Probably the reason I love leopard print

I will stan for the film version of the Cheetah Girls 4 EVA! Instagrammer Rickey Thompson recreating ‘Cinderella’ with his friends reignited my passion and I found a semi-decent YouTube version of the film. A GEM! There are a fountain of reasons to love movies 1 & 2, from the score to the girl power. It beats High School Musical hands down and it was quite Black so obviously I was drawn to it.

However, re-watching the films as an adult made me realise the depth of the storylines. The first instalment deals with race/identity, friendship, the bravery of ‘no’, family and abandonment. Chanel feels lonely when her mum gets a new man and Dorinda doesn’t even know what colour she is due to her being fostered from an early age. The second film handles pushy parents who inspire lies and how denying your situations harms your relationships. So we are getting taught the facts of life while we belt out ‘Strut’!

Such themes were not absorbed by eight year old me but over a decade I can appreciate the film in a new way. It also could be the underlying reason I love leopard print.

Girls don’t live by fairytales alone

Although I do understand the arguments against fairy tales – patriarchy and the like- I also don’t feel it needs to be that serious. As a child you sprint with your imagination and pretend you live in a castle and float endlessly in dresses. If at 16 you still believe that will be the course of your life, that’s an obvious cause for concern lol. TO THIS DAY I love a lot of the Disney princess movies and didn’t internalise Ariel’s folly.

The arguments could go on but they don’t need to. Girls don’t live by fairy tales alone. Life and the chat of our elders teach us that it’s hard work. With that being said I will continually get my existence to Cinderella, the Black one. Brandy, Whitney, Whoopi and the whole cast are timeless! I don’t feel its damaging to enjoy these moments and want to be whisked around a ballroom. The film is FUN! I didn’t even try to make sense of a Black and White couple birthing an Asian son! I was a child and that’s the point of a great film. It allows you to safely escape for a while and be transported to a realm where life can finally go your way.