you don't need to turn pretty. do this instead
how to write your own story | fhg #59
As someone who was the ugly brown girl growing up, with oil in her hair and a stinky lunch, being able to share with you that a surface level glow-up isn’t the real goal is a really magical thing for me.
Being financially hot might sound cool and trendy, but for me and you — our community of readers — it means so much more. Let’s dive in, financial hotties. 🫶
This summer, a fictional character; Belly (played by actress Lola Tung) finally got financially hot. And no, I’m not just talking about Lola’s paycheck from The Summer I Turned Pretty, a show that is flooding our cultural feed.
I’m talking about how Isabel Conklin — Belly — (the main character of the show) didn’t just turn pretty and get the man of her dreams, she became powerful. Because finally, she stopped waiting to be chosen.
In season 1, she:
Performed for attention
Avoided conflict
Let others dictate the pace of her life
Defined herself through other people’s opinions
But by season 3, she:
Starts choosing her own peace
Stops inviting chaos into her life
Starts having boundaries
Realises her decisions affect her own plot
This is also exactly what happens when someone finally gets serious about their financial life. It has nothing to do with budgeting spreadsheets or becoming frugal. It’s an identity upgrade, and we’re going to break down how you can get one too.
P.S. scroll to the bottom to find out how I’m helping you skip your own Season 1 and get straight to Season 3.
𝜗ৎ In this issue:
Belly’s seasonal arc vs your financial journey
I really think Belly’s emotional arc in the show mirrors the shift you make when you step into your Financial Hot Girl identity.
To recap: in season 1, her deep insecurities and lack of confidence really dictated her life, and her identity. But by season 3, she reclaimed her identity and detached herself from outcomes.
Let’s break it down:
Season
Belly
Financial Hot Girl
1
“I’m not sure what I want.”
“I haven’t clarified what wealth means for me yet.”
1
“I don’t want to upset anyone.”
“I’m scared to set boundaries with my time and money.”
1
“I’ll wait and see who picks me.”
“I’ll wait and see if I get a raise.”
3
Starts asking for what she wants
Starts negotiating and tracking income
3
Detaches from emotionally chaotic men
Detaches from impulsive spending and validation purchases
3
Learns that internal peace and clarity > attention
Learns that financial clarity > constant guilt for not sticking to a strict plan
The feeling of being lost with your money (mirrored by Belly feeling lost in her identity) isn’t a knowledge problem that most people think they’re 'too stupid’ to solve.
Most people feel lost because they’ve built a life without structure or support to carry the mental load of getting better with money.
Ask yourself, are you still in Season 1?
Do I wait until I feel “ready” to start (or continue) anything money related?
Do I spend emotionally, then justify it later?
Do I downplay how much I want to change - because I don’t want to “seem too much”?
Do I say I want freedom, but never set up systems that would give it to me?
If you answered yes to any of these, you’re still in your Season 1 arc. But that’s okay, because it’s just data! And data gives you a starting point, which is power.
5 mindset shifts to make as a Financial Hot Girl
Belly’s season 1 mindset is ridden with effort. She’s constantly reacting, performing and overthinking.
But Season 3 Belly starts acting with leverage. She makes one decision, and lets it shape everything else. We can do the same with our financial systems.
Effort (Season 1)
Leverage (Season 3)
Budgeting from scratch every month
Using the same Payday Method every time
Checking bank balance in overdraft-panic-mode
Weekly 15-min Money Admin ritual
Hoping to save “whatever’s left”
Automating £100 to leave your account first thing on payday
Feeling broke = spending more for dopamine
Feeling broke = logging triggers, tracking patterns
Letting life’s chaos just happen to you
Creating rules that make chaos irrelevant
3 tangible ways to leave your Season 1 energy behind
1. Stop trying to be “better with money” and instead create a system.
Nobody becomes confident by winging it! Thankfully, no one was born with confidence either (this was a comforting fact to learn in my 20s). You build confidence by showing up with a plan — even a messy one — and repeating it.
→ Set up a payday routine
→ Use your transaction tracker to reveal spending patterns and not punish yourself
→ Rewatch tutorials on habits you’re trying to improve. Simplicity = leverage (because it’s easier to do over and over again)
2. Build emotional equity, not financial guilt
Confidence = “I’ve done this before.”
Leverage = “I’ve made this decision already, so it’s easier to make again.”
Self-trust = “Even when I mess up, I can pick up and keep going.”
Instead of starting from scratch every time, start from YOUR portfolio of proof.
3. Know your plot line.
Belly didn’t just turn pretty one summer. Over time, she stopped letting other people write her story.
The exact sample principle applies with your money:
Stop outsourcing your future to the promotion timeline of your workplace
Stop dating someone who thinks talking about money is “unfeminine” or “too much”
Stop waiting to be rescued by someone, or a job, or a goal, and start building your own plan
Reminder: being a Financial Hot Girl is about writing your own story. Not just about a glow-up.
The things I didn’t need to become a financial hot girl:
A 6 figure salary
A finance degree (I have one, it didn’t help)
Turning into someone else
What you actually need:
Better systems: payday routines, crash-out routines (so you don’t emotionally guilt spend), Sunday evening routines, annual routines
A bias for taking action before you’re ready
An addiction to building emotional equity instead of hoarding knowledge
Belly turned pretty one summer. You turn powerful, forever. And no one gets to take that away from you. Isn’t that amazing?!
P.S. I love turning pretty. I had my own glow up at 15. But it’s not the only thing that matters, especially for a well-rounded financial life.
This newsletter and everything shared in it is to help you build a well-rounded, aspirational life that includes money. I hope it was able to do that today 🫶
— Dev xo