BSC #60, Mary Anne's Makeover: Don't Ever Change

November 7, 2010

BSC #60, Mary Anne’s Makeover: Don’t Ever Change

I think Mary Anne and Claudia switched outfits

Summary: Mary Anne makes a New Year’s resolution to be the best Mary Anne she can be (she would watch Oprah, wouldn’t she?), and she starts with a short haircut and trendier clothes. Dawn, Kristy, Claudia, and Stacey don’t like the changes (Mallory and Jessi barely appear in the book and never really say anything), and they make snide comments about Mary Anne’s haircut and generally acting like little snots. Mary Anne spends more and more time with Logan because she doesn’t want to be with the mean girls, and for some reason that makes them even snottier.

Other people at school are paying more attention to Mary Anne, probably because she no longer seems so timid. But then a rumor spreads that a high school guy named Carlos likes her, so people think she’s cheating on Logan. And the BSC girls aren’t talking to her. Sick of everyone talking about her behind her back and/or being nasty to her face, Mary Anne skips a couple of BSC meetings (no repurcussions, amazingly) and keeps dressing the way she wants to dress.

Mary Anne and Dawn get into a fight, in which Dawn is a complete bitca, and Mary Anne decides that she hasn’t been the nicest person either, though I maintain she did nothing wrong, and in fact had more self-control than I would have if I knew Dawn in real life. Mary Anne finally gets Dawn to talk about what her issues her, and apologize for being such a jerk. Eventually the BSC girls follow suit and everything’s peachy again.

In the B plot, Carolyn Arnold builds a time machine. It doesn’t work.

Thoughts: Of course Carolyn’s time machine doesn’t work. She can’t even spell “time machine” correctly. Or “broken.” Or “blanket.” Yet she can spell “curtain.” Shut up, ghostwriter.

“[Richard] can be very conservative, but he knows jazz.” Conservative people don’t listen to jazz? Really, Mary Anne? Really?

Richard lets Mary Anne get a “fiery red, off-the-shoulder crepe dress, with shirred sleeves, a fitted bodice, and a skirt that flared to mid-calf.” I know this series has been going on for a while, but she’s still 13, right? If I say I think that dress is too grown-up for her, does that make me conservative? I mean, I don’t really listen to jazz…

Carolyn: “Noooooo!” Claudia: “I think she means no.” Once again, Claudia brings the funny.

Either Sabrina Bouvier suddenly aged seven years or there are two of them. Or, more likely, the ghostwriter screwed up.

Logan thinks it’s “extreme” for Mary Anne not to go to BSC meetings until the other girls apologize. Maybe, but not as extreme as being mean to someone because she got a haircut.

Not only does Mary Anne have to put up with all her friends’ crap, she also has to read A Separate Peace. Poor girl.

“Oh, go choke on an alfalfa sprout.” New Mary Anne is AWESOME.

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