In one of the best female friendship movies out there, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants had four girls use a pair of vintage pants to further connect with each other as they embark on different adventures. But just like Carmen, Bridget, Tibby, and Lena question the magic of the pants, so do Jason Kelce and Blake Lively. While Kelce doesn’t believe the pants had an impact on the sisterhood, Lively has a different interpretation.
Way better than a simple letter, email, or phone call when you’re away, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants did a great job demonstrating that passing around an article of clothing can connect people when they’re far away. As it’s easy for friends to lose touch when they’re living their own lives away from each other, a pair of pants can remind them that their close bond must never be broken. According to the plot of the movie and the book it's based on, anyway!
Former NFL star Jason Kelce apparently didn’t see the magic of the vintage pair the way the film’s actress Blake Lively did. Here are the pair's differing opinions about the magical pants and if they needed to be there for the friendship film to work:
Jason Kelce Doesn’t See the Magic in the Pants
There's nothing quite like watching two football players talk about a female friendship movie about traveling pants keeping four friends closer together. Jason Kelce, the former center for the Philadelphia Eagles, spoke to his brother, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, about his film review as part of the New Heights Film Club podcast episode watching The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The millennial in me is shocked at the elder brother’s takeaway from the movie:
The pants didn’t really have much to do with the plot. I’m a little bit upset that the pants weren’t the storyline.
It seems like Jason Kelce was hoping the pants really were made of pixie dust that could unleash real supernatural magic on the sisterhood clan, or something along those lines. Or that the film would begin with a mystical origin story. Even if they weren’t a magical piece of clothing like the Invisibility Cloak or Hermione’s beaded bag in the Harry Potter movies, they still worked their magic in obvious ways like fitting them all perfectly despite the quartet being different body sizes. If that’s not magical, I don’t know what is.
Travis Kelce clearly got more out of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants than his older brother did. Jason still felt the use of the trousers was pointless until he recalled his wife, Kylie, setting him straight:
I didn’t feel like they did a damn thing. I was just like ‘Listen, you don’t need the pants.’ It was kinda just a reason for them to be in a club even though they had been friends. And then Kylie’s like ‘You idiot, it’s a symbol that their friends are always with them.’ And I was like ‘Oh, okay. That makes sense.’
Thank you, Kylie! The pants indeed act as a symbol. You can argue that they brought each of the girls a warm hug when their best friend couldn’t physically be there. They led the foursome to people who changed their lives like Carmen’s dad, Lena’s new boyfriend, Tibby’s new friend Bailey, and Bridget’s love interest at soccer camp. When each girl received the package, they felt better knowing it was sent by someone offering them the strength to get through hard times.
Jason Kelce jokingly said in his podcast that he was more fascinated that The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants introduced skinny jeans to audiences compared to anything else magical about them. Even though the Monday Night Countdown personality eventually got a sense of the pants’ magic, he was still hoping for more fantasy elements to come to the story:
I guess I kinda get the pants. I wanted the pants to be more of a major part of it. I wanted them to be like actually have magic in some way. And when they didn’t, and they were just a pair of like jeggings that fit everybody’s shape it was a little bit disappointing.
I feel like Jason Kelce could use a little rewatch to see what many of us see when watching The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Then again, it helps to have an understanding of the power of female friendships. By continuing the cycle of sending the magical pair of pants to each sisterhood member, they're reminded that their best friend cares and is there for them even as they go in different directions.
Blake Lively is One with the Power of the Pants
The Super Bowl LII winner can’t say The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants went over his head without an alum from the movie straightening him out. One of the film’s actresses, Blake Lively, said in her Instagram Stories what the article of clothing meant to her:
[Author Ann Brashares] used the pants as a tangible item to illustrate the sometimes inexplicable magic of the female bond. One that invisibly connects us, near or far.
The Gossip Girl actress also made sure to mention that the book’s author Ann Brashares told her and her co-stars that the magic pants were actually included after the young adult book was written. Because her debut novel was written around the time the Harry Potter books came out, she was told she needed a “magical element” in the mix to appeal to young adults. Whatever the reason, the book became a New York Times Bestseller and achieved many other awards.
I would argue that the magical pants were a great way for Blake Lively and her budding co-stars to stay connected long after the movies were done. The cast reunited to celebrate New Year’s Eve in 2018, getting cozy on the couch like no time has passed. The Sisterhood was also there for America Ferrera to celebrate her performance in Barbie. Ferrera loved reuniting with her “girls” and having this incredible friendship for the past two decades. My wish for a third movie is stronger than ever after Lively’s post, which you can view below:
After watching The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Jason Kelce wasn't exactly feeling the magic of the pants. But it’s a comfort to know after all of these years that Blake Lively still feels the magical presence of those blue jeans. Something tells me if Kelce was in charge of a potential third movie of the series, it would look like something you’d find in the best fantasy movies found on streaming. Let's keep the magic of friendship growing rather than shifting focus to supernatural elements, shall we?
Keep up with our 2024 movie releases so you can follow The Sisterhood on their upcoming projects. Make sure to watch and listen to Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast series New Heights with new episodes premiering every Wednesday.
