Ugliness: A Cultural History

Placeholder author icon
By Gretchen Ernster Henderson ’97

Published Feb. 2, 2016

We have all used the word “ugly” to describe someone we have seen or known, but what do we really mean by the term? In Ugliness: A Cultural History,Gretchen Henderson ’97 dismantles the history of the term and its long-standing grasp on our cultural imagination, in everything from conversations to works of art, literature, and music. Henderson is a novelist and a lecturer at Georgetown University.

Paw in print

Image
PAW's October 2026 cover, featuring a photo of a loaf of challah bread and the headline "The Braids That Bind."
The Latest Issue

October 2026

Holding on to Jewish life; Katy Anderson Keating ’08’s career in wine; Hollywood loves Princeton.