Forgot to say thank you in the outro for 100k! Thank you. Next video (Order of the Phoenix) will be up soon. And when I say soon I actually mean it! Promise 🤞🏽
Great video. I appreciate the appreciation of the stock character, which you don't get from a lot of folks. Cliche bad. Unique good. Nah, everything can be more and less than that if done well. Cheers.
Trope Anatomy You have to question these people who create such works that promote witchcraft,alchemy and the mixing of human D.N.A. with that of beast and beings that are clearly not of US. Hairy Potter is the artwork of J.K. Rowling and the art is a reflection of who J.K. Rowling is at the heart and base of her soul. Rowling is clearly into anagrams, magic witches and demon possession. Her books are factual information on who this person is. Some of you people have lost your minds already, but for those who are still able to hear, see and still able to speak need to understand that something real and tangible is occurring and real evil has infiltrated our lives and the Human experience is tainted by deception and wickedness and we need to save our fellow humans, final permanent judgement is upon mankind.
Another thing I liked about “Bring it On” was how realistically athletic most of the cheerleader’s body types were. No offense to Mena Suvari, and I’m not body shaming her, she is beautiful, but there is no way she could do flips or lifts. You could tell the actors in Bring it On had actual muscle during filming. Edit - the character Abby in the game The Last of Us, which has garnered a lot of criticism for being muscular and small chested, is a clear example of why this is an issue.
In fairness, Mena Suvari's character was more of a dancer than a full-blown cheerleader doing stunts and flips. But I agree, great to see some muscles being represented!
Kenny B True. It’s just rare to see that much muscle on a woman on screen, even in athletic or superhero roles. Most women look “cute toned,” or skinny. Last muscular hero I can think of is Emily Blunt in “Edge of Tomorrow.” You don’t see Marvel heroes with Ronda Rousey bodies, but you will see them with Connor Mcgregor bodies.
"But I'm A Cheerleader" did a similar thing to the cheerleader stock character trope by normalizing the idea of homosexuality and diverting from the "male gaze." It came out in 1999, so about the same time
wow! i'd known vaguely of bring it on, but i had no idea that it tackled such a mature topic with such grace! just goes to show that chick flicks or other media meant for a largely female audience can acheive as many things withing its genre as any other. i also really enjoy how thoughtful you always are with your video essays and i liked this one quite a lot.
I was a cheerleader in High School and College, thank you for this thoughtful deep dive in to the stock character. Bring It On was after my time cheering but during my time as a coach. It is a classic, and I appreciate your work.
I love the Bring it on movies. I do realise that they're not supposed to be taken seriously, but I enjoy them. They're really entertaining and I did notice that they took this stock character and deepened them a little bit.
Small correction, while the movie Grease was released in 1978, the story itself is set in 1958. It doesn't alter your argument in the slightest but I just thought you'd like to know.
Came here to make this correction too! Glad someone else noticed. Otherwise, really great and thoughtful video essay on such a nostalgic classic. It's made me want to revisit the movie now...
Glee does their best to build out a lot of those initially 'stock characters' from the first season, but they definitely start them out that way. The 'dumb blonde,' Brittany, is proudly bisexual and later in the series, a mathematical genius. I just finished watching the whole series last night, as I'm considering writing an essay on Glee's use of music for plot advancement.
omg please do I feel like glee has just become such a meme lately and yes there are definetelyyy some questionable moments but I still feel like the show overall had great characterisation etc
Tv series has that liberty to flesh out stock characters. Glee i believe is a hard series to apply some logical sense to its overall story line and layers of background stories for each character as most of them were added for shock; making a number of its key turning moments easy to meme. I still watch it knowing its a fictional circus show. I don't think anyone can justify Mr Shuester's beliefs or how the adults in the show physically abuse their students; all of which is deemed as comical on how the show portrays it.
Cheerleading is like the chaotic love child of gymnastics and dance...so much can go wrong but they still have to keep their mood (facials) somehow (mad respect from an ex dancer)
It's crazy how I was thinking of this movie for the first time in years not too long ago and realized that it involved appropriation in a surprisingly respectable way. Great video. You often have the same thoughts on things that I do but articulate them in a much better way than I ever could.
Ooof seeing that girl fall in the intro.... That happened to my sister in college. She dropped face first on the wood gym floor and smashed her nose. The bright side is that she was able to smoosh the tissue around to give herself a little nose job before seeing a doctor 😂 Cheer is one of the bloodiest sports there is
Ah, but the quintessential cheerleader in Buffy is not Buffy herself, but Cordelia Chase- the most intensely layered and fascinating mean girl I've ever seen who, despite it all, never stops being a bitch at heart (I'd die for her) (...Or maybe you were just talking about the crappy movie)
I know why talk about the movie? Blech. Maybe cause there's more scenes of her in costume? Though there's plenty from the one episode of Buffy where she's not wanting to quit cheering.
