History WesternAnimation / Braceface

The series lasted from June, 2001 to August 2005. A total of 78 episodes in roughly three seasons. Only the first two aired in the US starting on [[Creator/{{Freeform}} ABC Family]] (though promoted during the dying days of Fox Family), [[ChannelHop then moving to]] Creator/DisneyChannel before being dropped.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: In "Vegging Out" Sharon becomes anemic due to a lack of iron and is forced to choose whether to stay vegetarian or not. First of all, no doctor treating someone with such a severe case would say "just eat meat" in order to get better. One would most likely supply their patient with iron supplement pills. Along with this, once someone becomes vegetarian their body eventually stops producing the enzymes needed to properly digest meat, so in Sharon's case eating an entire cheeseburger or hot dog (like she tried to do and what Cody tricked her to do) would make them violently ill.

* ChewOutFakeOut: In "Dissection Connection", after Sharon and Tally are caught freeing the live frogs in the pond and then get suspended for it, Helen reprimands Sharon for stealing school property. She then reveals that she's actually more furious at the school for refusing to respect Sharon's uncomfortableness with doing real frog dissections and didn't consider the alternatives she suggested to get the passing Biology grade (such as the computer program or a plastic frog model), so [[MamaBear she puts an angry phone call into the principal's office about it]]. By the end of the episode, the school decided that while they won't stop real dissections, they'll implement the alternatives for those uncomfortable with it starting with the next school year. [[RealityEnsues And Sharon still ends up suspended for stealing the frogs]].

* ChewOutFakeOut: In "Dissection Connection", after Sharon and Tally are caught freeing the live frogs in the pond and then get suspended for it, Helen reprimands Sharon for stealing school property. She then reveals that she's actually more furious at the school for refusing to respect Sharon's uncomfortableness with doing real frog dissections and didn't consider the alternatives she suggested to get the passing grade (such as the computer program or a fake plastic frog), so [[MamaBear she calls the principal to defend Sharon]]. By the end of the episode, the school decided that while they won't stop real dissections, they'll implement the alternatives for those uncomfortable with it starting with the next school year. [[RealityEnsues And Sharon still ends up suspended for stealing the frogs]].

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* FirstPeriodPanic: When Sharon starts menstruating, she passes out from the sight of the blood.

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Notably, it was the first time that a non-adult animated series averted this, with an episode focusing on Sharon getting her first period while on her first date with Alden. As you can imagine, it ended in embarrassment for both, not necessarily because it was her first period, but because she was unlucky enough to have painful menstrual cramps, leading Alden to think it was appendicitis and call 9-1-1. Then at the hospital, when the nurse mistakenly gives Alden a bag of sanitary napkins (thinking he's Sharon's brother), Sharon grabs it from him and causes them to fly all over the waiting room (one even falls in a man's glass of water, absorbing all its content). Played with because, while she's embarrassed by Alden and her brothers finding out (it is Josh, her ''younger'' brother, who quite loudly tells their mom), and by her mom making a big deal about how she's "a woman now", it's said quite clearly her mom had told her in detail about menstruation and that it was going to happen sooner rather than later (she was just taken unaware by her cramps). Slightly inverted with her mom, as when Sharon protests, her mom begins to insist on it being a big deal, but she quickly backs off, remembering that to a girl Sharon's age it is a ''very'' personal and private matter.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: There was an episode where Sharon accidentally stumbled upon a pornographic website.
* HarmfulToMinors: In "Mommy Nearest" when Sharon accidentally comes across a pornographic website she covers ''her cat's'' eyes.
** Later when Sharon's mom looks through her browsing history she puts a parental lock on the internet.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: Sharon's grandpa in "Grey Matters", who believes in racist stereotypes and tells racist jokes around Sharon's friends, although he doesn't that know he's offending anyone and is clearly a NiceGuy with no ill-intentions. It's stated later in the episode that his beliefs are simply out of ignorance rather than malice.

* BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill: Subverted; Sharon got off relatively easy with her braces despite the side effects they bring.

* BuxomIsBetter: The episode "Busted" subvert this. After an initial thrill at all the extra attention her new fuller figure is receiving, Sharon learns that her more mature look comes with its own unique set of problems, such as attracting the "wrong" guys.

* LimitedWardrobe: Subverted; They have different outfits for the summer and winter and their outfits changed after the first season, but otherwise they wear the same clothes.

