When a team, generally young women, pose in a distinctive style in the midst of battle. It looks pretty good on camera and it conveys teamwork. The general appearance is usually dependent on a symmetrical three-person shape, the two on the outside have their body positions turned away from the center person. A silhouette is optional. But there is also a two-person variation of them standing back to back. Often done in a montage.
No actual firearms are (usually) involved though.
Originated by the famous poses of Charlie's Angels.
It is often used as a Stock Parody. Compare the "Super Sentai" Stance and Back-to-Back Badasses.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- At the end of most Title Sequences of Gantz (starting with episode 6), Kurono, Masaru and Kishimoto strike this pose.
- Mazinger Angels is a Mazinger universe Crossover that spoofs the Charlie's Angels series. Sayaka from Mazinger Z, Jun from Great Mazinger and Hikaru from UFO Robo Grendizer make the pose on the very first page.
- This was one of the eyecatches of the anime series Miami Guns.
- Naturally, in Dirty Pair, the Lovely Angels do this too.
- Bleach's tenth Title Sequence — the one with the song "Shojo S" by Scandal — has this featuring Rukia, Orihime, and Rangiku. Actually played perfectly straight, without a hint of parody or humor.
- This apparently official Gainax piece of art◊, for Neon Genesis Evangelion has their Humongous Mecha strike the pose, armed with building-sized guns and blades.
- Moka, Kokoa, and Rubi do it in Rosario + Vampire.
- Three girls from Hayate the Combat Butler do one when explaining to Hayate that they're the class officers.
Fan Works
- Parodied by The Ember Island Players in Avatar: The Last Airbender, as an homage to the Ozai's Angels.
Films — Animation
- In Shrek the Third, Princess Fiona (with the voice of Cameron Diaz) and some other princesses adopt the pose.
- In Hop, the Pink Berets are a trio of female rabbit ninjas charged with retrieving the Easter Bunny's renegade son. They adopt this pose◊ on a mansion's rooftop, which casts a very Charlie's Angels-like shadow onto a couch. But instead of handguns, the Pink Berets have GPS trackers and blowgun tubes with Instant Sedation darts.
- The opening title sequence of Beavis and Butt-Head Do America parodies this and every other 70's cop show. Beavis states in an interview that it's because the '70s are the last time Mike Judge got laid.
- In Turning Red, three of Mei's aunts strike this kind of pose right after they transform into giant red pandas.
Films — Live-Action
- Charlie's Angels (2000) obviously had one◊, though without the guns.
- Parodied in Wrongfully Accused when a trio of FBI agents enter a room. Only one was female.
- The Girls From Thunder Strip poster◊. Probably the only version with a gaff hook.
- Humorously parodied in Scary Movie 2.
- In Mamma Mia!, silhouetted cutouts of Donna and her bandmates abruptly pop up in a Charlie's Angels pose against the sparkling, nighttime ocean backdrop right before delivering an encore performance of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" during the end credits.
- In Midway to Heaven, Kate, Liz, and Ned assume this pose in the home video.
Live-Action TV
- On Whose Line Is It Anyway?, this happens during any game of Film, TV, and Theater Styles where Charlie's Angels is one of the styles. Done unintentionally when Robin Williams was on as a guest.
- It was done in at least one episode of That '70s Show which of course actually had Tanya Roberts who was one of the Angels on it.
- The title sequence for Funky Squad, an Affectionate Parody of 70's cop shows.
- In the Flight of the Conchords second-season episode "Prime Minister", the Prime Minister of New Zealand wants a photo like this with a Barack Obama impersonator (who he thought was actually Obama).
- The late '70s The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries TV show's third season opening featured a silhouette of Frank & Joe Hardy in action.
- MAT in the opening credits to Return of Ultraman, which predates Charlie's Angels.
- The Big Bang Theory: In "The Bakersfield Expedition", the guys are dressed up as characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation and organize a photo shoot. One of the photo is in this stock pose◊, which was invoked by Raj's calling Charlie's Angels.
- And this◊ is the DVD cover for season 5.
- And this
- The presenters of Top Gear (UK) in the Title Sequence for The Intercepters, a non-existent Seventies action show.