@@hardcandy9880 Without getting into spoilers, Cordelia starts off in Buffy as the selfish, mean girl cheerleader archetype but is also somewhat smart. During appearances in the first three seasons of Buffy and the first four seasons of the spin-off series Angel, Cordelia evolves into a character that retains her mean edge but is also a caring person and puts the needs of others above her dreams to help save the world.
@@hardcandy9880 from what i remember (minor spoilers btw), and i only watched buffy not angel, she starts out as regina george, mean rich selfish, but looses her perfect life in a more normal way, keeps staying alive because she's actually smart, falls for the geek, gets put through the wringer emotionally and physically, but is always becoming a more and more likeable character (where as other characters have ups and downs). As for layered though... I remember her having a messy relationship.. but they all do lol
Was in the comments hoping someone would mention the fantastic Cordelia Chase. Even in season 1 she was showing a multifaceted personality. In Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight Charisma was amazing... 'I can be surrounded by people and be completely alone' And then after high school she spends every day working for other people, trying to atone for any selfishness. And then becomes a literal higher being. Queen C indeed!
Really enjoyed this video. Reminder of how good the first Bring It On is, even if it’s not entirely realistic, which it wasn’t trying to be, and how you can be actively anti-racist.
I love your videos! They're so well thought out. I remember being impressed by the way Bring it On handles race issues, but I never thought about the effect it had on the cheerleader archetype
I started cheerleading at the grand old age of 20, when I went to art school. No one expected me to join or enjoy it, and I was worried that the stereotypes would be true. What I found was an amazing group built on a foundation of group strength, trust, and solidarity. Recommended for any of the "weird kids" who want to power up!
I never cared for it when it came out, rewatched it and was actually impressed. Fairly ahead of it's time in terms of race issues, but very far behind in terms of homosexuality.
@Grillidan - you're not living in the real world. First off, thats not how affirmative action works - black people don't just get things handed to them. Second, it's not cultural appropriation, its regular stealing - the racism angle comes in because the rich white kids know the clovers wont be listened to if they try to call out a more privileged team. What would be more likely is racists would think the poorer people of color are the thieves. I think you need to educate yourself, your comment comes off as incredibly disrespectful - the only question is are you really that ignorant or are you aware that you're being an ass? Why twist two terms to devalue the real struggles the black community faces? Why pretend that racism benefits black people and pretend it's easy for black people to actually get justice?
The thing the newer Bring It On movies dont get is that you're not supposed to say "Bring It On" in its entirety, you just say "Bring It." To not do it correctly is heresy.
I love Bring It On. It's a fun movie and remind me of my childhood and of blockbuster movie rentals. This is a great video essay on something I hadn't even been aware of. Cheerleaders have always been fleshed out and cool when ever I've encountered them in media. But I was only 4 when Bring It On came out. By the point I actually did see the movie, Kim Possible was already my childhood idol and I knew cheerleaders could be cool, nice, mean, and funny. That for every Kim possible, there's a Bonnie. It's weird to imagine that Kim Possible might not have been a cheerleader without the success of Bring It On. Crazy!
I used to be a gymnast like Missy, and everyone in that sphere pretty much looked down on cheerleading, seeing it as lesser. Then, I injured my elbows and I couldn’t do bars any longer. I was devastated, but I could still tumble. Feeling like I had nowhere left to turn I went to school cheer, first sideline and then competition. As an honors student, I actually had teachers turn up their noses at me once they saw me in my cheer uniform. I never did it for the status, I did it for the love of the sport. Since it was school cheer and we were a non-stunting team, it wasn’t as intense as “Cheer” and seemed easier than gymnastics, but I had a better time because rather than each competing individually, we all performed together as a unit
Love this! The sequels and so many teen comedies have completely overlooked the importance of respecting less affluent counterparts and just integrate without care for the integrity of the character's unique experiences. As a writer, I want to bring back great writing like this because it has a real-world impact on peoples perceptions of class, race, and allyship. No handouts, just respect.
I need to first admit that I freaking love Bring it On. My friends and I still occasionally make references to it. Like, I love the scene with the Clovers are walking by the other cheer squad and Isis barely even turns her head to look at them. She just like, cuts her eyes their way for a split second. That's f***ing tea being spilled right there!
I loved this breakdown. Bring It On (the original- I like to pretend the sequels don’t exist) is my favorite movie. I don’t think I could have articulated exactly why and honestly I would have been a bit embarrassed to admit it but I think this sums it up perfectly. Bring It On is a comedy with real depth and heart
This was very well analyzed. I never realized the intricacies of what Bring It On demonstrated. I liked that after Kristen learned that the cheers and dances were stolen from the clovers, she knew it wasn’t right and changed the whole routine. I feel like that can be translated to today’s cultural appropriation. One can be unaware that a behavior/dance/clothing etc. was stolen from a culture, but after they do become aware, like Kristen, they can decide to respect that culture and change.
