The Sag Summer Glow Up

 In Sag Harbor, the idea of summer is a key piece of the book, it’s more than just a season. It’s a season of reinvention and freedom, where you can rebuild yourself, and do whatever you want. In the book, summer almost feels like it is outside of normal life. Free of routines, expectations and social standards during the school year. That idea is relatable across teenagers, because summer often feels like the only time that change is possible without constant judgment from peers. 

Part of the appeal of the “summer glow up” is there being no school. Because during the school year people will often get trapped in expectations and labels, like the “athletic kid” or “nerd”. Benji is subject to this during his school year, as he went through his D&D phase, and as he was labeled as his brother's twin, constantly referred to as Benji and Reggie, or in Reggie’s absence constantly asked “where’s Reggie?”, as if he keeps a tracker on him, or that they share one mind. During school it can feel impossible to break free from those labels, leaving summer as the perfect time for transformation. We see this when Reggie tells Benji he doesn’t want to be seen as a little brother next year, he just wants to be himself. That distance from social expectations gives people the confidence to try new haircuts, clothing styles, hobbies, or even just to become more confident. 

Summer is a time of privacy, where any small change seems to be highlighted on the big screen for every person they see during school. Even if they aren’t being judged, it feels as if everyone is watching and waiting to. This simplest thing like a new haircut often feels like a public announcement to everyone and makes every decision feel magnified. Throughout Sag Harbor, we see this in play. Even though Benji isn’t in school, his friends in Sag Harbor judge him about many things. Underneath Benji likes a lot of things his friends don’t, but he pretends to agree with them, and follows them a lot. An example of Benji’s reinvention of himself, is his decision to let NP cut his hair, rather than his father who’s done it his whole life. 

Sag harbor itself is focused on identity, and viewing summer as an escape and time for experimentation. Although, in both Sag Harbor and reality, the “summer glow up” isn’t just a physical change in appearance, but both a personal and emotional moment of growth, that really only happens away from the prying eyes of peers.