Author Spotlight: ‘Pretty Face’ By Mary Hogan
Posted by meredith on 03-26-2009
Today’s Ypulse Author Spotlight is on Mary Hogan and her upcoming book, Pretty Face, the story of a teen girl growing up in LA and struggling against the pressure to be “perfect.” And by perfect, she means tall, thin and beautiful. Sigh. As a former teen Angeleno, I have to admit this hit a little close to home, but I think teens (and former teens) everywhere will relate to Hayley’s journey to accept herself as more than just a pretty face.
Pretty Face comes out in April, but we’re giving away a full set of Mary Hogan’s YA titles to the first three readers who share their own experience as teens learning to love their “imperfections.”
Ypulse: What inspired you to write Hayley’s story? How much of it was based on personal experience?
Mary Hogan: I grew up in Southern California, near the beach, where everyone was tan and blond and perfect-looking…except me. At least that’s how I felt. I had a lot of friends who were boys, but no boyfriend. Which really bummed me out. (If you read my first novel, you know how much I wanted a Serious Kiss.)
Hayley, the main character in Pretty Face, lives near the California beaches, too. Like me, she’d rather die than romp through the waves in a bikini. Hayley is smart and funny, and she has an experience I only wish I had when I was 16. She spends the summer in Italy…away from body-obsessed L.A. There, she falls in love with a dreamy Italian boy and, for the first time, literally fits in. Sigh.
That’s the real beauty of writing young adult fiction. You can turn all your teen traumas into dreamy Italian boys.
YP: Unlike a lot of Hollywood endings we see, Hayley doesn’t undergo a radical physical transformation at the end. How did you make that choice as a writer and how do you think readers will respond?
MH:I like to write characters who are real. Not caricatures of the way Hollywood likes to present girls. I’ve done a couple of book tours in Europe, and the kids there think we’re all nuts. One English girl asked me, “Why do American girls all want to look the same?”
I wish I had a good answer for her. For me as a writer, I find “perfect” girls boring, and unique girls interesting. Internal transformations excite me more than external makeovers. Give me an imperfect girl who struts into a room and dazzles everyone with her confidence. Now, that’s beautiful!
YP: What are your thoughts on teens and plastic surgery?
MH: This may surprise you, but I have mixed feelings. If you have a huge nose that could open a can, and you obsess over it every morning in the mirror, getting it fixed can be a real boost to your self-esteem. I do think there are some cosmetic procedures that are safe and can instantly make you feel better about yourself. If your parents are willing to pay for it.
HOWEVER, there are many more cosmetic surgeries that are not as safe. No matter what a surgeon says. I am totally against teenage boob jobs or lipo. Contrary to popular myth, there are LOTS of complications. And, I don’t know anyone who is totally happy with either procedure (since I grew up in the plastic surgery capital of the world I know lots of women who’ve taken the plunge!).
Most importantly, lipo won’t make you thin and big boobs won’t make you sexy. Don’t believe ANYONE who says they will. What plastic surgery will do, however, is make you look just like every other girl who had the same thing done. So, think about it carefully. Why do you want to look like everyone else? (If you have a good answer, email me so I can tell the European girls on my next tour.)
YP: Where do you think the main pressure on teens to be thin comes from? How (as a culture) do we curb that pressure?
MH: In a word, I think it’s advertising. In our capitalist economy, we need people to constantly buy stuff. Imagine for a moment that you loved your body. Would you spend money on a diet program, a gym membership, $200 jeans that lift your butt? No!
Our system doesn’t work unless everyone feels a little inadequate. And what better way to feel down on yourself than constantly viewing “perfect” bodies, “perfect” hair, “perfect” skin? So “perfect” in fact, they aren’t even real!!
Teens are particularly vulnerable because they are bombarded by media images (lots of ads!) seven hours a day. But, I’m confident that teens will light the way out. More and more, kids are saying, “We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore!”
Today’s teens are SO much more confident than I was. And they have a lot of power. The moment a majority of kids refuses to buy stuff unless real bodies are used to advertise the products, everything will change in a hurry. So, go get ‘em!!
YP: What’s up next for you?
MH: At long last, I’ve decided to grow up. After writing seven young adult novels that are published all over the world, I’m now writing an adult novel. It’s quite an adventure. Stay tuned!
For more coverage of YA books and publishing, check out the Ypulse Books Channel sponsored by The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (LB Teens).
Categorized under: Author Spotlight, Books & Print
March 26th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Wow! Nice little contest :-)
March 26th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
awesome interview!looks like a great book
March 26th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
for me my first thing for me with learning to love my imperfections would be my weight.in the past year i’ve grown to be ok with what i weigh and not look to what the world says what i should weigh but know inside that ill never be a size 0 but im the weight im suppose to be.
March 26th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
When I was a teen, I dated a guy who flipped out after I broke it off. The scars he left on my upper back are the subject of a poem I recently wrote:
behind me
normally don’t wear sleeveless
mostly because of the way my upper arms jiggle
but really because of the pink scars upon my back
though they are behind me
and most people probably wouldn’t even notice
the best touch them sadly without a word
the worst is the reason they’re there
but today
today i wear a bright sundress
didn’t bother with the cardigan
today i like the feel of the sun on my back
March 27th, 2009 at 10:54 am
I had a lot of imperfections to come to terms with when I was a teen (or at least I thought there were a lot). When people would point them out, I found the best way to deal with it was to point out something positive about it. Glasses? Well, at least I can see now. Curly hair? At least I don’t have to get a perm. Freckles? My grandma thinks they’re cute. It really took me until adulthood to completely come to terms with everything, especially weight issues, but I find that my experiences have helped me guide young girls in my life who are feeling insecure about their bodies. And the pressure is even worse now than when I was a teen.