Well, you are so scary: the annual festival of ugly people was held in Italy

In the village of Piobicco, located in the middle of the picturesque Italian Marche region between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea, the Festival of Ugliness is held annually on the first Sunday of September. Hundreds of people regularly gather in this small village to elect the president of the World Association of Ugly People.

(14 photos in total)

Source: vice.com

Founded in 1879, the organization managed to visit even a wedding agency for single women. Although its members have always treated everything with a fair amount of humor, now the tasks of the World Association of Ugly People are quite serious: more than 30 thousand people around the world are struggling with the cult of beauty in modern society.

"We treat everything with humor, and ourselves too. We are fighting against the fact that beauty is perceived by everyone as an exclusively aesthetic quality. Of course, the members of our organization are not freaks in the literal sense of the word. But they are not handsome either, which we often joke about," says the current president of the organization, Gianni Aluigi.

"We usually gather in large companies and try, as far as possible, to help desperate lonely people who come to us with this request to find a partner. It's not always real. For example, a 60-year-old woman recently wrote to me. She described everything in detail: how much she earns, what real estate she owns. She asked me to find her a friend. I think I can hardly help her, but I will try anyway," Gianni Aluigi said.

"The fact that our club still exists, and the number of participants is increasing, suggests that we are succeeding in the fight against prejudice."

Marco is a resident of Piobicco. He doesn't really like to be photographed, but he made an exception.

This man comes to the parade every year on his motorcycle.

Matteo is a musician. He is currently working on the soundtrack to a new Gerard Depardieu film.

This festival participant introduced himself as a Biscotto (Cookie).

The festival is also popular among local residents. There is nowhere to fall on the square on the day of its holding.

Samuel is a member of the club and a presidential candidate.

Jean-Pierrot is another well—known member of the association.

Bruno is one of the participants of the festival.

Dino is a former triathlete. He is known for having created in the city of Ferrara a branch of the association dedicated to combating the cult of beauty in sports.

The village of Piobicco even has its own Hollywood-style sign. However, he is a little smaller than his brother.