The Importance of Passing the Torch (Or the Flashlight)

Pitch Perfect 2 beautifully combines it’s feminist origins with a bolder statement, one of passing the flame, the torch, the flashlight onto the new generation. It also highlights the importance of collaboration and acknowledging ones own limitations, without losing sight of empowering the women in the film. In light of this (get it?) I’m going to run through a list of feminist moments in the film to elaborate why I believe this is a feminist movie for the new generation of young women (and the old).

The concept and introduction of the “legacy”.

I could discuss the importance of this nickname bestowed upon Freshman and new Bella recruit Emily within the film for the rest of my life. Pitch Perfect 2 introduces the importance of establishing a movement, a chain, a legacy in which women can thrive. They acknowledge their predecessors in their final performance and the film ends with Emily continuing the Bella tradition. The concept of “passing the torch” or “throwing down the ladder” is something extremely close to my heart, because within feminism we aren’t just talking about empowering ourselves, but also others and especially the next generation. It is so important to understand where we have come from and who has worked hard to get us there and to continue to help and empower each other in whatever we do.
Without this feminism becomes a futile quest in which we seek to compete with our sisters instead of helping them, joining them, and standing in solidarity with them and ensuring that they are offered every single goddamn opportunity and privilege that we have been so lucky to enjoy. What we need is for women and young women to see each other not as competitors for male affection or popularity, but as sources of knowledge, wisdom, and encouragement.
When Emily is introduced into the film it is at a time of disharmony within the Bella’s, particularly Chloe and Beca. Immediately I began to believe that Emily would become Beca’s enemy and a “threat” to her place within the Bella’s since she was portrayed in a similar manner and had her own unique talent to bring to the group. I was so happy that this wasn’t the case and that it wasn’t even hinted at. God bless this movie.

The collaboration of new and old.

This is very similar to the first title in that Pitch Perfect 2 establishes the importance of understanding your own limitations and seeking others (particularly other women) to help you in the achievement of your own goals. This is most prevalent when veteran Beca collaborates with newbie Emily on a single (“Flashlight”) combining Beca’s talent for music production and Emily’s passion for creating original work. When doing this both characters acknowledge how inspiring they find the other person and (this is the important part) instead of envying the other person they join together with them and create something beautiful.
Throughout the film this theme is reinforced with the concept of the “legacy” and the introduction of the Barden Bella Alumnis in the final performance scene and in particular the sub-plot of Snoop Dogg’s Christmas album, which is created by mixing “traditional” songs together using “modern” technology to create something unique.

The importance of harmony.

Again, these are all in a similar vain, but… The concept of harmony is a key motif within this film. We see this mostly through the disharmony within the Bella’s because of their differences, most notably that Beca wants to move on from collegiate acapella and Chloe is struggling with this and is instead deliberately holding herself back because she is afraid of change. Of course within a group of young women this big there will be dischord and disharmony, but it isn’t until they finally honestly and openly acknowledge their different paths in life and how their differences aren’t a bad thing that they finally come together once again.
It is important within feminism and within life not to stay attached to something because you’re used to it, but we need to learn to embrace change in life and in attitudes, otherwise (like Chloe) we will remain stuck behind. Ultimately until we acknowledge that all women and all feminists come from different backgrounds and are heading down different paths with conflicting ideas about how they conduct their lives and their feminism then our movement will become stuck and left behind and most importantly disharmonious. This should be avoided at all costs.

And of course the last performance used the song “Who Run The World (Girls)”. What more can I say?