Costumes, colors and characters. A Costume analysis of But I'm a Cheerleader

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]movies, plays, music videos, and runways. When one watches a story, when often overlooks aspects like set dressing, lighting, and especially costume design. But when a story is being told and not read, storytellers have to get creative when establishing a character's personalities, relationships, and the atmosphere. This is where costumeuming comes in. The style of a specific character to portray what personality trope they'll follow, rebel or goody two shoes. The fit of the clothes can show a character status, a neatly tailored powers suit, or an ill-fitting dress that they were forced to wear. Costumeuming helps to build the story by allowing the viewer to gain a deeper understanding of different characters identities, minds, and roles in the story. Costumeuming isn't about what a character is wearing. It's about why they're wearing it, what image they're trying to portray, what story they're trying to tell. In the 1999 film by a mature leader, the costume design allows the film to further its critique on heteronormous society, specifically the costume designs of different characters, showing how different characters view themselves and their queer identities and their struggles to reaching self-actualization. When we're first introduced to Megan, she is in a sea of cheerleaders, each wearing an orange pleated skirt and a matching top, showing unity. When we meet in a more relaxed setting, she is depicted in a dress reminiscent of something a 1950s housewife would wear with its modest top and its a-line skirt, showing the perfect image of femininity many hold in the one that Megan so desperately wants to present to the world. The 1950s dress helps to portray her quieter, more demure, conflict avoidant personality.

[00:01:11]The muted tones of her accessories match that of her peers and her family in the world that she is living in at the time.

[00:01:16]Despite the fact that she's in a yellow dress, she so desperately still wants to fit in. And yet, in her intervention scene, this yellow dress stands out ever so subtly against her brown background.

[00:01:24]and muted world she lives in highlighting how yeah Megan's pretty normal but she's still a little different. When she arrives at True Directions, she's depicted in another yellow dress still very reminiscent of a 1950s housewife. However, this time with white accents, a white collar, and white bows around her waist, highlighting how she does want to portray this perfect image of femininity, but she is also still youthful and optimistic. Yellow, a color that we will very quickly come to associate with Megan as she tends to favor it, represents how optimistic Megan is as a person and how enthusiastic and joyful she is, while also alluding to a little bit of her more naive, childlike view of the world.

[00:01:56]Once we arrive at True Directions is when we're introduced to Graham, our love interest. Graham is the complete opposite of Megan, which we learn very quickly. Megan chooses to promote this image of perfect femininity. Her hair always perfectly done up out of her face. Her outfit's always perfectly styled, perfectly buttoned, perfectly tucked, not a wrinkle in sight. Makeup, if any, very light and natural. Whereas Graham prefers to promote this more bad boy androgynous image with her dark, moodier makeup choices and her short B cut hairstyle that is basically always greasy. And while yes, they're all forced into uniforms that are pink and meant to reinforce certain feminine stereotypes associated with women, Ram chooses to always wear knee high socks and loafers, which for me personally reminds me a lot of this. She's just really reinforcing that she is a bit more masculine but still feminine with her makeup. Megan chooses to wear Mary Janes and roughly socks reminiscent of a little girl reinforcing that she is perfectly feminine. As the story progresses, we quickly learn both Megan and Graham's attitudes towards treatment. Megan is always very attentive, whereas Graham could not care less. Despite their very differing attitudes towards their time at True Directions, a very close bond begins to form between Graham and Megan. And one night, Graham decides, along with some of the other patients, to sneak out and go to a gay club. And initially when Megan finds out, she's like, "Cal me out now." But eventually caves because she wants to impress Graham. At the club, Megan strays from her more casual color palette of yellow and muted tones. And she's pictured in a dark purple t-shirt with a dark red cardigan and a darkened tone skirt. Still maintaining this image of femininity is so incredibly comfortable with while branching out into more bolder expressive colors as the purple in her shirt represents the power and confidence she wants to exude this night. While the dark red in her cardigan expresses the passion and love and crush she would begin to develop on Graham by the end of the scene. While Graham is pictured in a black men's button-up, not quite buttoned up all the way, but not revealing too much of anything, maintain this mysterious and dangerous vibe she wants to evolve while actually representing her darker fears about her identity and her ability to be free and love freely. Once they return to True Directions, we really see Megan and Graham's relationship start to bloom. We see Graham start to adopt certain aspects to her image that we would more expect to see from Megan. She gets cleaner here in this picture from one of the treatment montages, whatever. We see her hair brushed and significantly less greasy than normal.

[00:04:02]While she is still sitting properly for a young lady in a skirt, she maintains her more masculine androgynous vibe this way while still embracing neater aspects she associates with Megan and femininity. Eventually, after a lot of romantic tension builds, they have a midnight rendevous and someone snitches on them to marry the True Direction CEO.