This is fantastic! My sister, who was a gymnast and eventually went on to perform with Cirque du Soleil, was roped in to cheerleading for her final two years of high school. She says it was definitely fraught with drama and social issues, but will defend it to her dying breath as a real sport.
ufff i remember back in the day i was so happy when the clovers won. it felt like the perfect ending, cause i thought everything was leading up to the torros winning
I love this video!! I do wish you talked about Missy a little more even tho she’s not the main character. In my mind she kind of represents the audience of the movie-initially viewing cheerleaders as vapid, basic, and untalented. “I transferred from Los Angeles, this school has no gymnastics team, this is a last resort!” But over the course of the movie she realizes there is much more to cheering than meets the eye. And She is one badass cheerleader!
It would be interesting if a movie or tv show ever delved into the life of a male cheerleader. I often feel like they don’t even get to stock character level, they are just background.
Great video! I watched "Bring it on" ages ago and liked it, but didn't take notice of many of the details you mentioned, very interesting. Also I never noticed the difference between the treatment of the cheerleader vs the jock/nerd/etc - that caught me by surprise for a moment and I was like "...damn". Very cool observations. Keep up the good work!
The claim you make on 1:05 hit hard. This is how you write a good premise. I haven't even finished the video essay but already know it's going to be good.
Sugar and spice was also a movie that came out around the same time as bring it on and it has very unique cheerleader characters.....like very unique lol
As a foreigner, who's never seen an American football game for real and cheerleaders cheering for real, I always pictured cheerleading as it was shown in movies, like in the 90s movies you mentioned at the begining until I watched Bring it on when I was a teenager (my teenage classics, love them :p) and it was bring it on that made me understand that cheerleading was a serious thing 😂 I was like : there are competitions ?? Didn't even know. And realised it was very physical and an actual sports !!!
A good analysis, though I'd probably have spent more time on the other traditional negative aspects of the stock cheerleader stereotype beyond meanness - that they tended to be portrayed as airheaded and promiscuous.
You are seriously talented my friend. I really feel your passion for these topics and appreciate your analysis. Especially these videos with a niche topic
Loved this vid!! It’s been years since I’ve watched Bring It On and I’d honestly forgotten a lot of what happens and how the characters are portrayed. This was so interesting. Will definitely have to revisit.
Great video! As a cheerleader in high school, I always appreciated the Bring it on movies, so I am so interested in this deep dive. The third bring it on is way better than it's get credit for though!
I caught so much shit for liking Bring It On back in the day for precisely the reasons you laid out in your video. Even wrote a junior year essay on it. I'm glad to see the attention is expanding in the best way possible all these years later.
I recall seeing that movie a long time ago and the one thing that really stuck with me was the extreme and seemingly normal racial segregation of it all. I realise that movies don't represent the actual reality of the USA but it was shocking to me at the time.
Yah, IDK what part of the country you're from but when I played team sports in public school in the late 90's I was on mostly white teams. When we played other schools, they'd usually be either mostly white or mostly black. That's not how the whole country works, but plenty of it is exactly like this.
Why were you shocked? Are you from the USA? The neighborhoods are segregated so it’s no surprise if the schools and sports teams are segregated as well.
@@nubiannile4606 Oh yes I'm not from USA of course and never been there, so I don't know too much about it and didn't want to assume/judge by some media. I didn't know that neighborhoods and schools were segregated... Thanks for sharing your experiences as locals, that's interesting and surprising.
Yeah our schools are sadly still very segregated. They're mostly broken up by neighborhood which means that they end up getting the demographics of our neighborhoods which are, you guessed it, still segregated!
Your videos are so thoughtful, I'm always excited when I see a notification from you! I love this movie, and for some of the reasons you mentioned; but you also laid out other things I hadn't even noticed, and made me love it even more! Well done, keep it up! 😊
As a huge fan of Bring It On, I have to applaud this video and your take on it. But I'd just like to correct the part about the cheerleader being "hated by everyone, apart from the boys that want to get with her" - because often, even these boys hate her or are indifferent toward her, finding value in her only as a symbol to boost their popularity or status among other boys.
This just reminded me a story. I used to go to a rural highschool. Our town didn't have a cinema. One year on a trip to the 'big city' our teacher took us to the movies. The students were given a choice of two movies Bring it On and Nacho Libre. Of my 30 student class all the girls went to bring it on and so did most of the boys because "hot girls". Me and a friend were the only ones who chose Nacho Libre because Jack Black is BAE.
Other good cheerleading characters: Heather McNamara in Heathers (1989), Cordelia in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-1999), Megan in But I'm a Cheerleader (1999). Great video. :)
I too watched Cheer and then rewatched this one, it's a great film. I love the early '00s aesthethic. And it's insane to think that Kirsten Dunst has been in movies for 30 years, damn.
