Raise your hand if Mean Girls has personally impacted your life in some way?
You can’t see me, but I am very much raising my hand right now, and I’m pretty sure if you’re reading this, that you are too!
Mean Girls might be 12 years old this year, but it’s still as fresh and as funny today. I first saw Mean Girls for my birthday cinema trip when I was 13. As a girl in school, who knew their fair share of mean girls, it really resonated with me at the time, and over the years it has become a classic, easily standing alongside classics such as Clueless, as the chick-flicks which defined a certain generation. I love Mean Girls so much that my flatmate and I threw a Mean Girls themed party last year on October 3rd. It’s a film I can quote on an almost daily basis, and a film I will never get tired of!
As today is the annual ‘Mean Girls Day’, to commemorate that glorious occasion that Aaron Samuels asked Cady Heron what day it was, I thought what better time to celebrate all things pink and plastic. Here’s why Mean Girls is still totally fetch…
The Best Quotes
Well this one is an obvious one, and “boo, you whore” if you can’t appreciate the amazing quotes in Mean Girls! We’ll never “stop trying to make fetch happen”, because “that’s just like the rules of feminism!”. Sorry, moving on, it’s hard to think of a teen movie/chick flick from the last decade or so that is as quotable as this one, and I guarantee every 20-something will have a stock of Mean Girls quotes to use as the moment sees fit. There’s no limit to how many times you can quote it, because after all “the limit does not exist!”
Regina George
“How do I even begin to explain Regina George?” Mean Girls gave us one of the most iconic characters ever, as the mean girl we loved to hate! Most importantly, it introduced us to the incredible Rachel McAdams. Where she could’ve continued down the teen comedy avenue (like a certain Miss Lohan), McAdams actually went on to have a pretty great career, even picking up an Oscar nomination in 2015 for Spotlight. Soon appearing in the MCU with a starring role in Doctor Strange, it seems things are only on the up, and we have Mean Girls to thank!
SNL Alumni + New talent = Great success!
The “adult” cast members reads like a who’s who of previous SNL-ers, with appearances from Tina Fey (who also wrote the screenplay), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer and Amy Poehler. With this high calibre comedy cast, we also have the new shining stars, most notably Amanda Seyfried who plays Karen, and Rachel McAdams. I’ve already talked about McAdams but this movie also helped to elevate Seyfried’s career, landing her roles in films such as Mamma Mia! and Les Miserables, where she showcased her singing talent as well as her acting. At risk of being a bit-part, Lizzy Caplan as Janis Ian also went on to great things appearing in Cloverfield and this year’s Now You See Me 2. The entire cast are great in Mean Girls, with even the side characters having a moment to shine and a memorable quote to their name, and it mixes the old and new perfectly!
So much more than a chick flick!
I know I’ve referred to it as a chick flick previously in this post, but Mean Girls is anything but a “girly” film, despite the title leading you to believe this. Sure, it might resonate more if you’re a girl, but there’s so many great characters, and it’s pitched at exactly the right level so that whatever age you are, whatever gender you are, you’ll be able to find one character or situation you can relate to. Pretty much everyone who has ever been to school and dealt with bullies or cliques will be able to relate to this film, and it is due to it’s mass appeal that Mean Girls has the longevity it does. It really is hard to believe that it is 12 years old; it hasn’t aged at all, and to be honest I’m not sure it ever will!
Part of Mean Girls mass appeal is that it is just so damn funny. I watched this with someone who was a complete cynic beforehand, and even they couldn’t help but laugh at “SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE!” Fact is, Mean Girls will wear you down eventually, and as much as you try to resist, you’ll end up laughing…and you won’t even feel ashamed about this!
Some valuable life lessons!
No, really! We see Lohan’s character go through the ups and downs and complicated relationships of High School, but eventually she learns an incredibly valuable lesson. Mean Girls has a lot to say really about how we, and in particular girls, relate to each other, and to be honest, “you girls have GOT to stop calling each other sluts and whores!” will always be a great thing to remember. Cady’s epiphany is particularly telling, and it’s great to see a film like this have such a great message in the end.
Do you love Mean Girls? Share your thoughts or maybe just a favourite quote in the comments below!
Sarah Saw a Movie 
Who doesn’t love this classic? I don’t care if it’s a guilty pleasure, it’s funny and twisted in equal measure. Plus, the moment when the principal takes out the baseball bat is one of the most epic moments in the history of high school comedies.
Mean Girls is so quotable you could have a ten minute conversation just with lines from the film. It’s the kind of chick flick guys can enjoy just as much as girls.
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Love this! Also there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure, you do you, and feel NO SHAME!! 🙂
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Mean Girls is so witty that even if Lindsay Lohan hadn’t been turned down in favour of Ellen Page for Juno, Mean Girls would still be the more popular movie.
Although this lends itself to another thought: Ellen was chosen to be the lead of Drag Me to Hell because of Juno; which means that we might have seen Lindsay as the star had fate played out differently.
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It’s such a fantastic film! I never get tired of it 🙂
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