History of the “Mean Girl” Clique in Cinema
One of the most influential characters in modern cinema is the “Mean Girl,” with most teen movies featuring characters that adhere to this archetype. The conversation surrounding these characters reflects their complexity; should they be idealized or seen as a cautionary tale?
The most obvious reflection of this dynamic is in the classic 2004 film Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey and based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabes. This movie features the complex social hierarchies within high schools and has cemented itself as an iconic film. Its relevance continues today, and there have been multiple attempts to remake/remodel this film, with a musical and musical movie both reimagining this story. However, this trope of the high school female “queen bee” is not remotely original.
While the origins of this story have been debated, in cinema, the 1978 film Grease is considered to be one of the first iterations of this trend, feeding into the mass amounts of teenage-based films in the future. This film featured the sly and manipulative Pink Ladies, who played into social hierarchies and tormented other characters.
The 1988 film Heathers also served as one of, if not the most, influential films that was based on these themes. Heathers informed later movies such as Jawbreaker and Scream Queens, which all used a similar framework that started with Heathers.
Heathers features a dark element in which our protagonist, Veronica, tries to break down her high school hierarchy and ends up murdering multiple classmates with the help of her boyfriend, who is clearly sociopathic. The relationships between the four main female characters Heather Chandler, Heather McNamara, Heather Duke, and Veronica had never been done before on screen. Heathers centers around a commentary on high school as well as the complex relationships and power dynamics that contribute to the interactions of the main characters.
This film was incredibly controversial for the time and had mixed reactions upon release; however, it is now considered a “cult classic.” Heathers touched on taboo subjects like eating disorders, sexual assault, and suicide while using avant-garde storytelling topics to move the plot forward.
This film had incredibly quotable moments, including “how very” and “did you eat a brain tumor for lunch?”, and has been translated into other retellings, including a very successful musical.
This laid out the framework for its more successful and well-known successor, Mean Girls. This film is slightly more lighthearted and doesn’t engage with as many difficult topics; however, it is still very insightful in its overall messaging about relationships and popularity.
In Mean Girls, our protagonist, Cady, finds herself unsure of how to navigate the ever-evolving world of teen girls and the complex social dynamics within high school. She finds herself in the “Plastics” friend group, following every whim of our queen bee, Regina George.
However, with these teen flicks centering on female relationships, it is also important to identify some of the sexist traits associated with these characters. The “cat-fight” nature of female aggression that is portrayed in the media can be incredibly harmful and paint women in a certain way. The ditsy blonde characters, excessive slut-shaming, and sexualization of teens are all focal points of the genre.
Additionally, the notable “queen bees” are all penalized for their seemingly male characteristics. Heather Chandler is a leader, aggressive, and short-tempered, all stereotypically masculine traits. Regina George also carries these traits and is headstrong. So why are these characters so heavily judged, even though male characters engage in the same behaviors or exhibit the same characteristics? Their actions are obviously cruel, but why are they considered more wicked than their male counterparts?
This comes down to how women’s relationships are often dramatized or misinterpreted by male writers and directors. So, it’s important to understand how these stories contribute to broader gender stereotypes.
Overall, while the mean girl trope can be traced to the 1970s for its original inception in cinema, this idea goes far deeper and farther back. These movies include intricate themes and have become classics of their eras; it is also important to identify aspects that don’t align with our current values and play into sexist ideas.