The Summer I Turned Pretty

I feel like I’m going to get cancelled before even starting. But, I feel the need to be a voice for this subject, and I know while some may not agree with me, I also recognize that they may not agree with me because they feel called out or convicted by God to not continue watching this show or watch the movie coming out.

The Summer I Turned Pretty has been a cultural phenomenon since its release on Amazon Prime in 2022. If you aren’t familiar with the show that follows a teenage love triangle, I’ll give you the run-down, the best I know how, only having watched three episodes.

The book and show follow teenage Belly, who returns to Cousins Beach, where she spent summers before with her brother and their best friends, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly’s older now, and this summer, things promise to be different when Belly shows up to Cousins… pretty. Jeremiah and Conrad have both noticed, and they partake in the battle to win Belly’s heart.

Sounds innocent enough, right? Listen, I was really late to the game when I finally hit play, but three episodes in, and I couldn’t morally continue.

Before we dive in, I want to clarify that I am in no way hating or coming at Jenny Han or the actors of the show. This is just my opinion, and why, as a Christian, I encourage other Christians to make their own judgment to start or continue watching this show.

From the moment I first heard about this show, I was pretty disgusted by the title and the premise. This alone speaks to younger audiences and our insecurities and creates beauty standard toxicity. The fact that Belly’s lifelong male friends finally noticed Belly as a prize when she matured and somehow is now the “perfect” standard of beauty is pretty disgusting and childish to me.

And the way the whole show just revolves around being pretty, and Belly now feeling validation, needed, and wanted, because now people are noticing her because she got her braces off, grew a few feet, and has boobs?

Let’s move on to the next problem I kept running into with this series.

TSITP glorifies toxic relationships like nobody’s business, and when things don’t go Belly’s way, she uses Jeremiah to make Conrad “want” her, and there’s an underlying tone that Belly is always hoping Conrad will want her in a very sexual way.

RED FLAG.

The Summer I Turned Pretty revolves around teenagers. Yes, the actors and actresses who play Belly, Steven, Taylor, Jeremiah, and Conrad are young adults, but they are supposed to be teenagers because that’s how Jenny Han wrote it.

In what world do people think it’s okay for teenagers to be in the middle of hook-up culture, having sex, being in the middle of harmful and demoralizing love triangles and relationships, and losing themselves for boys?

You might be skimming through this post thinking, ‘it’s just a show, it’s for fun,’ and while that might be true, these narratives are creating a damaging future for our younger generation. And, in my heart, I know that I wouldn’t be sitting down and watching this show with Jesus sitting right next to me.

Shows, movies, and music can hurt our souls more than we realize. There are hidden agendas and subliminal messages if we choose to believe that or not. Watching two characters (portraying innocent teenagers) having sex? Absolutely freaking not.

This taints our soul. This destroys what love actually is, and watching sex scenes ruins the sanctity and action of sex that we are supposed to have with our significant other, and not ruin this private piece of intimacy by watching actors and actresses do it on screens.

Brothers and Sisters, entertainment in today’s day and age is brutal and something that we are constantly called to think and create our own judgments in terms of what is good for our hearts, minds, and souls.

Trust me, I’m no perfect person when it comes to this. I am on the journey of deleting songs I know are songs I shouldn’t be listening to. I have watched shows I probably shouldn’t have watched.

And maybe there’s fear of missing out, but friends, it’s just a show and if we can’t turn our backs on a show, then what can we turn our backs on?