(Found) Controlling beauty. What is the title?

[Nikitta]

1) Hi!

I'm new here. I have read this forum/portal for a bit and it seems like a nice place. I found this place when I found myself wondering about something regarding Tolkien, so I typed the question into Google, thinking that someone must have discussed that somewhere. I was right and I found a good answer to that question in this place.

2) Help!

Recently a story I have read popped into my head, but I can't identify it. I hope you can help me.

It takes place in a world where a few attractive people are practically worshipped for their beauty. Only, they're not real, as a very ugly girl (who also worships the beautiful ones) learns once she is placed in a situation where she is hooked up to some sort of device where she controls/becomes a beautiful one, moving for "her" and sensing and seeing what "she" senses and sees. There is a very strong control of the "beautiful people", of where to go, what to say, how to act and so forth. They endorse various products and people don't question them.

A guy powerful enough to be near those "beauties", but not powerful enough to know the truth about them, falls in love with this girl. Somehow he finds out about the truth, from someone who is against the system and he decides that he wants to free her.

That's all I remember. I hope it's enough for someone to identify the story.

 

[iansales]

The Girl Who Was Plugged In, by James Tiptree Jr?

 

[HoopyFrood]

I'm not going to be of any help here, but I just wanted to say HI! Welcome to the Chronicles! Hopefully you'll stick around after you've solved your question...we're a friendly bunch, and you'll always find good conversation here!

 

[Twerp]

Perhaps it was Westerfeld's Trilogy; Uglies, Pretties, and Specials? or one of the three. I'm thinking at the very least if this isn't what you're thinking of, you may enjoy it, even though the storyline you're describing is a little different... there are similarities

 

[Nikitta]

The Girl Who Was Plugged In, by James Tiptree Jr?

That was a quick reply.

It seems that's the one I'm thinking of, yes. Thank you!

I didn't manage to find it in any book shops, so I'll buy it online instead.

 

[Nikitta]

Thanks for the wellcome, Hoopyfrood. I do plan to stick around for a bit, though I don't know how much I'll have to say.

Douglas Adams is my favourite writer too.

 

[SpaceShip]

Hi iansales - welcome to the Chronicles. Hope you enjoy it here and look forward to bumping into you in the various threads.

 

[j d worthington]

Hello, Nikitta, and welcome to the Chronicles! As for the Tiptree, there's been a fairly recent resurgence of interest in her work, so you might start to see some of it reissued soon. You can find that particular story in several sf anthologies, as well as the retrospective collection Her Smoke Rose Up Forever.

 

[iansales]

Hi iansales - welcome to the Chronicles. Hope you enjoy it here and look forward to bumping into you in the various threads.

Er, I've been here since May But thanks for the welcome.

 

[SpaceShip]

Er, I've been here since May But thanks for the welcome.

Eek - just noticed. Should have been a welcome to Nikitta - so welcome Nikitta.
You are still welcome iansales as well even though you've been here longer than me.
Must have been late!

 

[Nanoforge]

Not to be left out, I just wanted to say Hi to Nikitta and everyone here as well. I am also new and though I never read this story, I remember a short lived SciFi channel series that did a rendition of it. The girl was put into a beautiful girl who was part of a group of special people that were the epitome of humanity in beauty and fame. They called these people "The Gods" and I think her name was Breath. Seemed like a cool story.

 

[iansales]

It was an episode of Welcome to Paradox. The series looked better on paper than it did on the screen -- dramatisations of well-known science fiction short stories... but adjusted so they were set in a single futuristic city. Unfortunately, it was done on the cheap. Everyone in the future apparently drives VW Beetles, for example...

 

[Nanoforge]

It was an episode of Welcome to Paradox. The series looked better on paper than it did on the screen -- dramatisations of well-known science fiction short stories... but adjusted so they were set in a single futuristic city. Unfortunately, it was done on the cheap. Everyone in the future apparently drives VW Beetles, for example...

Right! It had the oldest daughter from "The Nanny" playing the "beauty" girl she was plugged into. I had it wrong though, she was called Delphi not Breath. That was one of the male models that she was grouped with. Very interesting show. Though it was done preatty cheaply, I could tell they tried very hard to stay on focus with the stories they were portraying. I thought they did a good job on "Hemeac" at least.

 

[Nikitta]

Hello, Nikitta, and welcome to the Chronicles! As for the Tiptree, there's been a fairly recent resurgence of interest in her work, so you might start to see some of it reissued soon. You can find that particular story in several sf anthologies, as well as the retrospective collection Her Smoke Rose Up Forever.

Thanks for all of the welcomes.

I've looked around in various bookshops for Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, or anything else by Tiptree, but all of the titles they could find were US-only releases. I also looked in whatever sci-fi anthologies I could find and while I could find her work in them, The Girl Who Was Plugged In was not among them.

I have now ordered the story online.

 

[world in progress]

That was a quick reply.

It seems that's the one I'm thinking of, yes. Thank you!

Incidentally, "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" was one of the rare SF stories adapted into a musical, part of a two-story double-bill called Weird Romance (which is better than the name suggests). The other story was Alan Brennert's minor classic "Her Pilgrim Soul". A cast recording was made and is quite listenable.

 

[Nanoforge]

Incidentally, "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" was one of the rare SF stories adapted into a musical, part of a two-story double-bill called Weird Romance (which is better than the name suggests). The other story was Alan Brennert's minor classic "Her Pilgrim Soul". A cast recording was made and is quite listenable

Right. I remember that. As well "Her Pilgrim Soul" was made into an episode of the New Twilight Zone which aired on CBS in the mid eighties. Very good episode and I wish I had seen the play. That is exactly what we need more speculative fiction theater.