pretty isn’t pretty Lyrics
Bought a bunch of makeup, tryna cover up my face
I started to skip lunch, stopped eatin' cake on birthdays
I bought a new prescription to try and stay calm
'Cause there's always somethin' missin'
There's always somethin' in the mirror that I think looks wrong
[Chorus]
When pretty isn't pretty enough, what do you do?
And everybody's keepin' it up, so you think it's you
I could change up my body and change up my face
I could try every lipstick in every shade
But I'd always feel the same
'Cause pretty isn't pretty enough anyway
[Verse 2]
You can win the battle, but you'll never win the war
You fix thе things you hated, and you'd still feel so insecure
And I try to ignorе it, but it's everythin' I see
It's on the poster on the wall, it's in the shitty magazines
It's in my phone, it's in my head, it's in the boys I bring to bed
It's all around, it's all the time, I don't know why I even try
[Chorus]
When pretty isn't pretty enough, what do you do?
And everybody's keepin' it up, so you think it's you
I could change up my body and change up my face
I could try every lipstick in every shade
But I'd always feel the same
'Cause pretty isn't pretty enough
And I bought all the clothes that they told me to buy
I chased some dumb ideal my whole fucking life
And none of it matters, and none of it ends
You just feel like shit over and over again
[Outro]
No, it'll never change
Pretty isn't pretty enough, mmm
Everybody's keepin' it up, oh
Pretty isn't pretty enough
Pretty isn't
About
An emotional and heartfelt reflection on self-positivity and female physical expectations, “pretty isn’t pretty” is the eleventh track from Rodrigo’s sophomore album, GUTS.
The song describes the ever changing fashion trends and ideals in the current time, in which all girls seem to follow and coincide with. Olivia describes how these expectations and social norms are plastered all over different types of media around her, and feels as though she cannot keep up or ultimately fit in because no matter what she does, she’ll never feel perfect.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In this time period, I was super obsessed with social media. I would look for things that would hurt my feelings all the time and compare myself to everyone. I felt like my life was only what I showed to others. I didn’t feel like my life was any deeper than my Instagram feed. That’s a really troubling mindset to be in as a teenager.
— via NYLON Magazine
During the tracking week ending September 23, 2023, the song debuted at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
- 3.vampire
- 4.lacy
- 7.logical
- 10.the grudge
- 11.pretty isn’t pretty
- 12.teenage dream
