20 moments that prove Ugly Betty was ahead of its time

The importance of voting

This one may seem like a bit of a stretch, but hear us out. New American Citizen Ignacio is excited to vote for the first time in the 2008 election, and sees it as a privilege as a citizen in a democratic society. This is just another part of Ignacio’s relatable immigration storyline, but this time around, it’s Hilda who gets burned.

In an effort to cash in on the election, Hilda is offering a discount at her home salon to anyone who comes in with an “I Voted” sticker. Business is booming the whole day, so she doesn’t end up going to vote, which upsets her father, but Hilda doesn’t see the big deal in this whole democracy business anyway.

Councilman Archie Rodriguez walks in to take advantage of the election day deal for a quick haircut, and compliments Hilda on her successful small business. But when he asks about her business licence, she reveals she didn’t get one. That’s when Hilda finds out he’s a councilman, and he advises her to close up shop until she gets a license. She stops his haircut midway to kick him out, and he leaves his card in case she needs any help.

When Hilda does the right thing and applies for her license, she gets denied and has to close up shop, despite having appointments booked solid for weeks. It just goes to show that sometimes, even when you do things the right way, it still doesn’t work out. Small businesses like Hilda’s are always getting screwed over in today’s economy, because of small details like this. But luckily for Hilda, Archie is a man of his word, and offers Hilda some advice for getting her license.

See, it’s important to vote in good council members who actually care about local businesses! Told you there was a point to this entry.