One of the Girls

Lexi is the bride-to-be and the apparent center of the celebration, yet she remains emotionally detached for much of the weekend. Though the hen weekend is for her, she doesn’t truly want to be there, and her reluctance foreshadows doubts about her relationship with Ed. Once known for her untamed and free-spirited lifestyle, Lexi’s sudden shift toward settling down seems abrupt. Her parents lived glamorous but chaotic lives and were emotionally unavailable, and this experience instilled in her an instinct to lean toward joy to avoid bringing people down. Others admire Lexi’s physical beauty, and her charisma once made her the symbolic “face of the group, wild, untamable and untethered by her parents” (36). Beneath her polished image is a woman unsure of what she truly wants. Lexi goes through a mostly internal battle over the idea of commitment and motherhood, while struggling with a vague sense that something about Ed is not quite right. Lexi is also a strong and loyal friend who validates and defends those closest to her. When Robyn struggles to claim her own independence, Lexi tells her, “It’s not the wanting that’s the problem. It’s the permission-seeking” (287), adding: “Maybe we all need to stop trying to meet everyone else’s expectations—and just meet our own” (289).