Published by Mason Oldridge, 19 June 2024
CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Netflix adapts Holly Smale’s young adult novel into a feel-good teen drama series.
It follows the story of Harriet Manners, a socially-awkward high school student who is unexpectedly discovered by a fashion agency to become their next top model.
This dramatic change affects her life in many ways. She is thrust into a world of which she is very much not accustomed to and struggles with all the eyes on her. This new experience also presents her with new enemies, dealing with both CEO Jude’s dislike and fellow model Poppy’s jealousy. Additionally, it causes a rift between her and her childhood best friend Nat, who always dreamt of being a model.
However, for all the snags that come with it, she receives much more positivity on the whole. She is appreciated and respected by others for the first time and comes to find that she actually enjoys the fashion world. She is also given a first taste of dating and relationships as male model Nick takes a shine to her. Furthermore, despite being initially sceptical, her parents are incredibly proud of her and she learns that her stepmother Annabelle does in fact not hate her but rather the opposite.
Above all, her venture into the fashion world becomes a journey of self-acceptance as she grows in confidence through the help of both pre-existing and new friends and family. With this, she dares to stand up to her school bullies as well as confront Jude and not let Poppy’s final attack ruin her turn on the catwalk. Following her attempts to change herself, the way she instead finally embraces her geek personality is particularly touching and the reveal that Yugi’s new campaign is called Geek is a nice closer to the series.
Emily Carey is stellar in the lead role and the series deserves praise for the way it references the protagonist’s autism without overtly focusing on it or aligning to its stereotype.
In conclusion, the series is easy-watching and very heartwarming, with strength in both its characters and storytelling.
8/10