“I knew how this would be settled in the animal world. But this was girl world.” – Cady Heron, “Mean Girls”
It’s easy. Steal Regina George’s boyfriend, take her “hot” body, and make her friends hate her. Afterall, Regina did kiss your crush, Aaron Samuels, and he kissed her back. She always gets her way, but we’re going to change that this year, tomorrow. And this begins with step one: Be a mean girl.
In addition to the trends of low-rise pants and scene hair in the 2000s, was the movie, “Mean Girls” directed by Mark Waters. “Mean Girls” was released on April 30, 2004—and in Jan. 12, 2024, an upcoming Mean Girls musical will be premiered.
In the original “Mean Girls,” Cady Heron, played by Lindsey Lohan, sets foot into North Shore High School as the homeschooled girl from Africa and steps out as a member of the Plastics. This clique consists of three girls: Karen Smith, played by Amanda Seyfried, Gretchen Weiners, played by Lacey Chabert, and Regina George, played by Rachel McAdams. Regina George, the face of the Plastics, is the envied diamond of North Shore highwith a few sharp edges. She lies. She backstabs. She manipulates. Yet she is loved by everyone, with the exception of Janis Ian.
Janis Ian, played by Lizzy Caplan, is the reason why Cady is a Plastic. On behalf of her hatred for Regina, she created a plan to tear down her reign. And Cady is the star of this. Which means pink on Wednesdays, three-way phone calls, parties, and pretending to be a part of the Plastics.
Janis Ian, when you think about it, resembles Regina George in many ways. They both have a snappy personality and an intimidating impression—this makes sense as the two used to be best friends, although Regina lacks good intentions. However Janis and Damien, who is played by Daniel Franzese, was a duo I especially enjoyed, as they were the least problematic throughout the whole movie.
With Cady, the more she is influenced by Regina’s flawless face and fabricated lies, the more the line wavers between pretending and being a genuine Plastic: Cold, fake, and shiny.
Lindsay Lohan is certainly the perfect fit for Cady – at the beginning of the movie, I enjoyed Cady as the humble girl who was good at math and wore flannel. But as the movie progressed, her personality degraded to a prissy-like character, and she started to embody Regina George more and more.
This movie is dubbed a teen comedy, encouraged for ages 13+ as it involves some mature themes, although I do equally enjoy it as an underaged viewer. I could, and I have, binge watched this film many times, as the humor and plot always brings me back to it again—I recommend this to anyone who wants a good laugh from this iconic movie.
