History Main / TheBeautifulElite

* The Bretonnian Knights in WarhammerFantasy. They are brave, noble, courageous killing machines living off the sweat of the peasants bearing 90% taxes on them.

* Almost any portrayal of royal courts on television. In the polar opposite of TheDungAges, royal courts from ancient Rome to the Tudors to Louis XIV are often portrayed as places where everyone is a scheming courtier in GorgeousPeriodDress who has everything --looks, brains, charm -- except a soul. This requires [[DidNotDoTheResearch completely ignoring]] the uglier parts of historical court life. For instance, Louis XIV's Versailles was beautiful, but it was incredibly uncomfortable and unhygienic. (Courtiers sometimes used the stairwells as lavatories.)

*** Though it [[YourMileageMayVary can be argued]] that George [[AdaptationalAttractiveness got more attractive]] when the art changed in the anime and PS3 game.

* Most of Rumiko Takahashi's characters don't fit this trope. But there are some exceptions. Some of the beautiful people in her series are Kuno and Kodachi from ''RanmaOneHalf''.

* In DanAbnett's {{Warhammer 40000}} GauntsGhosts novel ''Necropolis'', the mere outside of the noble level in Vervunhive stuns the troopers escorting Gaunt. (Gaunt, fortunately, is made of sterner stuff; then, he's a BlueBlood himself.)

* The middle school in ''NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' looks like a cartoon come to life, with a dash of TwoDecadesBehind (in this case TheEighties) thrown in for good measure. Which makes sense, since the entire cast acts like the old LooneyTunes come to life.

* TerryPratchett's novel ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'' features the exceptionally beautiful FairFolk who are described as evil, violent sociopaths. They get away with it because they are so beautiful that people don't think they're good enough to stop them.

* ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'' is one of the most famous examples. A VideoGame/{{Dystopia}} where everyone is raised to be a StepfordSmiler, and everyone looks twenty years old (except the Epsilons, the lowest caste; they are barely human).

* In William King's {{Warhammer 40000}} SpaceWolf novel ''Wolfblade'', the House of Belisarius is like this. They even provide this kind of luxury for the Wolfblades, their Space Wolf bodyguards. The [[DividedWeFall factional fighting]] is something else again, as well.
* In Jim Butcher's DresdenFiles, the White Court.

* ''MariaSamaGaMiteru'': This is largely the point of the novel, with Yumi as audience surrogate. Even the author states that it's like a fairy tale set in modern time.

* [[VorkosiganSaga The 'haut']] caste of the Cetagandan Empire fulfill this trope in every detail.

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* ''DawsonsCreek'' is a different sort of dream world: an absurdly picturesque town by the shining crystal lake. Everyone is not only too beautiful, but more romantic than anyone living, and everyone talks in a language that sounds more beautiful than standard English, but doesn't really count as English. [[MusicVideoSyndrome Combined with the soundtrack]], it really does feel like a televised dream. The better class of dream, obviously, not the kind with the scissor man chasing you or the bottomless moebius pits.
* ''BeverlyHillsTeens'' was a half spoof, half straight version of this.

* The middle school in ''NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' looks like a cartoon come to life, with a dash of TwoDecadesBehind (in this case TheEighties) thrown in for good measure. Which makes sense, since the entire cast acts like the old LooneyTunes come to life.

* ''Seconds'' depicts a elderly man who pays to literally be remade as one of the Beautiful People; in a nice touch, post-transformation he is played by Rock Hudson. It doesn't work out very well.
* The highest-ranking members of society in ''InTime'', are very good looking and rich. In the film, everybody stops aging physically at 25.

* ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'' is one of the most famous examples. A {{Dystopia}} where everyone is raised to be a StepfordSmiler, and everyone looks twenty years old (except the Epsilons, the lowest caste; they are barely human).

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/ShadowsInTheMoonlight", the PhysicalGod in [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy Olivia's dream]]. This might go under "Too Good to be True" since all we see him do is [[{{Revenge}} avenge]] his [[HalfHumanHybrid son]]'s [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] and death. Then, it's a nasty revenge that endangers anyone who happens on it.

