Like many other Wellesley students, my friends and I gathered early Wednesday night to watch the finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty. The show — which had become seemingly inescapable this summer between its many online trends and thousands of fan edits — was finally coming to a close. For the most part, the finale lived up to much of the hype. While at times the plot felt a little rushed as the show sought to wrap up multiple ongoing storylines, the finale did not fail to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. My friends and I screamed at every kiss and snapped for every needle drop. Though the release of the series finale episode also came with an announcement of a movie, many viewers were left at least mostly content with the end of the captivating series.
As the credits rolled on the final episode, I couldn’t help but wonder what this show, which had engaged so much of our collective attention, was able to offer the average Wellesley student. While I am not here to look for some deeper meaning in a show that is, for the most part, not really that deep, I do think there are a few things that the average Wellesley student can learn from The Summer I Turned Pretty and its main character, Belly Conklin. Isabel Conklin, affectionately known as “Belly” to many of her friends, is a famously flawed protagonist. Many online fans have taken to hating her for silly and often naive decisions, despite those mistakes often helping her character feel more human. There is plenty to criticize Belly for — her obsession with the Fisher boys, her choice to rush into a marriage despite having feelings for someone else and her broadly immature antics.
However, in the final episodes of the show, Belly, now going as “Isabel,” experienced tremendous growth. In finally taking a break from the relationships that had defined her entire young adult life, Belly was able to learn more about who she was on her own. While it is incredibly unrealistic to imagine finishing your college degree online in a different country, this choice did allow Belly to make new friends and figure out what she actually wanted from her life — even if that did end up being the boy she had been in love with all along. And I can’t help but wonder if Belly’s story could help relieve the mounting pressure felt by so many Wellesley students to follow the perfect path and find career “success” from day one after graduation.
Many seniors are beginning their search for jobs, fellowships and other post-grad opportunities. It often feels like the world just might end if you don’t find the perfect post-grad position that sets you up exactly for whatever future career you seek. This pressure has been building for most Wellesley students since the start of their college career and will likely be felt by everyone to some degree. And while there are many legitimate reasons to be stressed about finding a well-paying, meaningful career after graduation — particularly for students who lack financial resources or support from their families — Isabel Conklin can perhaps teach us that maybe we will learn more about ourselves by just taking the next imperfect step rather than blindly following a path that has been set out for us. And while I can’t advocate for moving to Paris with no Visa and no prospects, at least for Belly Conklin, stepping out of her comfort zone is what finally allowed her to find herself and eventually her home.
Contact the editors responsible for this article: Caitlin Donovan, Avery Finley
