Il Club dei brutti o World Association of the Ugly People è un'associazione internazionale fondata nel 1879 a Piobbico, un paese delle Marche in Italia, dove ha ancora sede. La sua sede si trova a Piobbico. La nascita del club era motivata dall'esigenza di maritare le zitelle del paese, poi con il passare degli anni, e l'evoluzione della società, l'associazione ha accolto una visione più ampia del problema. Lo scopo dell'associazione negli anni più recenti è stato quello di sminuire il culto della bellezza e dell'apparenza ormai dominante nella società moderna per ristabilire un giusto equilibrio di valori sociali. Negli ultimi 50 anni, il club si è prodigato a diffondere la sua idea mediante campagne mediatiche, e innumerevoli sono le sue apparizioni in giornali, trasmissioni televisive ecc.
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The World Association of Ugly People (in Italian Club dei Brutti) is an organization dedicated to fighting for the recognition of ugly people, in a society that places a high value on physical beauty. The group's motto is "A person is what he is and not what he looks like". The club claims to have a history in Piobbico, Italy, from 1879. It was relaunched in 1963 as a marriage agency for the town's single women. The World Association of Ugly People club campaigns against discrimination in the workplace based on looks. It attempts to make society more aware of ugly people's problems. It also helps people overcome their phobias and, in some cases, to find partners. In 2007, the group unveiled a monument dedicated to ugly people in Piobbico's town square. The monument depicts an unknown person looking at his reflection in a mirror.[2]
Traditions
The club's emblem is the head of a wild boar. The club's crest features a reclining man smoking a pipe with the slogan: "Ugliness is a virtue, beauty is slavery". The club's patron is Vulcan from Roman mythology. At birth Vulcan was so ugly that his mother threw him over a cliff. He survived and became a skilled blacksmith. For providing Achilles with superior weapons, he was admitted to Mount Olympus where he married the beautiful Venus, goddess of love. The members of the World Association of Ugly People elect their president annually during the Festival of the Ugly. This event is hosted by the small town of Piobbico in the Marche region of Italy every year on the first Sunday of September. Every year until 2007, Telesforo Iacobelli won the top prize and was president of the club, owing to his dedication to the organization. Also, he has a small nose in a culture where large noses are considered beautiful. On August 21, 2006, Iacobelli died. As of April 2014, Matt DiVerde has overtaken the role of president.
