20 moments that prove Ugly Betty was ahead of its time

Wilhelmina’s character in general

Let’s get one thing straight: Wilhelmina Slater is one of the best characters in television history, and she may be pure evil, but she is the definition of “Head Bitch In Charge”.

Wilhelmina had a privileged upbringing, but she clawed her way to the top at Meade. She started as an assistant just like Betty, and she worked for the best of the best, Fey Sommers (a dead ringer for Anna Wintour). She was the creative director — the best creative director — at Mode, but she wanted it all. Her methods may have been questionable, and often illegal, but she was determined to run the whole magazine, and eventually, even the whole company.

She may have been seen as a villain, but there were so many moments where we got a glimpse of the real Wilhelmina, who was just a girl who didn’t get affection at home and grew up to be distant and emotionless, but determined with lofty career goals.

But what makes Wilhelmina’s character the most captivating is the fact that this woman who rules with an iron fist is exactly that, a woman, and not just a woman, but a woman of color. Of course Wilhelmina is portrayed as bitch, but she doesn’t care at all. People can call her an evil bitch all they want, but she still ended up as the editor-in-chief of Mode in the end, a role that was rightfully hers.