- The three female stars of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. strike the pose (while saying "Yes, Charlie!") during the show's Season 1 gag reel.
- When Carrie Fisher appeared on panel game show QI with British comedians Bill Bailey and Jimmy Carr, they were told to stand in the corner, and they did it like this.
- Crime comedy Danger Theatre had a regular segment called Tropical Punch (a parody of Hawaii Five-O starring Adam West) with an opening sequence that ended like this.◊
- UK 1990's late night programme The Girlie Show had this◊ in its titles.
- Legends of Tomorrow had Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), Ava Sharpe (Jes Macallan), and Gideon (Amy Pemberton) pose for this◊ publicity pic. In the episode "Legends of To-Meow-Meow", they get a whole Angels pastiche title sequence in the Alternate Timeline where the male Legends all died and they became the Sirens of Spacetime.
- The Last Detective: This◊ is the cover of the DVD box set.
- On Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in April 2024, there was an item about an old man who has posed for thousands of stock photographs, and John invited him onto the show. The episode ended with them both posing for photos shown in the end credits, including this and this.
- An episode of Saturday Night Live in May 2019 had a sketch called "Judge Court" featuring Emma Thompson, Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon as three judges who adopt the pose with their gavels.
- In April 2024, an SNL sketch about a fictional French 1970's music show called "La Maison Du Bang" had a dance routine with Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman and some backing dancers ended like this.
- In April 2024, an SNL sketch about a fictional French 1970's music show called "La Maison Du Bang" had a dance routine with Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman and some backing dancers ended like this.
- Riverdale had a season 4 musical episode with songs from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This◊ is how the cast posed to illustrate a line about Farrah Fawcett.
- Chuck: Sarah and her ex-workmates in the CIA's Clandestine Attack Team could not be more like Charlie's Angels if they tried. And they did try, at least in their imaginary opening titles.
- A Season 3 episode of Hell's Kitchen has the women's team pose like this as part of a photoshoot.
Music
- Destiny's Child did this a lot when performing their smash hit "Independent Woman (Part I)". Makes sense, considering that it was the theme song for the Charlie's Angels (2000) film reboot, and they even strike the pose in the music video.
- Guelph, Ontario based indie folk rock band Corduroy Leda did this on one of their album covers.
- K-Pop girl band Laboum's video for Shooting Love is made of this trope.
- The Spice Girls adopted the pose in one of their early photoshoots.
- Haim appeared to briefly adopt the pose in silhouette in the video for "If I Could Change Your Mind", but really they are just clapping◊.
Tabletop Games
- Spelljammer boxed set cover. With a mindflayer.
Video Games
- Final Fantasy:
- Yuna, Rikku, and Paine from Final Fantasy X-2 like to do this a lot.
- In Final Fantasy XIII, the entire party will strike a pose any time they do a Paradigm Shift, even if it means opening themselves to attack.
- The default art for Granblue Fantasy's battle-hardened maids, Dorothy and Claudia, features them in a two-woman version of this pose. It changes to a shot of them alongside their master when upgraded enough.
- The standard pose for Commander Shepard's squad when bursting through a door in Mass Effect 2. Though it is entirely possible that the squad can consist of young men, or can be of mixed genders, or can include a nine-hundred year old woman who looks like a young woman.
- Used by Max the Robot Dog, Dr. Hawkins, and Kurt Hectic in the video game MDK2, specifically on the cover of the manual. MDK2 also has a version that must be seen to be believed. You can find it on page 5 of the manual
- Male example in Mega Man X8. The Weapon Get screen shows X, Zero and Axl posing this way after each one demonstrates the weapon they obtained from the Maverick boss (their positions vary depending on who you're playing as).
- No One Lives Forever has a trio of girls who we could name as "Angels of Charlie of Evil".
- A mildly disturbing version in Ratchet & Clank, with a trio of Blarg commandos.
- Dante, Trish, and Lady do this in the secret ending of Devil May Cry 4.
- Even Pokémon Mystery Dungeon has to get in on the fun.◊
- Kitana's arcade ladder ending in Mortal Kombat 9. Silhouettes and all.
- Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan: The cover of the game has the Medic, Landsknecht, and Fortress (all female) in the forefront striking such a pose.