Don't always count on BeautyEqualsGoodness. Sometimes BeautyIsBad, and they spend their time plotting to torment the poor, decent average folk like you and me.

* [[VorkosiganSaga The 'haut' caste of the Cetagandan Empire fulfill this trope in every detail.

* ''TrinityBlood''. Being [[PerpetualPoverty Perpetually Broke]] has never looked so good, and it must feel great being a ChurchMilitant wearing such elaborate and sexy garments -though Abel's robe gets torn off all the time, Tres is a bullet wall and Esther isn't immune to wounds either. The vampires are of course uncannily beautiful, being vampires and all, but so are almost all the human characters (see more in the evil part of the trope). Catherina has the complete dashing beauty + regal paraphernalia in addition to PrincessCurls.

* The tv movie "The Girl Most Likely To..." is about a smart, homely, overweight girl who enters college and is routinely tormented by the beautiful people. Driven to the brink, she ends up in a major car crash. After months of hospitalization with her jaw wired shut and extensive reconstructive surgery, she emerges slim and beautiful. Returning to college unrecognized, she gets close to her tormentors who regard her as one of them - close enough to kill them off one by one.

* Many, many, many sitcoms on {{Nickelodeon}} and DisneyChannel take place in a world where everyone is LivingInAFurnitureStore, everyone looks pretty except for ([[InformedAttribute we're told]]) the resident HollywoodHomely, and everything is decorated in bold, gaudy primary colors. ''DrakeAndJosh'' and ''ICarly'' are just two examples... The worst offender being {{Zoey101}}.

* The Celestial Dragons in ''OnePiece'' are people who have the blood of "the creators." Their beauty is in the UncannyValley category (but the series is 90% {{Gonk}} anyway so that's fairly normal), but are by far the biggest antagonists in the series. In fact, they are exempt from the law, so if they don't get what they want, they kill without a second thought, leading to one of the first Celestial Dragons seen to near-literally ShootTheDog and then KickTheDog. Not to mention the treatment of their numerous slaves. They ride them around, even if their bodies aren't suitable for that kind of pressure. If a slave escapes, they have an explosive collar around their neck that will kill them before they get too far.

* Most of Rumiko Takahashi's characters don't fit this trope. But there are some exceptions. Some of the beautiful people in her series are Kuno and Kodachi from ''{{Ranma OneHalf}}''.

** ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura''

* The {{DearS}} of the series of the same name are a race of beautiful alien slaves who are practically perfect in every way.

* The Koryon [Korean] royal court in ''[[{{Conqueror}} Bones of the Hill]]'' is described in such a manner - the Koreans are all incredibly good-looking and exotic, the gardens are gorgeous, and the wall hangings and decorations are spectacular. Of course, that scene is told from Chagatai's {{point of view}}; since this is probably the first time Chagatai has been in a building other than a tent or fort, it's only natural for him to be awed.

* Many, many, many sitcoms on {{Nickelodeon}} and DisneyChannel take place in a world where everyone is LivingInAFurnitureStore, everyone looks pretty except for ([[InformedAttribute we're told]]) the resident HollywoodHomely, and everything is decorated in bold, gaudy primary colors. ''DrakeAndJosh'' and ''{{iCarly}}'' are just two examples... The worst offender being {{Zoey101}}.

* ''{{Gilmore Girls}}'' Lorelai says of her family's lifestyle that "These people live in a universe where they feel entitled to get what they want, when they want it, and they don't care who's in their way..." They'll dress in gown and tux whenever they get the chance or talk about their boarding school experiences.

* Everyone in ''{{Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru}}'' is impossibly good looking with some sort of DarkAndTroubledPast.

* ''{{Sailor Moon}}'': The villains of the second season, the Black Moon clan, are all rather beautiful and seem to lead very dignified lifestyles. Special mention goes to Esmeraude, who is repeatedly seen in fancy clothes. The only one who does not abide by this lifestyle, is finally revealed as the {{Big Bad}}.

