The Cheetah Girls: Informal Group Roles by Enyjé Sandoz
When pondering my next post for WBE, I wanted to incorporate other pop culture references that highlight interpersonal communication ideas. I find these to be the utmost fun, so I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do.
The Cheetah Girls trilogy is one that I grew up watching. I have vivid memories of being at my aunt’s house with my sisters and cousins during the premiere of The Cheetah Girls 2. Needless to say, The Cheetah Girls were a staple among my sisters and me. One summer, I remember watching The Cheetah Girls 2 every day via OnDemand — OnDemand, wow… does that still exist?
Almost instantly when thinking about a pop culture reference, I thought about The Cheetah Girls; the theory of Informal Group Roles came right along with it.
Though I love all of The Cheetah Girls (even TCG 3 — I still remember the sheer disappointment of realizing Galleria was not in the movie; her absence was evident and her presence was terribly missed), I will be focusing on the first of the trilogy: The Cheetah Girls (2003). In terms of Informal Group Roles, this movie seemed to truly highlight their personalities and the roles they unconsciously assumed.
Many of you may be wondering: what are informal group roles? The definition is right in the title! The roles we assume in groups that are not formally assigned, or as my former Speech professor (Karen Swett) articulates it, “Outside of institutions or corporations, potential group roles are not usually formally assigned. Most are developed informally, as we interact while engaging in group decision-making” (Swett).
Informal Group Roles are broken down into the categories:
Task Roles — roles that help the group accomplish its overall purpose/goal or smaller tasks.
Maintenance Roles — roles that help the group build cohesion and maintain itself as a group.
Disruptive Roles — roles that hinder productivity or cohesion within the group.
Now that we have some clarity regarding the topic of the day, let’s dive straight into the four main characters of The Cheetah Girls: Galleria, Chanel, Aqua, and Dorinda.
Galleria
Galleria Garibaldi, or the Head Cheetah In Charge as many would refer to her, embodies multiple informal group roles. I’d say she had the most character development among all the characters. Throughout the movie, we see her ambitious, headstrong, tenacious, leader, go-getter spirit that helps the Cheetahs become what we know them as, but then, we also see how her determination blinded her, which ultimately impacted the relationships she had with her friends and others.
Delving into the category of task roles, Galleria encompasses the following roles:
The Initiator — suggests or proposes to the group new ideas. S/he offers a novel point of view concerning problems, procedures, goals, or solutions.
Galleria wore many hats in The Cheetah Girls group. It is safe to say that without her, the Cheetah Girls (theoretically) would not exist. She displayed leadership qualities in all areas of organizing and maintaining a group — whether it be musically, fashion choices, cover art, and so on. For example, in a scene, Galleria is on the phone with Chanel. She’s playing her a new record while also singing some of the lyrics. One can assume that Galleria independently worked on the song as the scene seemingly portrayed that Galleria was presenting the idea to Chanel, not that Chanel had any recollection before. Galleria deemed the song she was working on as the demo for Jackal Johnson, which can imply that she made executive designs for the group. Galleria’s role as the initiator kept the Cheetahs with fresh material and continual movement to achieve their goals.
The Energizer — prods the group to action or decision-making - increasing productivity by stimulating the group toward greater or "higher quality" activity.
- Though this role is more eminent in The Cheetah Girls 2, Galleria expected and delivered nothing but excellence. Also, she was ultimately the decision-maker of the group. For instance, during their second meeting with Jackal Johnson, Jackal and his team informed the girls that the group he sold to the record label included The Cheetah Girls having to wear animal masks and lip-syncing due to the masks. Not only were the masks not aligned with the Cheetahs' image, but lip-syncing violated a core value Galleria held — they did not lip-sync. After putting on a hell of a performance, Jackal and Galleria were not in agreeance with their visions for the group, so Galleria declined the deal (even though the other girls did not initially back her up). Galleria’s role as the energizer ensured The Cheetah Girls gave their best, while also not compromising their integrity and authenticity.
The Coordinator — shows or clarifies the relationships among various ideas and suggestions, tries to pull ideas and suggestions together, or tries to coordinate the activities of various members of sub-groups.
- During the first lunch scene, Derek and Mack approach The Cheetahs about switching their audition time slots. Galleria states that she’s uncomfortable with change, and consults with the rest of the group before giving Derek and Mack an official agreement that they can switch spots. As domineering as the others made Galleria seem, she still valued and considered everyone’s opinions and schedules. As the coordinator, Galleria offered structure to the group by creating a space of deliberation and for everyone to be heard.
Next, I will discuss the maintenance role Galleria enacted:
The Standard Setter — expresses standards for the group. These standards apply to the quality of the group process or set limits on acceptable individual behavior within the group.
