12 Films & TV Shows That Are Pure Girly Pop
Hyperfemininity has come back into fashion in a major way. New terms of endearment like “girly pop” are encouraging us to get back in touch with our feminine side: viewing it as a strength rather than a weakness.
I’ll admit it, I too went through a cringeworthy “not like other girls” phase, but in recent years, I have come to appreciate how, above all else, fun it is to be a girl. From dopamine dressing to pink literally everywhere, being a girl is, fundamentally, about having a blast (and looking great while doing so).
Now that it’s officially cool to be girly again, we’re celebrating pure girly pop energy by rounding up some of the best TV shows and movies in terms of both aesthetics and vibes.
While it isn’t exactly a favourite among critics, Emily In Paris has garnered a reputation for being quintessentially girly pop. The show involves marketing executive Emily (Lily Collins) living it up in Paris as part of a new job role. Many complain her job in marketing isn't presented accurately, but the love triangles, naturally, seem to get the most attention.
Many have also highlighted the show’s outrageous outfits, which, arguably, really cements its status as a girly pop show. Because how could you base a show in Paris and not make it stylish? Either way, it's going into its sixth season, so it must be doing something right.
Gossip Girl allows you to escape to the elite Upper East Side, which is dripping with glitz, glamour, and, most importantly, money. The series follows the exploits of ridiculously rich (well, mostly rich) young adults, who, amid shopping, coordinating outfits, and attending sophisticated parties, end up in all sorts of scandals and love triangles and drama.
Adding to the tension is the mysterious Gossip Girl, an anonymous blogger who constantly spills the tea on these Upper East Siders, revealing explosive secrets in a sensational fashion. The blogger, along with character Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), is literally the personification of girly pop — but beware, these girly pops have claws.
Ryan Murphy may be best known for Glee and American Horror Story, but the most girly pop show in his repertoire is widely considered to be Scream Queens. The first season of the show focuses on college sorority group (the US version of university societies) Kappa Kappa Tau.
Led by Chanel #1 (Emma Roberts), this group of hyperfeminine girlies must reckon with a serial killer on campus. You might think that a slasher show couldn’t possibly be classed as girly pop, but one reviewer makes a compelling case for the series by describing it as a campy mix between Scream and Mean Girls.
The TV series of the same name deserves a spot on this list too, but we’re focussing on The Lizzie McGuire Movie because it is a girly pop legend. A school trip to Italy? Riding on the back of a Vespa with a dreamboat musician? I mean, hello?!
In this film, the shy and sweet Lizzie (Hilary Duff) ends up becoming an accidental pop icon after being mistaken for Isabella (also played by Duff), the singing partner of Paulo (Yani Gellman). This all culminates in a stage performance that permanently altered millennials’ brain chemistries around the world. ‘What Dreams Are Made Of’ was a girly pop banger then, and is even more of a banger now — so much so that Duff recently performed it live over 20 years after the film’s release.
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Legally Blonde isn’t just pure girly pop fun (though, rest assured, it is) — it’s also an examination on how hyperfemininity can lead to people underestimating you. When Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) decides to attend Harvard law school to follow her ex, Warner (Matthew Davis), nobody really expected her to get that far.
However, despite being a very pink fish out of water at first, she soon finds her footing and becomes a force to be reckoned with. But, the thing is, she’s unapologetic about who she is, and proves that, despite misogynistic misconceptions, it’s possible to be girly without being a so-called airhead. Hyperfemininity doesn’t have to come at the cost of your substance, and to suggest otherwise is yet another way the patriarchy likes to pit women against one another.
From the moment Clueless begins, you know it’s going to be iconic. Cher’s (Alicia Silverstone) computer-linked wardrobe carousel demonstrated how we were reaching levels of girly pop that we’ve never quite seen before. It’s probably the most fashion-focussed movie in this list, with Cher wearing between 48 and 59 outfits, according to various outlets.
Essentially, Clueless is a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s ‘Emma,’ where rich, pretty, and popular high school student Cher feels compelled to “help” people in her own special way. Whether it's makeovers or bringing two star-crossed teachers together, it’s clear she’s using her girly pop powers for good, and of course, looks fabulous while doing so.
Along with being insanely quotable, Mean Girls is another girly pop must-watch. The high school drama focuses on Cady Heron (Lindsey Lohan), a new girl from Africa who unwittingly finds herself at the top of the high school hierarchy as a member of bully girl group ‘The Plastics,’ which is led by the formidable Regina George (Rachel McAdams). As she tries to dismantle the Plastics from the inside, Cady finds herself becoming more engrossed in the ‘popular girl’ way of life than she ever anticipated.
It has several laugh-out-loud moments and is a cutting commentary on gossip and how female social groups function — and the aesthetics are top notch. Remember, on Wednesdays, we wear pink.
The Princess Diaries, which stars Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, is one of the best, most cosy movies on this list, perfect if you’re in the mood for a guilty pleasure. When high school student Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway) discovers that she is the princess of small country Genovia, she finds herself having to participate in ‘princess lessons’ with her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi.
There’s nothing more girly pop than a secret princess, but what makes this movie really seal the deal is the classic makeover scene.
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Hilary Duff is so girly pop, she appears on this list twice. Her second outing is in A Cinderella Story. Starring opposite The OC’s Chad Michael Murray, Duff is this movie’s Cinderella, although, in this modern retelling, she works at a diner and is bossed around by Jennifer Coolidge as her wicked stepmother.
After exchanging emails and meeting at a masked ball, Murray’s Prince Charming sets out to find his Cinderella — but it proves to be a little harder than he thought. Like all girly pop movies, be assured that this Cinderella retelling has a happy ending.
Bratz has an eye-watering 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it's considered by many to be a girly pop classic. In this movie, the leads are named after the dolls: Yasmin, Sasha, Chloe, and Jade.
As the foursome battle against their new high school’s cliquey system, it looks like your standard girly pop movie that is elevated by the fact that these characters are, according to one reviewer, “walking about in the sorts of high-fashion outfits you normally see on a catwalk or in the bar of a five-star hotel.”