[00:04:15]At which point, Mary decides that their midnight rendevous is enough to kick Megan out of True Directions, leaving Megan under the impression that Graham would also be kicked out. While Megan's waiting outside for Graham, she wears a brown pleated skirt and a yellow cardigan, reminiscent of one of her first looks in this movie, signaling her return to the world outside of True Directions and the reintroduction of yellow to Megan's wardrobe represent her hopes at the time for her future with Graham. And when Graham exits the house with her parents and Mary, this is the first time we get a completely unobstructed view of Graham's face. Her hair is neatly brushed back behind her ears, and she appears with no makeup for the first time. This is highlighting and showcasing a much more vulnerable side to Graham that we haven't previously seen as she's currently in the middle of an intensely emotionally vulnerable situation. When the audience and Megan find out that Graham is being allowed to stay at True Direction, it's honestly a little shocking. Throughout the film, it seems as though Mary favors Megan quite a bit more than Graham, as she already portrays this image of perfect femininity that is so important to portraying this image of a heterormative individual. Here in this montage scene earlier in the film, we see all of the girls lined up, all wearing green. The green is a big jump across the color wheel from the pink that the girls have been wearing. Green serves as representation of feminine fertility while also alluding to Mary's greed for them to succeed in becoming perfect straight women. Megan is seated closest to Mary because Mary views her as the one having the most potential to successfully become straight. Evident through proximity and two, the fact that her dress fits her perfectly and is something the viewer could realistically see the character picking out as a style and silhouette we come to expect from her. Whereas Graham is seated farthest from Mary representing the distance and how she views Graham as being the least likely to succeed. A vibe Graham is able to pick up on is well evident as she sits uncomfortably hunched over on the edge in a dress that doesn't fit quite right, evident by its bunching on her sleeves and around its neckline. By the end of the scene, we see Megan walking away from True Directions as she heads to Larry and Lloyd, a couple who escaped True Directions anti-gay propaganda.

[00:05:49]Eventually, after a while, Megan decides to try and get Ram to escape and leave True Directions with her so that they can live happily ever after. So, naturally, she pulls up to the True Direction graduation ceremony.

[00:05:57]Congratulations, you're all straight now. Megan is wearing a gray camo jumpsuit, literally doing everything in her power to blend in. A symbolic reference to conformity, while Graham is wearing a pink latex dress, which I can guarantee you is incredibly uncomfortable just in general. This dress is something the incredibly androgynous and mysterious Graham would never pick. But alas, Graham is forced to wear the exact same pink latex dress as the rest of the female graduate. The horrid fabric choice representing the uncomfortable and straight facade they are choosing to maintain and show the world while also referencing the queer community as latex historically has been a popular fabric choice among the nightlife and pride scene. When Megan finally sees Graham, she pulls her into a bush, says he tries to convince her to run away with her, at which point Graham's like, "Nah, it's hard, not scary." And Graham rejoins the rise of patience. At which point Megan gives up and begins to walk back before making the conscious decision to try and win Graham back anyway. At which point she changes into her orange pleated tear skirt and the matching orange top as she walks up to the ceremony and performs a tear professing she loves Graham. Also is giving Graham an ultimatum. Come live with me loud and proud or settle down with a man and wonder what if for the rest of your life. After her tear, Megan runs away from the ceremony back towards the getaway car aware of the fact that Graham is right behind her as they both climb to the bed of the truck and drive away to live happily ever after. Megan's hyper femininity in the beginning of the film highlights the image of the perfect straight daughter society expects her to be while also showcasing what Megan so desperately wants to be as she subconsciously suppresses her queer urges. The 1950s housewife aesthetic she adopts highlights her own and many others perception of what a perfect normal woman is. While Graham's initial image completely contrasts Megan as she embraces her queer identity and rebels against the heteronormative expectations of society. Yet by the end of the film, Megan reclaims her concept of femininity by wearing her tier uniform just like she used to as she decides to accept her queer identity as part of her femininity. Whereas Graham, who had grown to struggle with her identity, wears an incredibly uncomfortable and uncharacteristic latex dress before she decides to join Megan and live happily ever after after getting a glimpse into what her future as a straight woman would be. This movie tells a story of teenagers actively deciding to embrace their true identities, whether they're queer or straight, while the costume design in the story tells the viewer more about the character than the movie should allow for 85 minutes. In a cheerleader specifically, the costumeuming reveals the characters deeper problems and desires while also referencing many aspects of queer culture from playing with gender norms to referencing extravagant queer nightlife scene under the campy over the top nature people have come to expect from the queer community. This movie highlights the importance of costumeuming and how it can impactfully further the story when done right. I thank you for coming to my video essay.

[00:08:10]We out.