LARA JEAN 

Not every high school girl is winning the title of Prom Queen and certainly does not have an extravagant party to escape to every Friday night (Wilson). Coming-of-age films attempt to portray high school life, but that is hard to do when the girl lead in the film is popular. Take The Kissing Booth for example: Elle Evans was a fairly well-known girl at her school with many friends (including the most popular girls in school) and a super-hot boyfriend (Wilson). On the other hand, Lara Jean only one has one friend. She does not go out to party. She likes to stay home on Friday nights watching Golden Girls, reading, or baking.

Teens want to find a character that they can relate to -- and Lara Jean is that character. She is awkward and uncomfortable with social interaction, just like other teenage introverts. In one scene of the film, Lara Jean is seen looking through the cafeteria, trying to find somewhere to sit. In reality, many find themselves searching the crowded cafeterias at schools for somewhere to sit without having to seem like a total loner (Wilson). Later in the film, Lara Jean is seen sitting with her "boyfriend" Peter and his friends. It is obvious how uneasy she feels. She does not know where to place her hands. In other scenes, Lara Jean does her absolute best to avoid social interaction. She would rather fall off a roof than face an awkward social interaction (Galamay).