The Ugly Duckling - The rewrite

Ah. The childhood tale of the Ugly Duckling. A coming to age story that tells the tale of a little duckling who is  verbally scorned and rejected by his familial community based on his 'awkward' appearance. In the end, the ugly duckling, with its weird and obscure physical features, transforms into the most beautiful creature of all, a swan. What a happy ending.


I deplore it.

The problem with this story, unlike what most people like to believe, is that it does not promote accepting one's 'inner self. Rather, it tells the tale of a misfortune being who had to transform in order to gain approval and self - confidence. I do not see the ugly duckling as a story as a means to tell children to love themselves for who they are; in the end, if you are seen as an 'outcast', in order to fit in, you must change.

Consider this, let's say the ugly duckling did not change into a swan, what would become of his fate? Would he still learn to love himself?

The classical tale of the Ugly Duckling sends an indirect message to the youth. Once you have changed from a conventional and widely accepted state of hideousness to a societal norm of beauty, everything will be fine.

We are living in a world of misconstrued beauty.

Youths, particularly adolescent females, are seeking extremes to achieve the coming of age 'transformation' that will make them feel accepted. Excessive use of makeup, inappropriately revealing clothing, and food purging are endlessly sought after. This is the Western world's definition of beauty and self-acceptance.

If I were to rewrite the Ugly Duckling's fate, he would not change into a swan. Instead, he would learn to accept himself, the same 'ugly duckling' self that was mocked, ridiculed and ostracized. This little duckling's fate would not rest on the need to change and conform to societal definitions of beauty.

No.

This little duckling would learn to define his perception of beauty, rather than waiting for an escape route. This is the definition of beauty.