* OfficialCouple: Sharon and Alden. They're both so obviously attracted to each other that the show surprisingly subverts the LastMinuteHookup trope and gets them together midway through the first season. [[spoiler: Then they have a SecondActBreakup and have a LastMinuteHookup ''anyway'', subverting the subversion.]]

* TwoGirlsAndAGuy: The main trio Sharon, Maria and Connor. Subverted later with Connor less focused and Alyson enter in the group.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The episode "Busted" is about Sharon getting a bra that enhances her breasts. Unsurprisingly, the episode was skipped in the U.S. and some other countries.
** There was an episode where Sharon accidently stumbled upon a pornographic website.

* CanadaEh: Averted--while the show is technically a Canadian series that takes place in Canada (somewhere in British Columbia), it doesn't really feature any of the traditional stereotypes. In fact, it can be easy for viewers to think that the show takes place in Elkford unless someone on the show says or does something to prove otherwise (such as the way they spell/pronounce certain words or the currency they use).

* GRatedDrug: Averted; Sharon is shown smoking and getting drunk on two different occasions.

* PopularIsDumb: Averted with Nina, who's not only the most popular girl in her grade, but is also one of the top students.

%%* BlackBestFriend: Brock to Alden.

* CanadaEh: Averted--while the show is technically a Canadian series that takes place in Canada (somewhere in British Columbia), it doesn't really feature any of the traditional stereotypes. In fact, it can be easy for viewers to think that the show takes place in the United States unless someone on the show says or does something to prove otherwise (such as the way they spell/pronounce certain words or the currency they use).

* LimitedWardrobe: Subverted; They have different outfits for the summer and winter and their outfits changed after season 1, but otherwise they wear the same clothes.

* TokenMinorityCouple: Brock (only black character) and Maria (half-Asian and half-Italian).

An animated Canadian show produced by Alicia Silverstone (who also voices the main character for the first two seasons). The show follow the exploits of Sharon Spitz, an average eighth grader (later ninth grader when she starts high school) who at the start of the series is forced to get braces for her teeth. Typical of teenage life, she worries about how this will affect her usual status amongst her peers as she goes through her daily life.

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!!''Braceface'' Provides Examples Of:

-> Teenage!
-> I'll work it out in the end!
-> Braceface!

-> Braceface! ''(My life is complicated)''
-> Boyfriend! ''(Don't Wanna Talk About It)''

--> '''Theme Song'''

* CanadaEh: Averted--while the show is technically a Canadian series that takes place in Canada (somewhere in British Columbia), it doesn't really feature any of the traditional stereotypes. In fact, it can be easy for viewers to think that the show takes place in the United States unless someone on the show says or does something to prove otherwise (such as the way they spell and/or pronounce certain words).

* GetBackInTheCloset: Dion, an openly gay character, is sometimes thought to be a reason that the third season of Braceface didn't air in the US, though it's never been confirmed.

* GetBackInTheCloset: Dion, an openly gay character, was one of the reasons the third season of Braceface didn't air in the US.

* BuxomIsBetter: The episode "Busted" subvert this. After an initial thrill at all the extra attention her new fuller figure is receiving, Sharon discovers that her more mature look comes with its own unique set of problems as attracting the "wrong" guys.
* CanadaEh: Averted--the show is a Canadian series that takes in Canada (somewhere in British Columbia), but doesn't feature of the traditional stereotypes. In fact, it's probably easy for viewers to think it takes place in the United States rather than Canada.

* ConvenienceStoreGiftShopping: In the Christmas episode, Nina gives Sharon a large gift basket for her Secret Santa gift. Inside it is little bottles of hotel room shampoo, a car calendar (her dad owns a dealership) and a little blue kitten toy [[spoiler:which turns out to be the thing Maria gave to Nina for Secret Santa last year]].

* CrazyCatLady: Subverted with Miranda in "23's a Crowd". She has 23 cats, but she's not crazy. Just lonely and a little eccentric.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Nina's {{Alpha Bitch}}iness to Sharon was started when, while playing together at Nina's house, Nina saw that someone had decapitated all of Nina's beloved fashion dolls--Nina, despite never having any actual evidence to prove it, assumed Sharon was the one who did it and ultimately ended their friendship.[[spoiler: It's not until the third season that it's revealed that the true culprit behind it was a mean cousin of Nina's, who rather casually admits to it when she's visiting her cousin and her family.]]