* In RobertEHoward's ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/{{Shadows in the Moonlight}}", the PhysicalGod in [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy Olivia's dream]]. This might go under "Too Good to be True" since all we see him do is [[{{Revenge}} avenge]] his [[HalfHumanHybrid son]]'s [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] and death. Then, it's a nasty revenge that endangers anyone who happens on it.

* In ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', House Tagaryen are described as being inhumanly beautiful (the [[WhiteHairedPrettyBoy silver]] [[WhiteHairedPrettyGirl hair]] and [[TechnicolorEyes purple eyes]] probably help). They maintain their appearance through BrotherSisterIncest which left them RoyallyScrewedUp.
** Sansa also decides at the start that she can trust [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Cersei]] and [[RoyalBrat Joffrey]] because they are fair, pleasant and members of the royal family, and Sansa believes [[WrongGenreSavvy life is like a story]]. She ''really'' [[BreakTheCutie pays for that idea]].

* Dick and Nicole Diver appear to be Beautiful People at the beginning of ''TenderIsTheNight''.

* {{Deconstructed}} in ''TheGreatGatsby,'' a classic novel that starts off by showing all the glamor of the rich, then revealing the ugly truths behind why some of them are this way.

* {{Lampshaded}} in, of all shows, ''DaysOfOurLives''. When some of the characters get back from an island adventure holiday, one of their parents remarks on how they can go a fortnight without proper shelter or showers and still look like they just got back from a spa.
** And, in fact, most American {{Soap Opera}}s, especially the Procter & Gamble-produced ones, are embodiments of this trope.

* H20JustAddWater, an Australian show about beautiful teenage girls who transform into mermaids, is a very bad offender of this trope. Everyone looks gorgeous whether they're drowning, dry or dripping wet.

* ''{{The Vampire Diaries}}'' which is set in the quaint town of Mystic Falls where there are like 2 or 3 ugly people that always stay at home. Seriously, it is very difficult to spot a less-than-good-looking extra in the show so we will not even talk about the main cast. Also, they seem to have endless time to spend in social gatherings, thematic parties, period balls and charity events with obviously huge budgets. All in all, a great place to live (except for the vampires, of course).
* The KoreanSeries ''BoysBeforeFlowers'' has so much couture hanging off the hot pieces of cheese of F-4 that it sparked fashion lines for Korean teens.
* Refreshingly subverted in ''{{Parks and Recreation}}'', where a majority of the main cast and the extras look like actual regular people. Even Mark, the {{Casanova}} of the first and second season, is only slightly better than average-looking; the casting directors are pretty much committed to keeping the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana ("Fourth in obesity! We're coming for you, San Antonio!") as real as possible. In fact, when Chris and Ben arrive around the end of the second season it's a little jarring--Chris is played by Rob Lowe and Ben by Adam Scott, neither of whom would look out of place in a ''GQ'' spread--though then again they're from [[TheCity Indianapolis]].
* The Knights of the Round Table in ''{{Series/Merlin}}'', truly the most catwalk-ready team of knights ever to grace the television screen.
* Everyone except the actual main characters working at Reynholm Industries in TheITCrowd. As near as anyone real or fictional can tell, Reynholm Industries is in the business of looking incredibly sexy and having lots of sex, and occasionally having a computer problem that IT needs to deal with.

* {{The Kingfisher}}: The vampire progenitors are born, and therefore a bit random looking or odd. Their "children" are chosen, and therefore...

* MarilynManson's ConceptAlbum ''Antichrist Superstar'' features a race of beautiful, superior beings who lord over the oppressed masses. The story is told from the perspective of "Wormboy", a downtrodden {{Muggle}} who seeks to join the ranks of these {{Ubermensch}}ian overlords and become the titular Antichrist Superstar. There's actually a song on the album entitled "The Beautiful People".

