A Loving Dedication To The Greatest Girl Group Of All Time: The Cheetah Girls
Let me tell you something, The Cheetah Girls walked so that The Pussycat Dolls could fly.
Honestly, no other girl group can hold a candle to The Cheetah Girls back in their prime. After all, do you think it’s a coincidence that Destiny’s Child broke up TWO MONTHS before the release of The Cheetah Girls 2? Or that The Spice Girls discontinued their reunion tour, the SAME YEAR that Cheetah Girls: One World was released? They all knew that they just couldn’t compete and it shows.
If you’re a little murky on this Disney Channel CLASSIC, let me jog your memory. The Cheetah Girls were a fictional girl group comprised of actresses Raven Symone, Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Sabrina Bryan. The first film was set in New York and followed the journey of the girls as they tried to make it as a singing group while still in high school.
the Cheetah Girls singing “i can slay my own dragons… my knight in shining armor, is me” was the beginning of my feminism at six years old
— watermelon sugar (@sparklekwandi) December 10, 2019
studies have shown that it is 100% impossible to not feel like a bad bitch when listening to the cheetah girls
— s(chola)r (@liazurloewen) December 12, 2019
The Cheetah Girls (or TCG as I used to say), went on to release three films with the Disney Channel, the second of which was set in Spain and the third (which didn’t include Raven Symone wtf), was set in India.
Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan, and Kiely Williams ALSO brought The Cheetah Girls to greater heights, releasing original music. They continued the legacy until 2009, when the group ultimately disbanded.
And celebrities have also recognised the outstanding legacy The Cheetah Girls had on our childhoods.
If you remember earlier this year, Cardi B uploaded a video to her Instagram story, where she herself paid homage to the girl group by singing their ICONIC hit: Cinderella.
Cardi B previewed one of her #InvasionOfPrivacy songs, but it turned out to be a Cheetah Girls song! ? pic.twitter.com/yd80Y9FJD5
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 29, 2018
Reality TV Star Kim Kardashian also paid homage, showing daughter North West boogie-ing to the 2003 film.
So North requested we watch The Cheetah Girls movies tonight! And I found something really special… when they were on tour we made an epic horror movie called Meow and I found it on YouTube
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) July 24, 2018
So to celebrate (or mourn) a decade since the group broke up, we’ve decided to take a look back on each of the Cheetah Girl Members, and why the fk we loved them oh-so-much.
Here is a Loving Lookback At The Greatest Girl Group Of All Time – The Cheetah Girls:
Galleria Garibaldi AKA Raven Symone
Galleria Garibaldi, also known as ‘Bubbles’, was the GLUE. She was the original Nicole Sherzinger and that’s a fact. She was the lead singer of the crew and always the one to reinforce the final goal of stardom.
Galleria was Italian/African-American, and was always the most aggressive of the group, getting into fights with her castmates over their lack of dedication. She was a teensy bit of a control freak but always worked hard, particularly when it came to writing songs.
Can’t believe Cheetah Girls 3 didn’t have Galleria and they really thought it would work…
— she doesn’t even go here (@theyear1998) December 12, 2019
Portrayed by the ICONIC Raven Symone in The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2, the actress was absent from The Cheetah Girls 3, as she pulled a Nicole and couldn’t coordinate her schedule to be in the film. The show however, went on, but clearly it didn’t continue and we have a feeling we know why.
Chanel Simmons AKA Adrienne Bailon
Chanel or ‘Chuchie’, was the Latina DIVA and Galleria’s ultimate BFF (ironic if you’ve ever watched That’s So Raven). She was fierce, fantastic, and was probably one of the best singers in the group tbh.
Her fiery personality always made her clash with leader of the group, Galleria, which was evident in the first film when they threw hands so hard that it resulted in the group splitting up.
Chanel was tripping in the Cheetah Girls 2. Luc had money and treated her mom right
— melou ✨ (@lifeasmelou_) December 12, 2019
Chanel was never afraid to speak her mind and put anyone in their place, which is probably why we relate to her so fkn much. She did stray off a bit in the second film when she formed a little two-bit group with Spanish singer Marisol, however, she knew deep down that once a Cheetah always a Cheetah, and homegirl found her way back.
Aquanetta Walker AKA Kiely Williams
‘Aqua’ was a QUEEN, how many other ways can I put it? She was sassy, diva, hilarious, and oh-so-relatable. She was always in her own little world and was often distracted by fashion, architecture and boys.
In the second film, Aqua steered away from the group to pursue her love for fashion design, which she then used to design outfits for the final song ‘Amigas Cheetahs’. She was always gallivanting around Spain mispronouncing Spanish words, eating, and trying to find, as she called it, the “Sah-gruh-dah-fameela” (Sagrada Família).
Aqua from the cheetah girls carried hot sauce in her bag way before Beyoncé did.
— Laura Lowrey Ⓥ (@Lauraly818) December 8, 2019
In the third film, Aqua found her niche in acting, which was fitting because she was literally the most dramatic person there was. She was fierce, ferocious, and if we’re being honest, probably our favourite of the group.
Dorinda Thomas AKA Sabrina Bryan
Dorinda Thomas, who for some reason’s nickname was ‘Doh-Rey-Me’, was the lead dancer of the group. She choreographed all of the performances and outshone pretty much everyone when it came to shakin’ it down.
In the first film, the group are SUSS on Dorinda’s family and housing life and after following her they discover that Dorinda is an orphan and lives in foster care with a large family. It was such a pivotal moment for the group, as it really shed light on the negative perception of children in foster care.
wow I'm watching the cheetah girls n chanel just found out dorinda is a foster child n I'm real life cryin thug tears in this bitch o my god
— – ̗̀sol ̖́- (@solehdad) November 6, 2017
Dorinda is the most cheery of the group. She’s kind-hearted, sympathetic, and saves all of her emotions for the DF. In the second film we saw Dorinda strike up a budding romance with Spanish dancer Joaquin and I don’t care what you say but they were the ORIGINAL Kim and Kanye.