‘Bring It On’ Is More Than a Cheerleading Movie
The 20-year-old film explored cultural misappropriation before it became a part of the zeitgeist
When Torrance (Kirsten Dunst) finds out her whole cheerleading career is based on theft and deception, she runs away in despair. Isis (Gabrielle Union) follows her to confront her, forcing her to face her complicity in how Black girls like her are left behind, despite obvious talent and tenacity. For years, it turns out, Torrance’s cheer squad on Rancho Carne High School in San Diego has been stealing cheers and choreographies from L.A.’s East Compton Clovers.
On the surface, Bring It On is a teen comedy about cheerleading, but it is about so much more than that. Much has been written about how it tackled cultural appropriation before it was cool: “Since Bring It On’s theatrical release 20 years ago, the theft of the Clovers’ work still mirrors the cultural appropriation we regularly see in mainstream media — especially in the fashion industry,” writes Vanessa Willoughby for SheKnows, who makes connections to Bring It On and current trends of Blackfishing and cultural appropriation by White women like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. To paraphrase Isis, they steal it, embody it through Whiteness, and call it their own.
