Female+pretty=protagonist

As of now, I am doing my best to make this as angry-free as possible. So...here we go.

What is with authors these days (not even these days...in the previous days as well)? For some reason, everyone thinks that a female protagonist needs to be pretty. What I'm wondering as I'm typing this is WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? As of now, I'm am looking at my bookshelf. NONE (that's right) of my books have main female characters that are plain-looking/ugly. Coming to think of it, I can't remember off the top of my head reading a book with a plain-looking or ugly protagonist. Wait a minute...I remember one! Melinda Sordino from Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak. After that....darn, I can't remember. Does anyone have a reading suggestion with a female protagonist who isn't pretty? I'm getting sick of the beauty contest between literary characters. Let there be a contest on the strongest character instead. I have a feeling Bella Swan might lose that one...hehe.

Edit: LitConnection on twitter has made a significant point: Jane Eyre! I forgot about that one. Now I'm starting to remember why I loved that book so much!

If you remember another heroine who wasn't pretty, comment and let me know! :)