Wow I haven’t watched this movie since I was a kid. I never realized the core story. Never realized it was about cultural appropriation but so glad I grew up with this movie, knowing every line, in my subconscious
oh....wow..it's been ages since I saw this and fell in love with Gabrielle Union at 13 years old. Completely forgot why I loved this movie back then, thanks Trope Anatomy!
I like bring it on better cause it explains how hard the competition is and you need to be original and someone could be a traitor to your group or squad
Another example of breaking the Cheerleader stereotype is Maddie from Euphoria. She acts a lot like the stereotype but you see so many sides of her as a person. So you grow to sympathize with her, and understand her insecurities and fears. Which is great and I loved that you covered/defended the show.
Around 10 years ago or something, I used to watch National cheerleading competitions, maybe it was shown on ESPN or something. Changed how I saw this american culture, made me appreciate the hard work, these guys go through. Teen dramas or movies don't really show that.
Forgot to say thank you in the outro for 100k! Thank you. Next video (Order of the Phoenix) will be up soon. And when I say soon I actually mean it! Promise 🤞🏽
Great video. I appreciate the appreciation of the stock character, which you don't get from a lot of folks. Cliche bad. Unique good. Nah, everything can be more and less than that if done well. Cheers.
0:30 "Why is no one ready?" -Miranda Priestly
Trope Anatomy You have to question these people who create such works that promote witchcraft,alchemy and the mixing of human D.N.A. with that of beast and beings that are clearly not of US. Hairy Potter is the artwork of J.K. Rowling and the art is a reflection of who J.K. Rowling is at the heart and base of her soul. Rowling is clearly into anagrams, magic witches and demon possession. Her books are factual information on who this person is. Some of you people have lost your minds already, but for those who are still able to hear, see and still able to speak need to understand that something real and tangible is occurring and real evil has infiltrated our lives and the Human experience is tainted by deception and wickedness and we need to save our fellow humans, final permanent judgement is upon mankind.
I think about Karen smith everyday too
On Wednesdays we wear pink
You wanna go to Taco Bell? :D
I C O N I C
@@shoujokadyan5502 well, I am now craving tbell
Karen is a legend
ModernGurlz also discussed Kirsten Dunst as an underrated actress. Like this can't be coincidental, are we all suddenly watching Kirsten Dunst films?
SAME
I think Netflix recently re-added Bring It On. My sisters and I rewatched 3 days ago lol
@@saraquintero8888 aaaaand interview with the vampire.
She is amazing, even in her smaller roles. Just watched her in Hidden Figures the other day. I've always loved her :)
she was incredible in Melancholia
"I transferred from Los Angeles, your school has no gymnastics team, this is a last resort!" loops in my head for all eternity
"What we do is serious, it isn't like Bring It On" while they literally emphasize in the movie how cheerleaders are serious athletes
I forgot how good Karen Smith was. The reminder of the clip of her putting a fake diamond K the wrong way round.. oh god, I'm in tears
Another thing I liked about “Bring it On” was how realistically athletic most of the cheerleader’s body types were. No offense to Mena Suvari, and I’m not body shaming her, she is beautiful, but there is no way she could do flips or lifts. You could tell the actors in Bring it On had actual muscle during filming.
Edit - the character Abby in the game The Last of Us, which has garnered a lot of criticism for being muscular and small chested, is a clear example of why this is an issue.
In fairness, Mena Suvari's character was more of a dancer than a full-blown cheerleader doing stunts and flips. But I agree, great to see some muscles being represented!
And hey, Eliza Dushku being a cheerleader here is kinda amusing, considering her role in Buffy at the time. XD
That's cause they made the actors actually do some training before filming
@Amy Sternheim I know. This is one of my favorite movies! 🥰 Just pointing out the irony if you're familiar with her character Faith.
Kenny B
True. It’s just rare to see that much muscle on a woman on screen, even in athletic or superhero roles. Most women look “cute toned,” or skinny. Last muscular hero I can think of is Emily Blunt in “Edge of Tomorrow.” You don’t see Marvel heroes with Ronda Rousey bodies, but you will see them with Connor Mcgregor bodies.
As a male cheerleader I'm so happy you choose this topic. It was mainly Bring it on that got me into it.
nice!
Cool!
'Bring It On' is 20 years old now!?!?!!!
I feel so old. Omg I just can't believe it.
right? I remember renting it from blockbuster after it came out and watching it during a sleepover with some friends :D
Honestly, the best cheerleader representation I can think of right now is Kim Possible
Didn't they change her from cheerleader to soccer player? lol
@@GRA5S We'll never talk about that movie
She was so cool she broke all the laws of physics.
I loved that show when I was a kid. Kim was the best cheerleader ever!! Lol.