- In Warriors Orochi 3, all members of your battle party will strike an Ass Kicking Pose together after completing a Triple Musou Attack.
Web Comics
- Used in strip #239 of The Order of the Stick. Note that only Haley (right, with the bow) is the only one of the three who is really a woman — Roy (center) was temporarily female at the time due to a Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity, and Vaarsuvius's gender is unclear at best.
- "Charlie's Archons" in Erfworld strike variations on the Angels Pose when they first appear and when they first show their combat abilities.
- M.Organ Art (NSFW) did it with the D.U.S.T. Bunnies.
- Rusty and Co. does it with its trio of Monster Adventurers.
- Platypus Comix had a temporary banner◊ with Mulberry Sharona, Shroomy, and Princess Pi striking this pose.
- Magick Chicks has Melissa and her coven starting their first day in the new school with the Glam Entrance! And the next time they expected to be seen by the boys, a downright "weaponized" variant immediately occurs.
- Vampire Cheerleaders did it all five in the strip named "The Gang is All Here."
- Kirk, Spock, and McCoy do one in Planet of Hats' recap of the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "Once Upon a Planet".
Web Original
- Most any picture on the Internet featuring multiple (non-model) girls with guns. Though, these usually feature all the chicks in the picture brandishing some sort of firearm.
- Or, for that matter, just about any picture of two or three women under the age of thirty on any social network; guns are generally faked with their hands.
- The logo of the British parenting website Mumsnet parodies this pose with three women holding babies.
Western Animation
- American Dad!: In the "Cops and Roger" episode, Roger has an Imagine Spot of what it would be like to be a police officer, ending with this. Of course, he blows up the kitchen to recreate the fiery background.
Roger: Had to blow up the kitchen, Frannie. It goes real well with this thing I'm imagining.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Parodied in the episode "Ember Island Players". In the fandom, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee garnered the Fan Nickname Ozai's Angels, due to being somewhat similar to their namesake. In this Self-Parody episode, their actor versions strike this pose after having successfully conquered the Earth Kingdom.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold. In "The Mask of Matches Malone!", Catwoman, Black Canary and Huntress are sneaking into the Iceberg Lounge. Unfortunately in the darkness they wander onto the stage and are revealed to half the criminal community of Gotham when the curtain draws back and they're pinned under a Dramatic Spotlight in an Angels Pose. Catwoman then has them pose as the entertainment with a Birds of Prey Bragging Theme Tune.
- Codename: Kids Next Door: The title logo is a clear parody of the Charlie's Angels one. Its intro animation actually shows them jumping into the logo one by one. This logo was then parodied in the book Fat Camp Commandos.
- Daria: One episode that pays homage to detective shows from the '70s has Quinn, Sandi, and Stacy posing as the Angels.
- Dexter's Laboratory gave us G.I.R.L. Squad, with an opening montage ending in one of these.
- LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales has this billboard on the battledroid factory planet.
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The show does this for a brief moment in a spy-themed episode with Minnie, Daisy, and uh... Mickey.
- In the Phineas and Ferb episode "Phineas and Ferb-Busters!", Candace does this with her friends Jenny and Stacy after putting them through a Training Montage.
- The 90's chapters of Secret Squirrel used it on the opening credits of one episode.
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast used the pose in their episode parodying detective series of the 1970s. Animator C. Martin Croker said he drew Zorak's silhouette to look as though he was explaining directions to someone rather than preparing a karate chop.
- Steven Universe: Promotional art for the episode "Secret Team" has Amethyst, Steven, and Pearl doing this pose.
- Totally Spies!: Done at one point in the original opening theme.
- Winx Club: Due to having to complete the Sirenix Quest on top of their normal duties, the eponymous six-woman team starts splitting in half in nearly every episode of the fifth season. This leads to at least one of the three-woman cells needing to transform into their fairy forms, for which they pose like this. They can be all standing or have two of them crouched, but they are always making some sort of gesture with their arms. In general, the trios' poses tend to be more symmetrical than the team's "Super Sentai" Stance.
- X-Men: Evolution: In the "Bayville Sirens" episode, though it's hard to catch as it only appears on a television screen for a few moments.