- Galleria’s vision for The Cheetah Girls extended far beyond a talent show, Manhattan Magnet (their high school), New York, and so on. She dreamt big, thus she had certain standards that she expected the other girls to uphold. Once they met Jackal Johnson at the talent show’s auditions, she doubled down on their image as a group. For example, during lunch, Aqua talked with a mouth full of food. Galleria immediately expressed her disapproval. She said, “Now that we’re stars, we need to start acting like it.” Aqua proceeded to ask her, “Well, how is that?” Galleria then replied, “Well, stars don’t talk with their mouth full. And they don’t carry bottles of, uh, Hot Papa Sauce in their purses.” Before getting up from the table, she tells Aqua, “Well, Aqua, I have a problem with your table manners. You better stash the sauce next time we see Jackal.” This prompted Chanel to agree with her by stating, “Guys, she’s right. Looks do count.” This is just one of the many examples that portray Galleria’s role as the Stand Setter, which was integral in ensuring the Cheetahs presented themselves as “stars” — it can be implied she means: classy and exhibiting decorum.
To wrap up Galleria’s informal group roles, we’ll look at her disruptive role:
The Dominator — tries to assert authority or superiority by manipulating the group or certain members of the group. This domination may take the form of flattery, asserting a superior status or right to attention, giving directions authoritatively, interrupting the contributions of others, or similar behaviors.
- While Galleria did not have to rely upon manipulation to cement herself as the Head Cheetah In Charge as she was forthright with her positioning, towards the climax of the movie, she became an imbalanced leader. For example, she made the decision for the Cheetahs to not participate in their school’s talent show and instead record their demo for Jackal Johnson. Additionally, she told Drinka (the Cheetahs’ mentor) that it was imperative for them to take the opportunity that Jackal presented them because as Drinka (who was once a singer) would know, those opportunities are fleeting. Moreover, Galleria condescendingly gave Dorinda tips regarding her fashion sense. Galleria explicitly stated that the tips she was giving Dorinda were not optional or a suggestion. All the while, Galleria is oblivious to Dorinda being less fortunate and a foster child. As the dominator, Galleria began to see the decline in her relationships with her friends and mentor as she became offensive and off-putting to be around.
The next Cheetah is Chanel. As the second Cheetah in command, Chanel often faced the dilemma of remaining loyal to her best friend (Galleria), while also honoring her and the other Cheetahs’ feelings. Chanel being placed in the middle is further realized as she’s far more approachable than Galleria, thus the other Cheetahs (Aqua and Dorinda) voice their frustrations regarding Galleria to her, instead of directly confronting Galleria themselves.
As a result, Chanel assumes the maintenance role of The Harmonizer — mediates the differences between other members, attempts to reconcile disagreements, and relieves tension in conflict situations through good-hearted jokes, a soothing attitude, etc.
- After meeting with Jackal to schedule a time to record their demo, Galleria is more than adamant about keeping The Cheetah Girls on the trajectory of success. She develops a disposition that comes off as arrogant, superficial, self-centered, and inconsiderate — people (their peers, etc.) find her unbearable. Thus, the distaste for Galleria extends to the rest of the Cheetahs, resulting in their peers creating a bashing site for them: chompcheetah.com. Aqua and Dorinda pull Chanel to the side to tell her about the site and tell her how Galleria’s attitude is impacting their social lives. Chanel’s immediate reaction is to jump to her best friend’s defense but neither Dorinda nor Aqua (especially Aqua which we’ll talk about next) wants to hear Chanel’s spiel — they just want Galleria to be “handled”. Chanel assures them that she’ll talk to Galleria. In a following scene, Galleria is rude to their mentor, Drinka, as well as Dorinda. While Dorinda takes the opportunity to defend herself, Aqua further pressures Chanel to talk to Galleria. Chanel is left between a rock and a hard place but takes matters into her own hands. While out on a solo shopping spree, she sees a #Cheetahalicious outfit and thinks of Dorinda. She does not hesitate to buy it. She then proceeds to personally deliver the outfit to Dorinda and to check on her. Chanel and Dorinda share an emotional moment — Dorinda reveals her big secret, Chanel apologizes on Galleria’s behalf, and gives Dorinda the outfit — showcasing her empathetic side. Later on, Chanel finally converses with Galleria, confronts her about the cover art for their demo (which had Galleria front and center), and tells her about everyone’s feelings (including her own). Due to her headstrong nature, Galleria becomes defensive but then assures Chanel that everything will work itself out, but Chanel does not truly believe her. As the Harmonizer, Chanel unconsciously feels responsible for Galleria’s actions but also maintains a drama-free group as the other girls have used her as a buffer between themselves and Galleria.
Aqua is the sassiest Cheetah of all. While her spunk added depth to the group’s flair and style, it posed an issue in the long run. Instead of utilizing her cheekiness to give her the courage to confront Galleria, she directed that energy to Chanel, which landed her in the disruptive role of The Aggressor — may work in many ways – deflating the status of others, expressing disapproval of the values, acts, or feelings of others, attacking the group or the problem it is working on, joking aggressively, showing envy toward another’s contribution by trying to take credit for it, etc.
