You might be thinking that I’m crazy, but hear me out.
Yes, High School Musical was a franchise that made our middle school years tolerable and a bit less awkward. With great music, an amazing cast, and the greatest couple of all time, Zanessa, I grew up loving these movies and learning the dances and lyrics to perform them in my garage. However, my all-time-favorite character has always been Sharpay Evans and the older I got, the more enraged I became with how she was perceived. Yes, she wasn’t perfect, and sometimes she did do some despicable and questionable things, but think about how you would you react if you worked your whole life for something and it was taken away from you.
Recently an article on this topic was shared, and I finally felt like somebody understood me and what I have been saying my whole life. Sharpay wasn’t the villain in High School Musical, she was the victim. She was defending her rightful place, as Troy and Gabriella had no experience in theatre and showed up late to the audition. By Miss Darbus’ own rules, they should have been disqualified and denied auditioning altogether. In HSM2, she was even backstabbed by her own brother and basically thrown out from the show at their parents’ country club.
What is my point here? Sharpay Evans was assertive, ambitious, and driven, yet she was seen as this villain who would do anything to stay in the spotlight and not have to share it with anyone else. Troy and Gabriella waltzed into the audition and took her rightful place that she had worked her whole high school career for. Most importantly, this was her goal in life; to be on stage. These people only did it as a hobby. Somewhat like Rachel Berry from Glee, just because Sharpay knew what she wanted and knew where she wanted to go, she was seen as arrogant and unbearable.
However, after all Sharpay had to endure, she forgives her brother and everyone else. No matter what, she goes on to find her way in New York City and becomes one of the most successful characters of this movie franchise going as far as having her own movie, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure. The big takeaway? You should feel empowered to be the boss b*tch you are, no matter what people think of you. You might get made fun of and be called arrogant, but as long as you’re not stepping on anyone to make your way, know that being ambitious is not something to be ashamed of. Also, just to clarify again, Sharpay was the victim, not the villain.