As a disclaimer, this article is much more light-hearted than my last article, even though I hope my last article truly helped someone else. As you all know, I am a big Disney Channel fan. I was also a 90s baby, so the early 2000s were fantastic for Disney Channel. I remember shows like "Even Stevens," "That’s So Raven," "Lizzie McGuire," and "Kim Possible." I also remember movies like "The Cheetah Girls," "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century," "The Even Stevens Movie" and, of course, "High School Musical." There is one show, however, that I not only loved to watch every afternoon after school, but that also taught me a lot of things: "The Proud Family." "The Proud Family" was a show on Disney Channel that followed Penny Proud and her crazy friends and family on many adventures like to a poetry slam competition to forming a girl band and performing on the red carpet. I loved the comedy in this show, but there were a few important elements, however, that resonated with me even more.
1. Penny Proud was dealing with real teenage issues.
She had to deal with her over-protective father about any boy that she liked. She got into big fights with her friends. She wanted to go to parties instead of studying for her English test. She felt that her parents never understood what she was going through. She was even getting bullied by the Gross sisters (who could forget them!). Even though she is an animated character, I feel that she brought to life just a glimpse of usual teenage issues.
2. Penny Proud had a diverse group of friends.
This is one of my favorite reasons. There was Dijonay, Zoey, LaCienega, and Sticky. I loved that they were all of different nationalities and they learned a lot from each other. They even got to learn about each other’s different culture in one episode. To me, it was a beautiful picture, like a mosaic, of people embracing each other and how we are all different.
3. Penny Proud was technically a feminist.
Any time an adult told her that she couldn’t do something because she was a girl, she would just reply, “Watch Me” and walk away. My favorite episode was when Penny tried out for the boys’ football team. She knew that she was a good player and even took it to the courts in order to prove her point. She knew that she was as strong as the boys and just as fast and she loved it. When she failed her cheerleading tryout, she set another goal and did not give up.
4. Lastly, Penny Proud was proudly herself.
It didn’t matter that she basically wore the exact same outfit each episode, there was always something she would find out about herself. She had her own way of thinking and of doing things. She never let anyone discourage her from going for her dreams and she had hard conversations with her friends and knew how to present it with love.
Penny Proud was an awesome cartoon character for young people and adults alike. The Proud Family represented a show that not only showed African-Americans in a positive family atmosphere, but taught young people how to go to your parents in a loving way and just talk about life. I remember plenty of episodes where Trudy and Penny would just talk about problems in her room, mother to daughter. In the end, Trudy gave Penny a way to handle the situation. I want to leave you with a few of the lyrics from the theme song:
Proud Family, they’ll push your buttons,
They’ll make you want to hug them, a family
A family; Proud, proud family…
