You could be so pretty by Holly Bourne

Imagine a world where women are equal to men. They have the right to choose how to live their lives. The ‘Bad Times’ are over, and all is well.

That is, as long as you make sure you follow the rules of the Doctrine about how you’re supposed to look.

It’s your choice! As long as you follow the rules of beauty

Because if you don’t look stunningly beautiful every day, you may become an Objectionable! And if you do try, but don’t succeed, you may become a Try Hard. Also, there’s only a short window of opportunity before your beauty fades and you become an Invisible.

That’s the world Juno and Belle live in.

It’s a dystopian world, but the many similarities with our world are startling and scary!

Belle and Juno

Belle and Juno both grow up in a world in which they must follow the rules of the Doctrine, as do their mothers. But Juno’s mother manages to escape this kind of life, and through her, Juno kind of does too — even though that makes her an Objectionable. In this world there are also Pretties, Invisibles, and Try Hards.

Living according to the Doctrine

Belle, however, is living the life the Doctrine prescribes. And that means always watching what she eats so as not to gain weight, always exercising to look better, and spending lots of time and money on make-up and hair. Belle is disgusted by the way Juno looks. But then a random man tries to assault Belle, and Juno saves her. That’s the beginning of their friendship.

Such a terrible world – I can’t believe it

I can’t stress enough how horrible the world Belle and Juno live in. It’s ruled by men, and if a woman is raped or assaulted, she’s told that’s a compliment! She’s so beautiful the man couldn’t help himself. Bad porn in which women are humiliated and hurt is everywhere and totally accepted — and sending dick pics? That’s normal too.

It’s also a world in which it is totally okay for a man to discard a woman if she doesn’t look beautiful enough or ages. Belle’s mom takes great care to always have her ‘mask’ on so she looks good. A grey hair would mean losing her husband and becoming an Invisible.

‘It’s a woman’s choice after all to want to be beautiful. But just because we’re Empowered enough to make that choice, doesn’t mean we need to burden men with the effort required. It ruins the mystique for them.’

I mean, can you believe this? It made me so annoyed!

About You could be so pretty

The story of You could be so pretty is the story of two teenage girls, trying to escape their lives and get an education. But You Could Be So Pretty is mostly a character-driven story. It’s about how women are ruled by the doctrine, while being told they’re free to choose. Except they’re not. Not really.

‘If we don’t follow the Doctrine, there are significant consequences. We are denied love. We are denied work. We are denied friendship. We are denied respect. We are denied safety. We are denied visibility.’

Important themes in You could be so pretty

• Strict beauty ideal
• The male gaze
• Misogyny
• Pressure to always look beautiful
• Anorexia
• Social norms
• Racism
• Sexuality
• Violence against women
• High school hierarchy and cliques
• The rush that getting approval and likes offers, which is worryingly similar to getting lots of likes on Instagram and other social media.

My final thoughts

I really liked this book! It was very easy to read, and I didn’t have to force myself to stay put and keep on reading. The story really grabbed my attention and held it. And that’s not always the case. So I really recommend this book because it’s a great story, but also because there’s a very important message in it! A message about not getting caught in societal norms — and losing our freedom.

You can buy You could be so pretty at Amazon or your local bookstore.

P.S.

I also read So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne.