Hoshi

I think this is actually a common misconception of people who haven’t read (or need a refresher on) the book. The text describes the Bennet girls as well known for their beauty in the neighborhood and Elizabeth as the second most beautiful of the bunch after Jane. Bingley “heard much of their beauty” before he even met them. Elizabeth’s described as “a very genteel, pretty kind of girl” and “equally next to Jane in birth and beauty.” Darcy remarked on the “beautiful expression of her dark eyes” and her “light and pleasing” figure. Elizabeth was considered very pretty. The “only plain one in the family” was Mary. I think this idea of Elizabeth as plain has only emerged in modern movie making to match the idea of a spunky but ordinary young woman who conquers the odds. Yet in the book, Elizabeth wasn’t ordinary looking. She simply wasn’t extremely rich, wasn’t as “accomplished” as some other young ladies of her class, and had a kooky mother.