Everyone remembers growing up, when Disney Channel seemed to put out a new incredible movie every six months, and now those same movies have become a defining part of many people’s childhoods. I know for girls everywhere, “The Cheetah Girls” was ranked as one of the best. Between the incredible songs, the crazy situations they maneuvered through and their serious fierceness, these movies will go down in time as some of my forever favorites. In a brief list, here are some of the reasons that The Cheetah Girls will always hold that spot in our hearts.

1. The music

I’m sorry, if you grew up watching The Cheetah Girls and don’t still know all the lyrics, you’re doing something horribly wrong. These movies had the ultimate soundtracks, filled with multiple hit songs and awesome dance routines. And let’s not forget all the girl power anthems. Sing alongs to “Cinderella” are still very much a thing amongst your friends to this day and a Cheetah Girls song or two is a crucial way to round out the perfect throwbacks playlist. (Don’t get me started on the Christmas album, pure holiday perfection.)

2. The outfits

Obviously the Cheetah Girls were known for being fierce. This was exemplified in all of their outfits, whether it was their sick matching velour tracksuits in the first movie, or their incredible Spanish and Indian costumes in the following two. I was always awe inspired with the way they were able to work cheetah print into every single outfit in a different way.

3. The relatable aspects

I’m not saying a group of girls at a performing arts high school becoming pop stars was necessarily relatable to everyone, but the idea that they made themselves into a known group from the bottom up was awe inspiring to 8 year olds everywhere. They laughed, cried, fought and made up just like any real life friends did (even if they did break out in song in the middle). There was family drama, boy drama and performing drama, and together they got through it all. I can definitely say that I thought that if I worked hard enough, I could make it big performing too, since they seemed so normal. What nobody told me was that my dancing abilities were, and still are, very subpar. I think Galleria’s mom was much more honest than my mom was with me.

4. The message

Of all the Disney movies, The Cheetah Girls delivered one of the most meaningful messages to young girls. They valued the importance of working hard, teamwork and above all, friendship. They totally promoted the girl power that was lacking in many children’s movies of the time, and it was awesome to watch how they were able to work through all of the differences they had. There was also an emphasis on diversity in all of the films, giving the movie appeal to a wide number of girls. It may sound stupid to give the movie so much credit, but The Cheetah Girls was a model of how a friendship should be, and for that reason it’s a movie that I would still show girls today. Let's be real, we all want to have "amigas, cheetahs, friends for life."