"The Summer I Turned Pretty" has quickly cemented itself as one of the most talked-about shows of the summer, blending the nostalgia of teenage summers with the emotional intensity of first love. The most recent season continues to lean on its central tension: Belly caught between Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. On the surface, it is a classic love triangle, the kind that has fueled television and literature for decades. Yet the cultural conversation around the show reveals something more layered. In reality, Belly doesn't need to choose either Fisher brother at all - and while it would be unpopular, it could perhaps be the most radical choice she could make.
Scroll through TikTok or Twitter during a new episode release, and the fandom divides quickly into camps. Hashtags like #TeamConrad and #TeamJeremiah dominate, while passionate edits and reaction videos rack up millions of views. Some viewers joke, often half-seriously, that they would riot if Belly simply "chose summer" instead of either brother. The assumption is clear: her story must end with one of the boys. But why? This expectation underscores how deeply ingrained the idea is that a young woman's story arc must culminate in romance, and preferably with a dramatic "happily ever after."
Yet the show itself has planted seeds for a different kind of resolution. This season highlights Belly's struggles with grief, her fractured friendships and her shifting sense of self. Specifically, the time she has spent planning her own wedding without the help of her fiancé or mother, there has been a focus on her grappling with her independence. She is learning, often painfully, that love alone cannot solve her problems. Watching her navigate family conflict and personal responsibility suggests that her real journey is one of independence, not dependency. To "choose summer" - to choose herself - would be an acknowledgment that her worth does not come from being claimed by one of the Fishers.
In many ways, such an ending would shock - and potentially enrage - today's audience. However, it could be a helpful reminder to younger viewers that worth does not revolve around male validation. Social media discourse often reveals frustration with love triangle plots, especially when they overshadow opportunities for characters to develop in other ways. In this context, Belly stepping away from both Conrad and Jeremiah would not only subvert expectations but also emphasize the importance of Belly's growth throughout the season, showing that the solution to her issues may exist more internally and not rely solely on a man.
This possibility also reframes the way the show interacts with its fandom. Yes, the anticipation of which brother she will choose fuels much of the online buzz, but the fervor also exposes a cultural tension: the clash between traditional romance storytelling and modern feminist expectations. Belly's potential to reject the binary - Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah - offers something more relevant and radical: a third option, one that empowers her to write her own story rather than exist as the prize in someone else's.
At its heart, "The Summer I Turned Pretty" thrives on nostalgia, longing and the liminality of growing up. But its lasting cultural impact may depend less on which Fisher brother ends up with Belly and more on whether the show dares to ask: what if she does not need either of them? If Belly "chooses summer," will it simply provoke audiences, or invite them to understand her worth apart from the brother she picks?