Why Belly Moving to Paris Spoke to Every Girl Who’s Ever Packed Up and Started Over

Because it was never really about Paris.

By Erin Louise

19 Sept 25

When Belly announced she was moving to Paris, it hit different. Sure, it’s just a subplot in The Summer I Turned Pretty, but for every girl who has ever stuffed her life into a suitcase and boarded a train, plane, or Megabus to somewhere new — that moment felt personal.

Because moving away isn’t really about Paris. It’s about possibility. It’s about the version of you who doesn’t quite fit in the old routines anymore. It’s about admitting that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is leave behind the comfort of familiarity, even if you don’t know exactly what’s waiting for you on the other side.

As a 26-year-old, I have cried over this teen drama more times than I care to admit, but when Belly said she couldn't go home yet, she hadn't learnt enough, or changed enough – I balled. When I decided to move away, someone close to me told me they thought I was running away. I thought, what do I have to run away from?

Unlike Belly, I didn't have sexy brothers fighting over me or a failed wedding day. I didn't have anything worthy of running away from. In my mind, I was running toward something, a new person, a new life, meaning.

Whether it's swapping out your childhood bedroom for a questionable flatshare, or choosing to leave behind the relationship you thought would define you. It’s terrifying, yes — but it’s also freedom.

And here’s the thing no one really tells you: moving away doesn’t magically make you a new person. Your baggage (literal and emotional) comes with you. But what changes is the backdrop. A new place lets you see yourself differently. It gives you space to grow into someone you didn’t even know you were allowed to be. It shows you that when your bag is stolen, you can handle it. When you become unemployed for the fourth time, you'll persevere. We're forever in the view that we haven't achieved enough because someone has always achieved more, but the truth is, we don't need to change. Sometimes we just need to change the setting (and a hot brother to remind us we were capable all along).

Belly’s Paris isn’t really about croissants or cobblestones — it’s about growth. About choosing yourself. About believing that maybe, just maybe, the girl you’re becoming deserves a city big enough to hold her.

So if you’ve ever made a move — across the world, across the country, or just across town — you already know: sometimes leaving isn’t running away. It’s running toward the version of you that’s been waiting all along.