Sophi k's "pretty girls like you" is about how being called pretty can end up silencing a person. The speaker feels pressured from the outside: the opening line, "They press and poke," suggests people crowding in, judging, and prodding. Then come the instructions. Don't cry, don't let anyone see, don't feel. The word "Apparently" in the fourth line gives the speaker a tired, slightly bitter tone, as if she has heard this rule many times and doesn't agree with it.
The poem's turn comes in the final line, where "you" becomes "me." Up to then, the speaker repeats what others say to her. At the end she tells us how it feels from the inside: "Pretty girls like me don't feel so pretty." Looks are meant to be a compliment, yet here they hide her real emotions. The mood is quiet, hurt, and a little defiant, and the plain, unpolished wording makes it feel honest and direct.