Sharpay was our hero

Sharpay Evans was the blonde haired, brown eyed villain of our childhood. But was she really as bad as we think?

I saw a post that stated Sharpay’s villainous portrayal was an unfair representation. Her over zealous ambition was a gateway to a mean streak but if we’re honest, the girl was intent on making moves. Like any smart person, she used her connections at her disposal and because she was infatuated with Troy tried to share that with him. Is that terrible?

Also, I would be way more offended if my friends used underhanded techniques for their own advantage. Are we forgetting Troy and Gabriella’s besties, Chad and Taylor, cooked up a scheme to make it look like Troy was bad mouthing Gabriella?! That’s ice cold baby.

Furthermore, the post compared Sharpay with Gabriella saying that all Gabriella did was sing and cry. LOL. However, in her unassuming defence she did help him admit his love for singing.

Another way in which Sharpay was our hero is that she was authentic from the jump! I don’t recall her pretending to not be herself and she didn’t care what other people thought of her. Theatre wasn’t the most popular group to be a part of at East High School, but she didn’t let that stop her from walking around like a boss! Then let’s get into the looks. A regular school day was a fashion show because she gave us sequins, glitter and heels. All things fabulous, bigger and better is best!

Like most people, as I got older I realised that in school the quirky kids were the outsiders and the majority preferred to not stray too far from whatever the acceptable line was. Then, by the time we got to university, more and more people wanted to be noted for their individuality.

Therefore, Sharpay really deserved credit and our understanding. Although the others taught us the journey to self acceptance, it was marred by the need for the ‘popular kids’ to give the green light and make it okay for everyone. Sharpay should have been the one we learned from as she kept the same energy the whole way through and was not deterred by the general consensus. She was unlikable but right.

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.