Zip-a-KNEE-do-dah? In the wake of Olivia Rodrigo’s latest music video, “Good 4 U”, a new phenomenon seems to have arisen. Well, it’s more like fans have finally put a name to something in Disney canon that’s a tale as old as time: the pop star stance known as “Disney’s knees.”
“Someone said ‘Disney Knees’ so I had to do my research,” a fan wrote on Twitter, sharing screenshots of Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Hilary Duff all using a pose similar: collapsed at the knees as they dramatically crown their respective tracks.
Other Disney stars who have definitely taken the position at one point or another during their days at Hollywood Records? Think of Ashley Tisdale, Aly & AJ and Selena Gomez, when the latter faced Selena Gomez and the stage.
Another Twitter user wrote: “I’ve seen Twitter refer to it like ‘Disney Knees’ or ‘Disknees’ today and now I see it EVERYWHERE” – and it’s true. Once you notice the iconic movement, you can’t see it. It’s everywhere, from Demi releasing “This Is Me” in the 2008 Camp Rock finale to Miley making her way through the “7 Things” music video.
And while most of the fan-cited examples revolve around female Disney stars, it’s worth noting that Joe Jonas has almost certainly made “Disney knees” at least once or twice in his career with the Jonas Brothers. (Someone is giving the Camp Rock movies another frenzy and looking for Shane Gray’s skinny jeans, STAT!)
As you head into the week blasting High School Musical star’s latest bop: The Musical: The Series – in preparation for the release of her debut album, Sour – just keep in mind that, as one fan put it, “the legacy of Disney knees lives on.”
Check out many examples of Disney knees below.