@@hsmacaraig lmao best comment goes to..
"But I'm A Cheerleader" did a similar thing to the cheerleader stock character trope by normalizing the idea of homosexuality and diverting from the "male gaze." It came out in 1999, so about the same time
YEs! I love 'But I'm A Cheerleader', incredible film
omg i didn't even think of that movie as a cheerleader movie cuz it's so much more than that. it's really a great film that everyone should watch
I love that movie!
Oh my gosh it is a great movie.
*I heard the word homosexuality and am now even more interested-*
wow! i'd known vaguely of bring it on, but i had no idea that it tackled such a mature topic with such grace! just goes to show that chick flicks or other media meant for a largely female audience can acheive as many things withing its genre as any other. i also really enjoy how thoughtful you always are with your video essays and i liked this one quite a lot.
I was a cheerleader in High School and College, thank you for this thoughtful deep dive in to the stock character. Bring It On was after my time cheering but during my time as a coach. It is a classic, and I appreciate your work.
I love the Bring it on movies. I do realise that they're not supposed to be taken seriously, but I enjoy them. They're really entertaining and I did notice that they took this stock character and deepened them a little bit.
Small correction, while the movie Grease was released in 1978, the story itself is set in 1958. It doesn't alter your argument in the slightest but I just thought you'd like to know.
Came here to make this correction too! Glad someone else noticed. Otherwise, really great and thoughtful video essay on such a nostalgic classic. It's made me want to revisit the movie now...
Glee does their best to build out a lot of those initially 'stock characters' from the first season, but they definitely start them out that way. The 'dumb blonde,' Brittany, is proudly bisexual and later in the series, a mathematical genius. I just finished watching the whole series last night, as I'm considering writing an essay on Glee's use of music for plot advancement.
that sounds like a cool idea
omg please do I feel like glee has just become such a meme lately and yes there are definetelyyy some questionable moments but I still feel like the show overall had great characterisation etc
Tv series has that liberty to flesh out stock characters. Glee i believe is a hard series to apply some logical sense to its overall story line and layers of background stories for each character as most of them were added for shock; making a number of its key turning moments easy to meme. I still watch it knowing its a fictional circus show. I don't think anyone can justify Mr Shuester's beliefs or how the adults in the show physically abuse their students; all of which is deemed as comical on how the show portrays it.
I love your channel
Check the Tumblr page yougottaletitout. They analyzed the songs from the first and second season plus part of the third.
You did it man. You made me tear up. Character development is truly the cornerstone of storytelling.
I feel like cheerleading is like gymnastics irresponsibly dangerous cousin with little safety standards.
Cheerleading is like the chaotic love child of gymnastics and dance...so much can go wrong but they still have to keep their mood (facials) somehow (mad respect from an ex dancer)
so accurate💀 I did cheer for seven years and that pretty much sums it up
It's crazy how I was thinking of this movie for the first time in years not too long ago and realized that it involved appropriation in a surprisingly respectable way. Great video. You often have the same thoughts on things that I do but articulate them in a much better way than I ever could.
thank you!
Ooof seeing that girl fall in the intro.... That happened to my sister in college. She dropped face first on the wood gym floor and smashed her nose. The bright side is that she was able to smoosh the tissue around to give herself a little nose job before seeing a doctor 😂 Cheer is one of the bloodiest sports there is
Oh yeah, and she met her husband doing cheer! He and a friend joined the squad thinking it was a good way to meet cute girls, and they were right haha
smoosh her tissue around?!?! ewww god that sounds so painful.
@@prettyrat. lol I'm with you on that. I think it helped she's a veterinarian so literally nothing grosses her out haha
Ah, but the quintessential cheerleader in Buffy is not Buffy herself, but Cordelia Chase- the most intensely layered and fascinating mean girl I've ever seen who, despite it all, never stops being a bitch at heart (I'd die for her)
(...Or maybe you were just talking about the crappy movie)
I know why talk about the movie? Blech. Maybe cause there's more scenes of her in costume? Though there's plenty from the one episode of Buffy where she's not wanting to quit cheering.
Havent watched the series yet. But I dud hear about Cordelia. What makes her so layered?
@@hardcandy9880 Without getting into spoilers, Cordelia starts off in Buffy as the selfish, mean girl cheerleader archetype but is also somewhat smart. During appearances in the first three seasons of Buffy and the first four seasons of the spin-off series Angel, Cordelia evolves into a character that retains her mean edge but is also a caring person and puts the needs of others above her dreams to help save the world.
