Happy Wicked week to all who celebrate.

After 20 years on Broadway, the iconic prequel to The Wizard of Oz is heading to the big screen. 

I’m feeling super normal about it. (I cried when I saw the trailer for the first time.) 

It is my opinion that Wicked is a masterpiece. An incredible story of wonder, magic, belonging, friendship and love.

Not to mention it boasts one of the greatest soundtracks there has simply ever been. 

There’s one particular song I couldn’t wait to share with you and if you know much about Wicked, it’s potentially not the one you’re thinking it might be.

(Defying Gravity is a banger for real, though.)

Track 7 is called Popular. And for spoiler-free context, Glinda sings it to Elphaba as she is petitioning to give her a makeover. 

Elphaba’s got a big reputation for being wicked and green skin. Truly a hard visual to overcome. 

Now Glinda has some character flaws herself but I’ll give it to her - she’s cute and she’s spunky.

Being cute means literally nothing. But how you present yourself actually means a lot, whether you want it to or not. 

In Popular, Glinda sings:

“When I see depressing creatures with unprepossessing features

I remind them on their own behalf to think of

Celebrated heads of state or especially great communicators

Did they have brains or knowledge?

Don’t make me laugh! They were popular! It’s all about popular.

It’s not about aptitude, it’s the way you’re viewed.”

These lyrics are actually so funny, just as they were written to be.

The “celebrated heads of state and especially great communicators” that she speaks of probably had brains and knowledge too but like do we KNOW that?

My favorite part though, is: “It’s not about aptitude, it’s the way you’re viewed.”

Personally I wish that wasn’t true because my elementary school teachers said I had it and I wish that was enough.

Now I know Glinda is right… it’s not.

Popularity in the weird you-peaked-in-high-school way doesn’t matter at all, but how people perceive you actually kinda does.

Without all the baggage we’ve attached to the word, ‘popular’ really just means to be enjoyed by a particular person or group.

Coming off as an enjoyable person doesn’t have anything to do with whether you have those Alo crew socks or are the cheer captain. 

5 Simple Ways to Be Perceived as Popular in the Ways that Actually Matter:

#1. Smile

#2. Make Eye Contact 

#3. Practice Good Posture

#4. Be Thoughtfully Dressed

#5. Speak Slowly and Clearly

It’s so easy to think that we’re all verrrrry special, one-off cases. And while you ARE special, none of us are exceptions from the laws of human nature.

Elphaba was literally green… but she could’ve only done #1 and helped her case.  

In a study at Penn State, researchers found that less-attractive faces with smiles were rated as high as attractive faces without smiles.

The study’s conclusion was, not only will smiling instantly make you more attractive, appear more competent, and it will make people like you more. 

It’s giving popular.

If you’re not taking control of your image, someone else is. 

Smiling all the way to the box office on Friday, girls!

Xo, The Salesgirls 

Ps. Watch how this mom changed the lyrics for her daughter and… yes.