pretty isn't pretty

pretty isn't pretty
General information
Artist	Olivia Rodrigo
Release date	September 8, 2023
Recorded	2022
Genre	Indie pop • indie rock • power pop • alt-pop • shoegaze
Length	3:20
Album	GUTS
Label	Geffen
Songwriter(s)	Olivia Rodrigo, Nigro, Amy Allen
Producer(s)	Nigro
GUTS chronology
"the grudge"
"pretty isn't pretty"
"teenage dream"
ㅤ⠀ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎Lyric video

"Pretty Isn't Pretty" (stylized in all lowercase) is eleventh track from Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore studio album, GUTS. It was released on September 8, 2023 through Geffen Records.

Theme

The song explores the changing fashion trends and social norms that teenagers face. Olivia struggles to keep up with these expectations and social norms, feeling that she will never feel perfect, despite her efforts to fit in.

Videos

Olivia Rodrigo - pretty isn't pretty (Official Live Performance) - Vevo

Official Versions

	Version	Released on	Release date	Producer(s)	Creation date	Length
	Final	GUTS	September 8, 2023	Dan Nigro	2022	3:20

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
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

[Bridge]
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