--> -- '''TheBeatles''', "Baby You're A Rich Man"

Most of the time they simply fell into this status. In many cases, they are of royal descent, of divine descent, or at least belonging to some sort of lesser nobility. If they weren't born to the upper crust, they have managed to become a part of it. More likely than not, they have been educated in elite private schools. TheBeautifulElite rarely have to work hard at anything. In many cases, they don't have to work at all, but if they do have a job, it will be just as glamorous as the rest of their lives.

And to make all of this worse, those who don't rub it in, are so gracious about it that one has to wonder whether their unparalleled humility isn't just one more way they're better than you.

Don't always count on BeautyEqualsGoodness. Sometimes BeautyIsBad, and they spend their time plotting to torment the poor, decent average folk like you and me.

* ''[[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sKUL4wxW9Rw/TG2_1Nr3eVI/AAAAAAAABDA/aTiD1--yuI0/s1600/%5Blarge%5D%5BAnimePaper%5Dscans_Count-Cain_Ramius_51807.jpg Cain]]'' ''[[http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww8/Vmanga13lover/Godchild/cain_h.jpg Hargreaves]]'' from ''Count Cain'' is also a good example of this.

* Everyone in ''UragiriWaBokuNoNamaeWoShitteiru''.

* ''InfiniteStratos''. All IS pilots have snazzy school uniforms, a 5 star hotel grade dormitories, pimping mecha suit, and of course, look very good.

* Everyone in ''Manga/SkipBeat'' especially Kyouko.
* The ruling class of Elites of ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi'' are ''elite'' in every way because they are designed to be.

* Noldor Elves in the JRRTolkien's works. To err is human, but to really screw things up requires an Elf.
* Most of the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]] in the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' series follow this trope, but especially the Cullens. All the Cullens are described as being impossibly beautiful with Edward being metaphorically referred to as a god. All of them have at least one CoolCar and several college degrees. They also possess extreme wealth from years of compound interest and knowing someone able to predict stock market trends. OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Bella often despairs because she can't find ''anything'' that Edward is bad at. It's implicit that this is almost a side effect- when you finally meet an ordinary looking vampire, it's because in life, he was really, incredibly ''ugly''.
* Anne Rice. All of her vampires, but especially Louis, Armand and, of course, Lestat are gorgeous and rich. This whole trend is heavily subverted with ''Near Dark'', where the vampires tend to be grimey, travel around in camper vans and almost definitely steal their clothes from the people they kill.
** Of course most of the above were chosen as vampires mainly for their looks, and they had money because they stole it; Lestat turned Louis at least partially because he had good stable wealth, and needed a nice place to care for his elderly human father.

* Refreshingly subverted in ''{{Parks and Recreation}}'', where a majority of the main cast and the extras look like actual regular people. Even Mark, the {{Casanova}} of the first and second season, is only slightly better than average-looking; the casting directors are pretty much committed to keeping the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana ("Fourth in obesity! We're coming for you, San Antonio!") as real as possible. In fact, when Chris and Ben arrive around the end of the second season it's a little jarring--Chris is played by Rob Lowe and Ben by Adam Scott, neither of whom would look out of place in a ''GQ'' spread--though then again they're from [[TheCity Indianapolis]].

* Mount Olympus, with it's inhumanly-beautuiful behaviorally-chaotic inhabitants, is one of the prototypes for this trope. Which makes it OlderThanFeudalism. There were some exceptions among the Olympians, however, such as Hephaestus, who was scorned for his ugliness.

* Everyone in ''{{Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru}}'' is impossibly good looking with some sort of DarkAndTroubledPast.

* The highest-ranking members of society in ''InTime'', are very good looking and rich. In the film, everybody stops aging physically at 25.

* Anything in {{shojo}}. It is prevalent {{seinen}} where the main focus are {{bishojo}} but to a lesser extent due to a few male characters.

* Mount Olympus, with it's inhumanly-beautuiful behaviorally-chaotic inhabitants, is one of the prototypes for this trope. Which makes it Older Than Feudalism