@@hardcandy9880 from what i remember (minor spoilers btw), and i only watched buffy not angel, she starts out as regina george, mean rich selfish, but looses her perfect life in a more normal way, keeps staying alive because she's actually smart, falls for the geek, gets put through the wringer emotionally and physically, but is always becoming a more and more likeable character (where as other characters have ups and downs). As for layered though... I remember her having a messy relationship.. but they all do lol
Was in the comments hoping someone would mention the fantastic Cordelia Chase. Even in season 1 she was showing a multifaceted personality. In Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight Charisma was amazing... 'I can be surrounded by people and be completely alone'
And then after high school she spends every day working for other people, trying to atone for any selfishness. And then becomes a literal higher being. Queen C indeed!
This is such a good look at one of my favourite movies. I saw it as a kid and loved it then, and still love it now.
thank you!
Really enjoyed this video. Reminder of how good the first Bring It On is, even if it’s not entirely realistic, which it wasn’t trying to be, and how you can be actively anti-racist.
I love your videos! They're so well thought out. I remember being impressed by the way Bring it On handles race issues, but I never thought about the effect it had on the cheerleader archetype
thank you!
I started cheerleading at the grand old age of 20, when I went to art school. No one expected me to join or enjoy it, and I was worried that the stereotypes would be true. What I found was an amazing group built on a foundation of group strength, trust, and solidarity. Recommended for any of the "weird kids" who want to power up!
Dropped everything to watch, love your essays.
thank youuu
Well. I guess you've talked me into watching a cheerleading movie by dangling interesting race narratives. That's a sentence.
hahaha well just keep in mind its still a teen comedy and from the year 2000 so not everything in it is that deep
I never cared for it when it came out, rewatched it and was actually impressed. Fairly ahead of it's time in terms of race issues, but very far behind in terms of homosexuality.
👏👏👏👏
@Grillidan do you honestly think that Affirmative Action has any jurisdiction whatsoever over high school cheer competitions?
@Grillidan - you're not living in the real world. First off, thats not how affirmative action works - black people don't just get things handed to them. Second, it's not cultural appropriation, its regular stealing - the racism angle comes in because the rich white kids know the clovers wont be listened to if they try to call out a more privileged team. What would be more likely is racists would think the poorer people of color are the thieves.
I think you need to educate yourself, your comment comes off as incredibly disrespectful - the only question is are you really that ignorant or are you aware that you're being an ass? Why twist two terms to devalue the real struggles the black community faces? Why pretend that racism benefits black people and pretend it's easy for black people to actually get justice?
“Missy’s the poo, so take a big whiff”. My favorite line ever.
The thing the newer Bring It On movies dont get is that you're not supposed to say "Bring It On" in its entirety, you just say "Bring It." To not do it correctly is heresy.
I love that you make videos on such a wide variety of topics, instead of focusing on the typical mainstream movies or subjects. Keep it up!
I remember seeing this as a teen and knowing I watched something new, but I couldn't really put my finger on it. So thank you.
I love Bring It On. It's a fun movie and remind me of my childhood and of blockbuster movie rentals. This is a great video essay on something I hadn't even been aware of. Cheerleaders have always been fleshed out and cool when ever I've encountered them in media. But I was only 4 when Bring It On came out. By the point I actually did see the movie, Kim Possible was already my childhood idol and I knew cheerleaders could be cool, nice, mean, and funny. That for every Kim possible, there's a Bonnie.
It's weird to imagine that Kim Possible might not have been a cheerleader without the success of Bring It On. Crazy!
I used to be a gymnast like Missy, and everyone in that sphere pretty much looked down on cheerleading, seeing it as lesser. Then, I injured my elbows and I couldn’t do bars any longer. I was devastated, but I could still tumble. Feeling like I had nowhere left to turn I went to school cheer, first sideline and then competition. As an honors student, I actually had teachers turn up their noses at me once they saw me in my cheer uniform. I never did it for the status, I did it for the love of the sport. Since it was school cheer and we were a non-stunting team, it wasn’t as intense as “Cheer” and seemed easier than gymnastics, but I had a better time because rather than each competing individually, we all performed together as a unit
Love this! The sequels and so many teen comedies have completely overlooked the importance of respecting less affluent counterparts and just integrate without care for the integrity of the character's unique experiences. As a writer, I want to bring back great writing like this because it has a real-world impact on peoples perceptions of class, race, and allyship. No handouts, just respect.
I need to first admit that I freaking love Bring it On. My friends and I still occasionally make references to it. Like, I love the scene with the Clovers are walking by the other cheer squad and Isis barely even turns her head to look at them. She just like, cuts her eyes their way for a split second. That's f***ing tea being spilled right there!
I loved this breakdown. Bring It On (the original- I like to pretend the sequels don’t exist) is my favorite movie. I don’t think I could have articulated exactly why and honestly I would have been a bit embarrassed to admit it but I think this sums it up perfectly. Bring It On is a comedy with real depth and heart
Loved the pause you took to zoom in on Cliff with hearts 😂 🥰 Who doesn't love Cliff?
