There’s something so special about romcoms. They maintain your interest, despite them being… well, cringey. The Summer I Turned Pretty is no exception.

“It’s like one of those car crashes that you can’t stop watching because you need to know what happens,” assistant principal Kristin Melfi said. She makes her sentiment clear: the show is cringe.

This common conclusion is caused by many factors. It contains a cheesy plot about a girl, Belly, who is obsessed with two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah.

It’s the basic and unoriginal “love triangle” trope, and yet, paired with the right summertime atmosphere and family drama, the show has gained millions of avid watchers on Prime Video.

“It’s gross, because it’s brothers,” AP Human Geography teacher Brittany Fannon said, “And honestly, Belly didn’t deserve either of them.” 

Another popular consensus on the show that makes it stand out is what Fannon put forth: the main character is widely hated.

“What do you mean you’re going into a family whose mom just died and you’re messing up the brothers’ lives? Like, Belly is a problem,” sophomore Nayana Binil said. “If you genuinely enjoy watching the show and support Belly, you’re a problematic person and need to change.”

Some agree with Binil—people enjoy watching the show due to its problematic nature. She believes that avid enjoyers of the show tend to exhibit traits of Belly.

But many don’t buy into this theory. They point to the problematic nature of the show as something to laugh about and gawk at. 

“It’s just rage-baiting. The characters are problematic, and people find that interesting… and upsetting, which makes them watch more,” sophomore Amelie Esteb said.

Problematic and upsetting characters, as Esteb put it, can act as opportunities to exclaim or express emotion among communities. When talking about it in terms of its social impact, it becomes a lot easier to understand the show’s popularity.

Although it seems like it wouldn’t, some cite collective hating on Belly as a reason they continue to watch.

“Everything becomes so much more communal with social media involved and people want to have conversations about it,” Fannon said.

But The Summer I Turned Pretty has complex reasons for its popularity, not just one simple explanation. Another argument is its idealist universe.

“I don’t necessarily think it pertains to students,” sophomore Ananyaa Shah said. “Life is often so monotonous that getting an escape from that, seeing chaos ensue… it’s kind of fun.”

Fannon digs even deeper; it’s not only escapist, but almost an ideal world to many adults and teenagers alike in the area of romantic drama.

“That’s the goal that most people have: they want a relationship,” Fannon said.

Is it just so bad that it’s good? Or does it convey the central desires of the average person? Relatability to people’s wants is much more likely to garner attention than relatability to any normal person’s life.

Or maybe we all just have horrible taste.