as Sin is that overcoming ugliphobia begins with understanding the origins of the problem and learning that what we call ugly is not frightening or alien but part of being human. With searing honesty and empathy, Raiten-D'Antonio gives us the courage to redefine ugliness according to our own standards, while providing tools for finding self-acceptance and living in a world in which ugliness seems to be the ultimate sin.