The Summer I Turned Pretty Red-Blue Theory Predicts Belly’s Endgame

From embracing your “kid hair color” to tapping into the romantic meaning of red nails, color theory plays a role in lots of people’s lives. Why not use it to navigate fictional conundrums, too, like whether Belly chooses Conrad or Jeremiah on The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3?

The hit YA series takes its final bow this summer, and several fans think the use of red and blue in key scenes may hint at Belly’s endgame.

Taylor Swift Once Said...

The color theory really began before the season officially arrived, when TSITP Season 3’s teaser used Taylor Swift’s “Daylight” to soundtrack Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship, then cut to “Red” when Conrad appeared. Specifically, the lyric: “But loving him was red.”

Crucially, Belly is wearing red PJs in the scene from the teaser. She also dons a red swimsuit in one Season 3 poster, and the same bold hue in another — an apparent nod to the classic film Sabrina, which also featured a love triangle with two brothers.

In contrast, fans have also noticed that Belly has favored blue in key scenes with Jeremiah, such as when they announced their engagement or when Belly learned of Jeremiah’s affair. And the colors interact in more subtle ways, too. As @kathani_sharma recently pointed out on TikTok, Belly wears a red and blue bikini when she’s in Cousins with Conrad and Jeremiah. “I feel like that really shows that she always has love in her heart for Jeremiah and Conrad,” the user suggested.

One astute Redditor even noticed that Belly uses a blue bandage after she nicks herself shaving. “It’s like she’s covering up her love for Conrad with Jeremiah,” they suggested. Similarly, another observed that in a scene of Belly and Jeremiah kissing surrounded by blue hydrangeas, a few red flowers can be seen tucked away in a bush, which, the user wrote, “represents Conrad and how she still loves him, she’s just buried the feeling so deep down.”

Jenny Han Weighs In

So, is there something to the color theory? Jenny Han — the scribe behind TSITP novels — recently weighed in after Popsugar Australia asked if Belly’s blue and red clothing was intended to represent her feelings.

“Sometimes and sometimes not,” Han said, telling Lola Tung (who plays Belly): “We’re playing in different color palettes a bit this season, and we hadn’t seen you in certain colors before.”

Fans will have to wait to find out whether those new hues do, indeed, tease Belly’s endgame — but there’s no shortage of other theories to pore over in the meantime.