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The Theater Kid Trope and How Glee’s Rachel Made it Toxic

There are few characters who’ve become as divisive in recent years as Rachel Berry, Glee’s high-strung protagonist with a voice of gold and a fiery passion for musical theatre. The particular high-school trope she embodies is that of the theatre kid: a zealous, type-A musical theatre devotee and fixture at the bottom of the high-school social ladder. Meanwhile the theater kid community on TikTok is growing as a supportive, inclusive space for people to share their creativity and find others with a shared passion for this space. So where does that leave the legacy of Glee and other cutthroat wanna-be divas before Rachel?

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Delving into the world of Black characters, Black stories, Black musicians, and Black creators, the Black Voices Series looks at everything from Get Out to Lizzo to Ava DuVernay.

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Who is the Cool Girl, the Woman-Child, the Nice Guy? Why do we love Bad Boys, Mean Girls, and Femme Fatales? All The Tropes examines some of pop culture’s most common archetypes and narratives, from the Geek to the Strong Black Woman to the Girl Next Door, to better understand the kinds of stories we tell.

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