I know a lot of people agree with this perspective, as I've seen threads online in defence of the blonde legend that is Sharpay Evans. However, this is not that take, this is my take. Plus, I've always been a Sharpay girl. ALWAYS. Gabriella has always annoyed me. But anyway, back to Sharpay vs Disney case.
Firstly, I don't blame Sharpay and Ryan for being appalled at Troy and Gabriella getting lead roles in the musical, when they haven't been in a single production before. Sharpay's life is the musical theatre department, and she's trained hard for this. Not only this, but Troy and Gabriella are late to the auditions, how unprofessional! They don't even seem that interested in the musical, and Troy and Gabriella (but mainly Troy) don't want to seem to commit much time to it because they're afraid of what their friends would think. Oh, and then Gabriella has stage fright- why on earth would you cast her as the main role? Sharpay and Ryan came to the audition with a song and entire dance routine prepared, showing dedication and commitment. Troy and Gabriella come late, do an audition after the final audition call, and steal Sharpay and Ryan's song and make it WORSE.
However, they get their callbacks and it infuriates me. The rest of the movie, Sharpay wants her role back, and rightfully so. I think this is the most evident in the final callback, when Gabriella and Troy once again come late to the final audition and Gabriella gets stage fright and refuses to sing. DESPITE THIS, DESPITE ALL OF THIS, they get the lead roles! It makes no sense! Sharpay and Ryan are ROBBED.
The literal disrespect for Sharpay is unbelievable
In the second movie, it's fair enough to say that Sharpay tries to ruin Gabriella and Troy's relationship a little bit. However, did she really? Sharpay was extremely generous in HSM2 and though she didn't hire them herself, she doesn't try to fire any of the Wildcats who have a job at the country club. All she tries to sabotage is their chances of performing at the country club's talent show, which to be fair, should only be allowed for guests. Do you know how hard it is to get a job? Sharpay PROMOTES Troy despite him not taking the job seriously! Sharpay's only request is that Troy spends time with her and sings a song with her, which he promises to do so. Yet, he still disappoints her when he only half-cares when he actually performs with her.
The literal disrespect for Sharpay throughout this movie is unbelievable. The Wildcats sing on the job, complain about their jobs to the boss and exploit their working privileges (for instance, when Troy and Gabriella use the pool for themselves.) Troy literally gets a promotion because of Sharpay, and refuses to sing with her for the ONE SONG she asks of him, because his friends can't perform too. Yeah, well, your friends didn't get a promotion on the basis that they would sing with Sharpay. In the end, Troy ends up not singing with Sharpay because Ryan changes the song last minute, and the Wildcats infiltrate the talent show, leaving Sharpay alone. Sharpay, the great sport that she is, gives Ryan an award at the end of the show, despite him literally sabotaging her song, ruining her winning streak. SHARPAY WAS DONE DIRTY, YET AGAIN.
Kelsi writes all the best songs for Troy and Gabriella- that isn't fair at all!
HSM3 is a mess for Sharpay. Her initial beliefs that Gabriella and Troy aren't committed to musical theatre are once again proved to be correct when initially they are hesitant and don't want to join their last school musical. Sharpay, the angel she is, suggests a one-woman show because she CARES. Now, this part boils my blood. Kelsi signs up everyone's names for the final show, and then Ms Darbus has the audacity to say that Troy is also in consideration for a Julliard scholarship, alongside Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi. WHY? He doesn't seem to care! Sharpay fears that her dream will be taken away from her because she knows that Kelsi writes all the best songs for Troy and Gabriella- that isn't fair at all!
Troy once again disrespects Sharpay because he's late to perform on stage, so the sound technicians don't know what do so and Shapray is humiliated on the stage singing "Even if we're miles apart" over and over again in the hope that Troy will finally answer his cue. However, Troy isn't there and his understudy called Jimmie fully ruins Sharpay's performance on-stage when he tries to harass her in front of the school.
As if this performance couldn't go worse for Sharpay, her British assistant decides that she will be Sharpay in the performance, and Sharpay then fights for her right to perform on-stage. That was her last opportunity to perform, in front of Julliard recruiters! After all this, Kelsi and Ryan win the scholarships for Julliard (fair enough after Sharpay's performance), but it just isn't fair. Poor Sharpay has to go on stage and puts on a smile, saying she's going to the University of Alburquerque after her literal dreams are smashed.
So, to sum it up: She's betrayed by her teacher who relies on Sharpay within the musical theatre department, she's betrayed by her brother and Troy in HSM2, and then in HSM3 she's betrayed on stage by Jimmie and Tiara (her British assistant) in front of Julliard recruiters. Sharpay deserves justice. Sure she wasn't a saint, but did she really deserve all of this?