Released on = July 28, 2007, 5:09 am

Press Release Author = Betty Hoeffner

Industry = Entertainment

Press Release Summary = Teen self-esteem advocate, HeyUGLY.org, is hoping teens rush
out and see Hairspray. On HBO\'s First Look, Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray\'s plus-sized
star said, \"The time is coming for people who are different. You can just be who you
are and you don\'t have to try to be anybody else.\"

Press Release Body = Teen self-esteem advocate, HeyUGLY.org, is hoping teens rush
out and see Hairspray, the new movie/musical starring John Travolta, Michelle
Pfeiffer, Zac Efron and introducing Nikki Blonsky.

The musical is about a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart named Tracy
Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky). Her dream is to appear on her city's TV dance program -
\"The Corny Collins Show.\" Tracy is a great dancer and a natural fit for the show
except for her plus-sized figure. Tracy not only wins a spot on the dance show, she
also wins the hearts of the viewing audience and the show's most popular hottie,
Link Larkin (Zac Efron).

\"We think the movie will show teen girls they don\'t have to be a size 2 in order to
fit in or have a boyfriend,\" explained Betty Hoeffner, HeyUGLY.org\'s president.
\"When we asked young men what type of girls they liked, a majority said they
prefered girls who are confident and fun to be around.\"

\"To girls out there my advice is that what matters is character, sense of humor,
hobbies and interests, fun and conversation,\" said Zac Efron in the July 13 issue of
The Sun. \"I do like girls with curves. I don't like the stick thin girls that you
see in Hollywood. Size zero models may be great in theory but when you see them in
person you realize there's not much there. I like a girl that is happy and healthy.\"

On HBO\'s First Look, Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray\'s plus-sized star said, \"The time is
coming for people who are different. You can just be who you are and you don\'t have
to try to be anybody else.\"

Blonsky could be right. Celebrities like Ugly Betty\'s America Ferrara, Dream Girls\'
Jennifer Hudson, American Idol winner, Jordan Sparks, and Kelly Clarkson, are all
talking about how they are happy with their body type and content with who they are.
These celebrities let their inner beauty shine which is what Link finds so
attractive about Tracy. Tracy isn't caught up in the constant struggle to achieve
and maintain an elusive perfection like Amber Von Tussel (Brittany Snow). Amber
represents all the girls who are struggling to be the perfect size, wear the perfect
clothes and be in the perfect clique; showing that sometimes happiness is harder to
achieve for them, than those not in the, \"in\" crowd.

\"Girls like Amber put themselves through a lot of pressure to be perceived as
pretty,\" said Hoeffner. \"Instead of being free to enjoy life, they are consumed with
comparing themselves to others. Their critical inner voice has them constantly
comparing themselves to celebrities, friends and even strangers to see if their
thighs are as skinny or their hair is as shinny. This demoralizing behavior leaves
little room for them to find their inner beauty.\"

\"Pretty people can be just as damaged as ugly people or fat people,\" said Michelle
Pfeiffer in the March issue of Allure. \"And in some ways more because beautiful
women tend to get used. And sometimes, their self-esteem is so wrapped up in the way
they look that they allow themselves to be victimized much more than somebody whose
self-worth isn\'t all wrapped up in their face or their body.\" Pfeiffer plays Amber\'s
mom in Hairspray

\"Michelle Pfeiffer helps us to understand that low self-worth is not limited to big
girls,\" said Hoeffner. \"Low self-esteem affects learning and can lead to such
problems as delinquency, unhealthy relationships, eating disorders, drugs and
suicide. That is why it is imperative schools start incorporating
self-esteem-building into their lesson plans. To help them, we developed a
self-esteem and diversity-building curriculum that is free to teachers and
organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, and Boys and Girls Scouts of America. In
parity with movies like Hairspray, there is hope that America\'s youth can find their
inner light and let it shine for all to see, especially themselves.\"



Web Site = http://HeyUGLY.org

Contact Details = Hey U.G.L.Y., Inc. NFP
8057 N. 300 East
Rolling Prairie, IN 46371