He’s just, what I neeeeeeed 😭💕
This was very well analyzed. I never realized the intricacies of what Bring It On demonstrated. I liked that after Kristen learned that the cheers and dances were stolen from the clovers, she knew it wasn’t right and changed the whole routine. I feel like that can be translated to today’s cultural appropriation. One can be unaware that a behavior/dance/clothing etc. was stolen from a culture, but after they do become aware, like Kristen, they can decide to respect that culture and change.
This is fantastic! My sister, who was a gymnast and eventually went on to perform with Cirque du Soleil, was roped in to cheerleading for her final two years of high school. She says it was definitely fraught with drama and social issues, but will defend it to her dying breath as a real sport.
ufff i remember back in the day i was so happy when the clovers won. it felt like the perfect ending, cause i thought everything was leading up to the torros winning
I love this video!! I do wish you talked about Missy a little more even tho she’s not the main character. In my mind she kind of represents the audience of the movie-initially viewing cheerleaders as vapid, basic, and untalented. “I transferred from Los Angeles, this school has no gymnastics team, this is a last resort!” But over the course of the movie she realizes there is much more to cheering than meets the eye. And She is one badass cheerleader!
It would be interesting if a movie or tv show ever delved into the life of a male cheerleader. I often feel like they don’t even get to stock character level, they are just background.
Angela is not a stock character, she’s another example of humanizing and adding dimension to the cheerleader archetype :)
Yes, Sandy was from Grease that came out in 1978, but it was suppose to take place in the 1950’s. That’s why she had the long dress on.
Great video! I watched "Bring it on" ages ago and liked it, but didn't take notice of many of the details you mentioned, very interesting. Also I never noticed the difference between the treatment of the cheerleader vs the jock/nerd/etc - that caught me by surprise for a moment and I was like "...damn". Very cool observations. Keep up the good work!
thanks!
"Grease' was set in the 50s, but filmed in the 70s. the midcalf skirt is typical of a 'good-girl' 50s teenager.
The claim you make on 1:05 hit hard. This is how you write a good premise. I haven't even finished the video essay but already know it's going to be good.
Sugar and spice was also a movie that came out around the same time as bring it on and it has very unique cheerleader characters.....like very unique lol
As a foreigner, who's never seen an American football game for real and cheerleaders cheering for real, I always pictured cheerleading as it was shown in movies, like in the 90s movies you mentioned at the begining until I watched Bring it on when I was a teenager (my teenage classics, love them :p) and it was bring it on that made me understand that cheerleading was a serious thing 😂 I was like : there are competitions ?? Didn't even know. And realised it was very physical and an actual sports !!!
A good analysis, though I'd probably have spent more time on the other traditional negative aspects of the stock cheerleader stereotype beyond meanness - that they tended to be portrayed as airheaded and promiscuous.
Oh! It's already been broughten!
Nice comeback Priscilla!
@@TropeAnatomy We're black, we know it. We shake out big booties and show it!
i love the first movie. its too much fun to be about cheerleading. hehe
You are seriously talented my friend. I really feel your passion for these topics and appreciate your analysis. Especially these videos with a niche topic
thank you so much!
I always love your essays so much, even if I haven't seen the movie!
thank you!
Loved this vid!! It’s been years since I’ve watched Bring It On and I’d honestly forgotten a lot of what happens and how the characters are portrayed. This was so interesting. Will definitely have to revisit.
I am always pleasantly surprised with the choices of examples you pick!
This was such an amazing take kn race, and a generally well comprised video. It's my first time watching a video essay by you and I subbed!
thank you!
Great video! As a cheerleader in high school, I always appreciated the Bring it on movies, so I am so interested in this deep dive. The third bring it on is way better than it's get credit for though!
Thank you, this it was a great breakdown of one of my favorite childhood movies.
This is my first video I watched from you - so brilliant! Can't wait to binge the rest lol
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the others 😊
I caught so much shit for liking Bring It On back in the day for precisely the reasons you laid out in your video. Even wrote a junior year essay on it. I'm glad to see the attention is expanding in the best way possible all these years later.
This was really an eye opener for me. I loved this! Thank you for making the vid!
My sister was a cheerleader in college and yes, the physicality is incredible.
I recall seeing that movie a long time ago and the one thing that really stuck with me was the extreme and seemingly normal racial segregation of it all. I realise that movies don't represent the actual reality of the USA but it was shocking to me at the time.
Nope. The US is still super segregated.
Yah, IDK what part of the country you're from but when I played team sports in public school in the late 90's I was on mostly white teams. When we played other schools, they'd usually be either mostly white or mostly black. That's not how the whole country works, but plenty of it is exactly like this.
Why were you shocked? Are you from the USA? The neighborhoods are segregated so it’s no surprise if the schools and sports teams are segregated as well.
@@nubiannile4606 Oh yes I'm not from USA of course and never been there, so I don't know too much about it and didn't want to assume/judge by some media. I didn't know that neighborhoods and schools were segregated... Thanks for sharing your experiences as locals, that's interesting and surprising.
