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The story opens in 1999 with a young Stephanie, an Australian transplant in the United States, grappling with her identity and longing for popularity. Surrounded by her closest friends, Martha and Seth—who are portrayed as the misfit trio—Stephanie develops a crush on Blaine, the quintessential high school heartthrob. The film beautifully sets up the dynamics of teenage relationships and the age-old battle for social status when Stephanie is humiliated by Tiffany, the resident mean girl, at her own birthday party.
Determined to alter her fate, Stephanie begins a transformation that leads her to shed her previous self for a more glamorous version, ultimately securing a coveted spot as the cheerleader captain and dating Blaine just in time for senior year in 2002.