Ugly: A Letter to My Daughter
SKU: 61353685124

Ugly: A Letter to My Daughter

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Ugly: A Letter to My DaughterA tender, moving, and insightful account of queer motherhood and an interrogation of life on the margins of American culture as a self described "ugly" woman "A rigorous ladyballs out polemic that also tells the most raw, tender, against all odds story of parenthood that I've ever read." Mary Gaitskill, author of Veronica Ugly is a word with fangs that can kill a woman's self esteem in one bite. Edicts about how women should look, behave, and think

A tender, moving, and insightful account of queer motherhood and an interrogation of life on the margins of American culture as a self-described "ugly" woman

"A rigorous ladyballs-out polemic that also tells the most raw, tender, against-all-odds story of parenthood that I've ever read." --Mary Gaitskill, author of Veronica

Ugly is a word with fangs that can kill a woman's self-esteem in one bite. Edicts about how women should look, behave, and think are the brutal forge through which they are made -- not born -- as Simone de Beauvoir famously argued in The Second Sex. And to defy the pretty imperative is to experience a kind of invisibility. It can be a hard thing to admit to yourself, let alone to your child, to say the words "I am ugly" or "I am seen as ugly." But early on in her motherhood journey, watching her young daughter begin to wrestle with beauty standards, Stephanie Fairyington felt compelled to face her own demons and to unpack her own ugly self-perception, one that she could trace to her own childhood, in order to conquer this seemingly immoveable frontier, far too taboo even among women to broach: the ways in which women's lives are unfairly contoured by the nature of their looks.

The multiple iterations of ugliness that Fairyington saw in her young self--her physical appearance, her formative gender dissonance, and obvious lesbianism--are not present in her beautiful and traditionally feminine daughter. But Fairyington's old feelings of inadequacy take on new meaning as she confronts fresh insecurities around her role as the nonbiological mother in her relationship, exacerbating wounds from a lifetime of being treated differently, from the poverty of her genetic inheritance to questions about her parentage to doubts about the legitimacy of her family.

Interlacing cultural history and analysis with memoir, Ugly is a probing investigation into cultural norms and the formation of our aesthetic sense of self. Fairyington contrasts her so-called ugliness with her daughter's attractiveness and adherence to beauty ideals, a tender and tenuous condition that her daughter was already walking a tightrope to maintain at age six. By sharing the history of her troubled self-image, Fairyington invites us to go rogue, to invent a new language and logic to overthrow all the ways that women have been cultivated to hate themselves.

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SKU: 61353685124

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Matt W
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 5
Great shirt and Great price
Size: X-Large, Color: Black
I really like this short sleeve shirt — it’s stylish, comfortable, and perfect for any occasion. The fabric feels soft yet durable, and it keeps me cool even on warmer days. The fit is flattering without being too tight, making it a great addition to my everyday wardrobe.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2025
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Jaime
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Perfect
Size: X-Large, Color: Navy Blue
Nice and loose. No ironing needed.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2026
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ozarowicz
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Great shirt.
Size: Large, Color: Army Green
Light and comfy
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Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2026
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Amazon Customer
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 4
Good quality and design, but...
Size: Medium, Color: Black(windmill)
The design, fit, and feel are nice, and I'm glad I used the sizing chart within the pictures because typically I have to buy a large in other brands. However, the collar is unsupported and the fabric is like others have said (thin, silky, a little like a shower curtain, and a little like a disco shirt, though surprisingly not stretchy). Not necessarily bad, just unexpected, and pleasantly light. I bought the white polka dot and the gray diamond print. The white was a tiny bit see through and the gray has a very subtle color change throughout the fabric undulating slightly lighter to slightly darker, which I did not notice from the pictures, but was nice. Unfortunately, the pocket fabric didn't switch lightness and darkness the same as the rest of the shirt, so the one I received had a dark splotch right next to the lighter pocket fabric making it look like a grease stain on the center of the shirt. The two were also slightly different in size even though they were both listed as the same size (medium). The white one pulled across the chest and had more fabric on the sides, the grey one fit beautifully with a nice taper, but it had the "stain." I did not wash mine or try to get the wrinkles out, but the crease of the fabric upon arrival is very prominent, and I would imagine it is hard to get out. All-in-all, I didn't love the shirts, so I returned them. But the fabric was nice, thin, and comfortable but I wouldn't say cheap. The shirt was a little more casual with the unsupported collar which is just good to consider. And there were some minor inconsistencies with sizing. I would have kept the gray had the pattern lined up better and perhaps I just got the one bad one.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2025
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Aaron
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
I love these shirts!
Size: 4X-Large, Color: Blue Combo
These shirts are great! They’re super comfortable, super stylish, and they fit me! I’m a fat guy and they make me look great. Here’s a tip if you’re fat like me. Sit down in a chair and measure around your biggest area, then use that as your “chest” size on their charts. Order whatever size is just a little bigger than your measurement. Always check the charts because they’re not always the same.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2026

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