The phrase "ugly reality" refers to a harsh or unpleasant truth about a situation or circumstance. It implies that the truth can be displeasing or unsightly when it is revealed. Full definition
Into this season of the Serious Movie, when every other film seems to speak to the troubled times in which we actually live, the fact - based, yet farcical «The Disaster Artist» blows like a fresh breeze, throwing open a window through which we may escape, briefly, from ugly reality. (washingtonpost.com)
Canada originated the system of admitting immigrants based on skill levels rather than on employment promises, but it will drop this approach in 2014 because of what Maclean's magazine calls the «ugly reality facing so many» of the skilled immigrants in the country: great difficulty finding work and low earnings when they do. (sciencemag.org)
Sorry to jolt us all back to ugly reality after that perfect GORGEOUS COTTAGE FARMHOUSE post, haha, but we need to get over it and move on, right? (theinspiredroom.net)