- Aqua disagreed with Galleria’s approach to the group and the values she instilled. Though, unlike Galleria, Aqua did not directly express these issues with Galleria. Instead, she resorted to aggressive behaviors such as making sound effects when Galleria told Dorinda she wasn’t needed during rehearsals because they were doing music and Dorinda mostly danced, rolling her eyes and saying “yeah” to Galleria with a stank face, looking at Chanel when Galleria stated she was the founder of The Cheetah Girls and writer of their song “Cinderella”, or essentially bullying Chanel into expressing her grievances for her. For example, when Aqua and Dorinda informed Chanel about the bashing site, Aqua told Chanel, “Look… All I’m saying is someone needs to talk to her. And when I say somebody, I mean you”, while towering over her and getting in her face. Later on during the talent show rehearsals, she pulled Chanel by her arm and said, “Miss Chanel… The time is now.” Lastly, when Galleria tells Jackal they are not taking the deal, Aqua bumps Chanel to step in front of her and states, “You didn’t handle this. [Aqua to Chanel] Now, I will. You’re just mad because he won’t do your material, right? [Aqua to Galleria]”. After Galleria tries to assure her it's about the group, Aqua retorts, “You might be right, babe, but… You can’t make decisions for the whole group. We make our decisions together.” While in any other context, Aqua would be correct (but one can argue none of the others took the initiative in decision-making), but she wanted to undermine Galleria’s positioning and use the moment as an opportunity to assert herself. As The Aggressor, Aqua played a disruptive role in the group dynamic by causing friction when she could have addressed the matters at hand, well before they reached a certain point. Additionally, she sent someone else to be her spokesperson while also being rude. She could’ve confronted Galleria with the same energy she gave Chanel.
The last Cheetah in the jungle is Dorinda. Due to being a foster child and less fortunate, Dorinda’s insecurities take precedence over her strengths (such as dancing). She often counts herself out before others have the opportunity to do so. It is almost as if her lack of confidence is a shield of armor, despite it negatively impacting her self-esteem and relationships. Within the group dynamic of the Cheetah Girls, Dorinda’s self-doubting nature poses an issue as she comes across as defensive, which manifests as the disruptive role of The Help-Seeker — attempts to call forth a "sympathy" response from other group members or from the whole group, whether through expressions of insecurity, personal confusion or depreciation of him/herself beyond reason.
- After the girls concluded their talent show audition to their song Cinderella, Drinka (their mentor) took the time to compliment each girl. When she gets to Dorinda, before Drinka can speak, Dorinda utters, “If you were what? Go ahead and say it. Everyone else does. ‘Dorinda’s like me if I was shrimpy and white.’”, to which Drinka replies, “If I was able to dance.” In another example, Chanel arrives at Dorinda’s home to deliver the outfit she bought and to apologize on behalf of Galleria. The first thing that Dorinda says is, “If I knew you were coming, I would’ve been really rich and lived somewhere else.” This prompted a confused response from Chanel. Dorinda then continues with, “Now you know why I never invite you guys over or talk about my family.” Dorinda automatically assumed Chanel figured out she was a foster child when in actuality, Chanel assumed that Dorinda was biracial like Galleria. Chanel even jokes about it which triggers Dorinda to become emotional, “Can you just wait for a second? I’m not black, and I’m not half-black. I’m not even white. I don’t even know what I am. I do know that Mrs. Bosco isn’t my mom. She’s the closest thing I’ve ever had. My mom, my real mom, she didn’t want me. And I’m a foster child, and I live here with ten other kids. The only reason why we even get to live here is because Mr. Bosco’s the super. But I want to stay here, and I want to stay here with my friends, and in school, and with the Cheetah Girls, because it’s the best I’ve ever had, Chanel. And please don’t… Don’t take it from me.” Chanel then tells her, “Girl, you thought we’d pull your card for a lack of parents?” Dorinda’s role as The Help-Seeker creates a barrier between herself and the rest of the Cheetahs. One can assume that due to her upbringing, it’s a form of protection by way of a defense mechanism, which is plausible. However, she projects her perception of herself and her life onto others by assuming that everyone else views her the same. As Chanel points out, her assumptions are inaccurate. Dorinda’s defensiveness prevents her from developing deeper connections with her friends and her lack of self-confidence conflicts with the overall messaging of the Cheetah Girls (confident, empowered, and fierce).
Informal Group Roles are such an interesting topic! Each role serves a purpose — whether it be to a group’s benefit or detriment (which is an opportunity for improvement). It is cool to analyze how we find ourselves operating within the roles without conscious effort. As good practice, I’d suggest examining the groups you exist within and distinguishing each member’s role. If it helps, try practicing this with a fictional example such as a television show or movie. It’s equally as fun as it is insightful! It’s easy to look at the surface details, though taking the time to look just beneath it can grant you the gift of awareness.
Thank you so much for reading!
Let me know your thoughts on The Cheetah Girls, the concept of Informal Group Roles, and other pop culture references you’d like for me to dissect under the scope of interpersonal communication.
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