Yeah our schools are sadly still very segregated. They're mostly broken up by neighborhood which means that they end up getting the demographics of our neighborhoods which are, you guessed it, still segregated!
This is so well thought of! I love your videos!!!
Thank you!
Your videos are so thoughtful, I'm always excited when I see a notification from you! I love this movie, and for some of the reasons you mentioned; but you also laid out other things I hadn't even noticed, and made me love it even more! Well done, keep it up! 😊
thank you so much! It means a lot
Brilliantly done, as usual. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos!
And thank you for watching!
As a huge fan of Bring It On, I have to applaud this video and your take on it. But I'd just like to correct the part about the cheerleader being "hated by everyone, apart from the boys that want to get with her" - because often, even these boys hate her or are indifferent toward her, finding value in her only as a symbol to boost their popularity or status among other boys.
I knew it was great.... but this was incredibly articulated, took my respect even higher!
KIRSTEN DUNST has played so many oscar worthy performances yet still no one ignoliges her
I was about to clean my house and then I saw this announced. My house is still dirty but I'm too happy because this movie deserved this video.
your analysis are always great!
Thank you! Glad you like them ✨
@@TropeAnatomy I am framing this! Greetings from Chile 🇨🇱😀
This just reminded me a story. I used to go to a rural highschool. Our town didn't have a cinema. One year on a trip to the 'big city' our teacher took us to the movies. The students were given a choice of two movies Bring it On and Nacho Libre. Of my 30 student class all the girls went to bring it on and so did most of the boys because "hot girls". Me and a friend were the only ones who chose Nacho Libre because Jack Black is BAE.
I'm from korea but because of those high-teen movies, I once had dreamt of being a cheerleader back in middle school😅
Same but from Europe aha we had such an unrealistic expectations of the us
Same
Other good cheerleading characters: Heather McNamara in Heathers (1989), Cordelia in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-1999), Megan in But I'm a Cheerleader (1999). Great video. :)
oh my god i love but i’m a cheerleader so much. that movie does not get enough credit
"I know you didn't think a white girl came up with that shit." Yoooooo lol the movie theatre went CRAZY when she said that!😂👏🙌 Classic movie!
I too watched Cheer and then rewatched this one, it's a great film. I love the early '00s aesthethic. And it's insane to think that Kirsten Dunst has been in movies for 30 years, damn.
Wow I haven’t watched this movie since I was a kid. I never realized the core story. Never realized it was about cultural appropriation but so glad I grew up with this movie, knowing every line, in my subconscious
i love bring it on and this just made me love it even more
loved this
oh....wow..it's been ages since I saw this and fell in love with Gabrielle Union at 13 years old.
Completely forgot why I loved this movie back then, thanks Trope Anatomy!
Thank you for breaking down why this movie is so much better than what everyone makes it out to be. Still holds up today IMO
I like bring it on better cause it explains how hard the competition is and you need to be original and someone could be a traitor to your group or squad
I loved that Netflix docuseries...was so great! I was an NCA All American Cheerleader a million years ago, and this was great...
9:00 omg the hairspray comparison I literally didn’t even think of that
This movie explored rival female relationships in a way that is done well and makes it memorable.
Holy shit, I wasn't ready to see that clip in the beginning... Omg... My body aches... I hope that girl is okay 😭
I'm glad this film is one if my first experience with cheerleading films 😊 and Kim possible of course was my obsession as a child.
Another example of breaking the Cheerleader stereotype is Maddie from Euphoria. She acts a lot like the stereotype but you see so many sides of her as a person. So you grow to sympathize with her, and understand her insecurities and fears. Which is great and I loved that you covered/defended the show.
Thank you! I’ve been saying this for years since 2001
Your videos are fantastic. Keep it up!
thanks!
Thank you for this one!!
Thank you for making this video, "Bring it on" was an awesome movie and Kirsten Dunst did a great work there!
Around 10 years ago or something, I used to watch National cheerleading competitions, maybe it was shown on ESPN or something. Changed how I saw this american culture, made me appreciate the hard work, these guys go through.
Teen dramas or movies don't really show that.
This was such a well done analysis of one of my favorite films (90s kid). Nice job! I’ll be checking out more of your content 👏🏾
Thank you! Hope you enjoy some other videos too 😊
Thank you so much for this video - this has given me such a deeper appreciation for the film
Glad you enjoyed it :)
if only Bring it On Musical had a pro shot released, i really like the storyline of the Musical :
It’s an obscure example, but a show called Joan of Arcadia (2003) has a great cheerleader episode.
Very good summary analysis I see you're a movie lover bring it on is a classic
thank you!
Thank you for another video!! Was excited to see this one posted :D
Hope you enjoyed it! :D