I am an unfortunate victim of The Summer I Turned Pretty — the only TV show that has its fan base simultaneously praying for Wednesdays, while wondering why the hell they keep coming back.
The hit teen romance has taken over my subconscious, pulling me deeper into the story of Belly Conklin — a young woman caught in a love triangle between two brothers: Conrad, her first love, and Jeremiah, her lasting love. As everyone around me takes sides, it’s been fascinating to see how many flock to Team Conrad despite Jeremiah being Belly’s best friend. He’s charming, charismatic and the textbook golden retriever, but viewers seem to see right past these characteristics. It’s overwhelmingly telling that Conrad is the one every girl seems to want.
Let’s face it, Jeremiah has quite an ugly side. Watching his relationship with Belly is like watching my worst nightmares transpire. Belly is consistently left mothering an immature, competitive and manipulative boyfriend. Jeremiah often makes mistakes and turns them into Belly’s problem, like when he overshadowed that Belly got accepted to study abroad in Paris by moping about having to take an additional semester of college. But worst of all was when Jeremiah attempted to make Belly forget that he cheated on her by proposing — right after her brother almost died in a car accident.
After watching a season of Jeremiah missteps, I realized why so many viewers resent him — so many of us have been in Belly’s shoes. We’ve been with men who put us through the wringer, veto the mature choice and cry when things don’t go their way. We’ve mothered insecure men, picked up the check and been called “crazy” for expecting more.
Hookup culture and the need for instant gratification have lowered the bar, making high standards seemingly a thing of the past. So, when we watch Belly endure Jeremiah’s meltdowns, it invokes a certain feminine rage in us. We refuse to root for a man who can’t give Belly the world, because that’s what we want for ourselves.
Then, there’s Conrad. Though not without his faults, like his avoidant nature and tendency to live in a fantasy world, Conrad loves powerfully and loves well. He notices the little things about Belly and is loyal to his core. He even cooks and cares for her. Though these traits seem like the bare minimum to some, they certainly aren’t anywhere to be found in today’s dating pool. Hence why we cling to these scenes of Conrad and Belly: we want to be the ones taken care of, not always the other way around.
Conrad’s best trait, though, is his ability to look beyond himself to fulfill the needs of others. He sacrifices his career in California and supports Belly’s wishes without hesitation, proving his selflessness and consideration for her needs. Viewers flock to Conrad because he embodies what so many of us long for: the desire to be understood and wanted simply as we are. Belly doesn’t have to earn Conrad’s love or prove she deserves it. His love just exists wholeheartedly and is emitted with ease.
Now, more than ever, we crave equal effort, a certain selflessness and the reassurance that our partners will answer when we call. For this reason, we are united as viewers in recognizing that Belly deserves the best choice. That choice is, without a doubt, Conrad.
Jenny Han, author of the books the show was based on, knew exactly what she was doing when she created Conrad and Jeremiah. Their characters mirror the relationships in our own lives and remind us of our common goal: to keep our standards high and fight for the love we all deserve.
