The Selection

When America enters the Selection, she finds herself plunged into a brand-new world of glamor, refinement, and fashion. As a Five, America calls herself “hopelessly behind in the fashion department” (28), and she explains that “Fives mostly wore bland clothes” to work in (28). America has always been very practical about her clothing, unlike those in the upper castes who use fashion as a way to flaunt wealth. Once the Selection begins, America learns that clothes can become a means of self-expression and a symbol of individuality as well as conformity, but only for those who can afford to be selective of their clothing in the first place.

On the day that America signs up for the Selection, she surveys a wide range of fashion choices outside of the Services Office. She notes that the lower castes “were almost always in denim or something sturdy” (28), whereas the upper castes “would wear khaki and denim from time to time […] in a way that took the material to a whole new level” (28). For the lower castes, these materials serve a functional purpose, while the upper castes use these materials as fashion statements. Going into the Selection, America is apprehensive about crossing the line from typical Five wear to dressing like a One all the time. On the day that she leaves for the Selection, America is allowed to choose the shoes she wants to wear to the airport. She chooses “worn-out red flats” to “make it clear from the start that [she] [isn’t] princess material” (71). America believes that the only way to express her individuality is to reject fashion conventions entirely and remain true to her identity as a Five, though her attitude shifts somewhat once she arrives at the palace.

When it comes to the dresses and jewelry worn by the girls in the Selection, America notices that “everyone want[s] to stand out, and they all did in their own ways” (122). While the other girls pile on makeup and jewelry, America chooses simpler accessories. She is determined to hold on to her sense of self and to not get lost in the glamor of life at the palace, but this determination backfires on her once she earns the prince’s favor. America stands out early on when she is the only girl who wears a blue dress to the first Illéa Capital Report broadcast…. Blue becomes America’s signature dress color, and as the competition heats up and the Selected girls start to notice the way Maxon favors her, the winds of fashion shift. For the next Report, America’s maids claim that “[e]veryone requested a blue dress” (236), and they believe it’s because “the others are trying to copy [her]” (236). Sure enough, every other Selected girl wears blue for the next Report, so when America shows up wearing a red dress, she still stands out. This enrages Celeste, who is used to being the center of attention and cannot stand the thought of being shown up by a Five. Celeste’s high-caste perception of fashion clashes with America’s. America was never trying to stand out: She simply wore the things that made her feel like herself. Her simple style and natural look become the hottest fashion trend among the Selected, ironically lacking the authenticity of self-expression that America intended with her choices in the first place. 

When The Selection was first published in 2012, it was widely presented as a dystopian interpretation of the hit television show The Bachelor. The show, which has been on the air for over two decades, features one eligible bachelor who must narrow a dating pool of over 30 women to just one in hopes of finding a wife. The show has become a cultural phenomenon for its high drama and unorthodox approach to dating and relationships, and while The Selection mirrors the general framework of The Bachelor, the Selection process itself holds a much more sinister meaning in Cass’s work. The Selection represents the total control the Illéan government holds over its people, and while the process is supposed to bring the country together, America’s experience shows a world of jealousy, division, and intense control.

When the Selection is announced at the beginning of the novel, all of Illéa becomes engulfed in the excitement and frenzy of the coming event. America claims that “the Selection [is] meant to draw [the country] together and remind everyone that Illéa itself was born out of next to nothing” (7). The Selection is supposed to show how one girl from any ordinary family can ascend to the level of royalty, much like the long-lost American idea that leaders can come from humble beginnings and cause great change. However, America has a more pessimistic view of the Selection, and she claims that it’s simply “a contest for the whole country to watch as this stuck-up little wimp pick[s] the most gorgeous and shallow one of the bunch to be the silent, pretty face that [stands] beside him on TV” (8). America goes into the Selection assuming that there is no fairness in the game, and that the whole thing boils down to little more than a beauty pageant. But while appearances do matter a great deal in the Selection, America soon learns that there is far more expected of the future princess of Illéa than just a pretty face.

When America makes it into the Selection, she is hit with a litany of strict rules that she must adhere to. Once she arrives at the palace, “[she] cannot leave the palace of [her] own accord” (61), and whatever life she imagined for herself must come to an abrupt halt, because “There is no set timeline for the Selection. It can be over in a matter of days or stretch into years” (61). The Selection is deemed more important than anything that America might have going on in her life, and her time away from her family is seen as a small matter compared to the importance of choosing the right princess to rule the country. She is not allowed to wear her own clothes or eat her own food, and she is not allowed to seek out Maxon: “He will seek [her] out for one-on-one company if he wants it” (61-62). She is forbidden from having outside love affairs, but if Maxon wants sexual contact, she is expected to give it to him. Ultimately, the entire Selection is supposed to be controlled by Maxon, and the girls are expected to bend to his will and his schedule.

However, as America learns by the end of the novel, Maxon actually has very little control over the Selection. The girls chosen to be the Elite were determined based on their political power and popularity. And as he points out to America, the Selection is embarrassing for him as well, because the entire country is watching as he attempts to date for the first time. America realizes that “[Maxon] [is] as much a victim in this as the rest of [them], though in a very different way” (189), and at the end of the day, the people most closely involved in the Selection are left powerless and forced to play the hand that is dealt to them. The Selection is a reminder that in the great nation of Illéa, the common people aren’t the only ones who suffer, and the highly-monitored royal family are also victims of intense government control.