TJ Powar Has Something To Prove by Jesmeen Kaur Deo
Review by Anar M., Youth Reviewer
The blurb of “TJ Powar Has Something to Prove” was what initially drew me to the book: a cruel meme goes viral comparing TJ (who spends hours shaving, waxing, and threading to remove her body hair) to Simran, her cousin and debating partner (who, being Sikh, doesn’t shave). Upset, TJ cancels all her hair appointments in an attempt to prove that “TJ Powar can be her hairy self, and still be beautiful” — but her internalised dislike of her hair is harder to overcome than she expected.
The book surpassed my expectations. TJ’s character is vibrant and interesting; her friendships are tested and grow stronger for it; the growth of her romantic relationship with a debating-opponent-turned-debating-partner is fun and I could tell that they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. Above all, her journey to acceptance of her natural hairiness is interesting, enjoyable, and satisfying.
Most interestingly, in my opinion, the book isn’t a story about how TJ can be beautiful despite having hair. TJ’s progress is not about realising that her beauty is unconnected to her hair and that her hair doesn’t matter; while it is about accepting her hair, the more important part is that TJ learns to question whether beauty itself should be so important.
A fellow student pads her resumé by making a pamphlet about how “everybody is beautiful”. TJ participates, but feels dissatisfied: a plus-sized model isn’t nearly as plus-sized as the girl taking pictures. The model who isn’t wearing makeup is pretty without it. TJ’s hairiness is undercut by the lighting and angle. The pamphlet is meant to show that everyone can fit into the same conventional beauty standards — more people are included, but the standards of beauty are the same, and remain harmful.
TJ is passionate about the debate. In the finals of the national tournament — which, spoiler alert, TJ wins — the motion is that “inner beauty is more important than outer beauty”. I assumed this would be a chance for TJ to argue that her inner beauty is what matters most, defeating opponents who think her hair makes her ugly — but surprisingly, TJ is assigned the side that outer beauty is more important, while her opponents argue for inner beauty. And yet, it’s still a cathartic moment in which TJ can express everything she’d learned: people do, in reality, place greater emphasis on looks than on personality. And maybe talking about “inner beauty” at all is wrong: we don’t, for example, talk about “outer intelligence” or “outer kindness”. Even when we claim that inner beauty is more important, we still maintain that beauty is important.
The process by which TJ realises this, and the adventures, love, and friendship that she finds along the way, is immensely enjoyable. I’d highly recommend reading this book!
Find “TJ Powar Has Something To Prove” at the Kitchener Public Library!