Having a Mean Girl in high school is a universal experience. But one like Regina George? We don’t see them every generation.
If there’s one thing Mean Girls got right, it’s the actual dynamic of a popular girls group. Some movies take the concept of a mean girl, and they actually write them to be overly mean. They’re oftentimes entitled, disrespectful, and hurtful toward others. And their only motivation is that they are prettier and feel superior; so naturally, that gives them the right to treat everybody in whatever way they want. For example, think about Sharpay in High School Musical. We still love her, but we have to admit that she doesn’t have much depth in the first movie.
Mean Girls does it differently, and better. The Plastics are exclusive, yes, but they don’t explicitly antagonize the other students. They have privileges, and they know how to use them right. Everybody admires them for their beauty and their fashion sense, and they are actually nice to people most of the time. That’s the key part. When in public, the Plastics tend to be polite and friendly, and that is what makes everybody love them. Beauty and kindness are a lethal combination. The first time we meet them, Regina even stands up for Cady and gives her compliments.
We see them being nice to teachers and students, and everybody adores them. We know they’re supposed to be mean, but we only see that in the private moments. It is through Janice’s eyes that we hear the truth about the Plastics’ personalities and how treacherous Regina can be. Later on, we see her being conniving and manipulative, as she’s giving compliments up front and criticizing behind people’s backs, setting Cady up to look bad and making her own friends feel inferior. All while she keeps her tone of voice soft and her smile plastered on her face.
It’s a masterclass in manipulation, and that’s usually how powerful people work. They are nice to your face, and mean behind your back. That’s also why no one can face her or hold her accountable for anything. She has so much control over the situation that anyone who dares to contradict her looks crazy. Not bad at all for a movie with terrible cinematography. Not everything can be a win.
We could keep talking about the writing of Mean Girls, Cady’s perspective, Regina’s downfall, and a lot more. But for now, let’s just appreciate the amazing memes it gave us.
