how mean girls demonizes hyper-femininity
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มิ.ย. 2021
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okay i loved this video so much and it also reminded me that i desperately need to rewatch mean girls. as for the plastics vs janis, i feel like the people saying that janis also didn’t get to achieve her goal (destroying the plastics and taking the power for herself) are missing the point. both janis and the plastics clearly put a lot of effort into appearance (both wear heavy makeup, style their hair, wear earrings/hair clips/other accessories). the only difference is that the plastics’ style matches up w ideas of hyper femininity (pink, lip gloss, mini skirts, etc) while janice’s doesn’t. the movie ends w no one achieving their initial goals and everyone “learning their lesson,” but much of that is conveyed through the plastics taking up masculine hobbies (w regina becoming an athlete) and dressing in much more casual, modest clothing. janice’s appearance never changes bc the movie sees hyperfemininity itself as something vapid and negative that needs to be solved
my bff on point as per usual
You're absolutely right. Janis doesn't really show a growth and Regina has to take up a stereotypically masculine game to be considered 'good'.
But at the end I think that we should notice Janice's hair style. Her accessories are red("girly"). And Regina still does her hair in a girly way. But of course she's much more modest in her appearance
I have to disagree that this movie demonizes hyper-femininity. It’s more about the dark side of female interpersonal relationships, and the movie isn’t about protagonists or antagonists.
Not every sport though. And it makes a lot of sense anyways to channel anger or strong emotions in sport...
@@diamondminer5459 yes, however it still demonises hyper-femininity. Just because a film has a complex story hidden underneath does not mean it can not to portray stereotypically feminine ideals on only the villains of the story.
I truly do struggle to understand how things like this are so blatant in media and everyday life, yet people continue to try act like that it does not exist.
Regina could have taken up ballet, gymnastics, yoga,acrobatics, ice skating, or cooking(not a sport) as a way to release her anger as these are stereotypically feminine sports, hell, she could have gone and gotten massages or gone to a psychiatrist which is also something women stereotypically do because men ArE nOt EmOtInAL cREatUrEs.
The movie easily portrays girly as bad with expert subtlety.
The only example of a movie where a character who is bad but changes for the better in the end without throwing away their stereotypical feminine ideals is probably Cher in clueless, i would say legally blonde, but Elle is not a horrible person.
“Janis is a mirror to Regina” YES!!! Regina and Janis were once friends for a reason after all
I think when ppl say that Regina and Janis are the same, and that Janis should be punished too forget that Regina did messed up things to innocent people in her school, Janice only does it to Regina. It is silly to use Regina's awful methods against her but at the of the day Janice is not the same. Janice tried to take down a bad person in a questionable way but Regina did that to the entire school especially, girls, for years!
@@euro-trashling Exactly.
In her own words 'At least Regina and me know we're mean'
I think Janis fell in love with her then best friend Regina and Regina publicly outed her when she confessed her love
@@juliannehannes11 no Janis is Lebanese but when she told Regina she thought she meant lesbian
Demonizing femininity has also hurt the tomboy character because it has made her a “not like other girls” character.
I have to disagree that this movie demonizes hyper-femininity. It’s more about the dark side of female interpersonal relationships, and the movie isn’t about protagonists or antagonists.
@@diamondminer5459 Yes, but the mean girls are the most feminine girls.
@@diamondminer5459 yes, yes, yes
@@diamondminer5459 I disagree with you
@@consciousiota2161 and the alt character
I always loved Totally Spies. They are the cliché of the three pretty girls obsessed with shopping, yet they are not demonized. Clover is the closest example. She is the blonde girl, boy crazy, compulsive shopper, trend follower, who is always figthing mandy, but she along Alex and Sam are the "good guys" who save the day.
My favorite thing about them were the gadgets they had. The gadgets were usually things that are consider "girly"or"femenine" : compowdesr, laser lipstick, Data Processor Pendant, Freeze Bracelet, Flashlight Ring, Parachute Purse, anti-gravity gogo boots, etc.
Most people, in fact, are fine with how you choose to be a girl. Some people are jerks about it, but that’s on them.
Bratz was like that too! 4 girls who were obsessed with fashion and shopping and wore make up and trendy clothes. However, they also spoke their minds, expressed their opinions, and even fought physically in some of the movies. They also had a spy movie with gadgets that looked like fashion items and also helped them kick butt
They even have a mean girl in the show who has similar interests as them, but she's just mean and stuck up. So it's not the fact that she's ultra feminine that she's a jerk, it's that she's just a jerk.
This may not stick but I feel like winx club captured my essence. The girls are very feminine and fairies with all magic with pretty pink but are still kickbutt and strong. Like Stella she has the look of the mean girl but is a very good friend and a strong friend
I loved Sam for being a nerd but Clover was the heart of the show, it wouldn't be as fun to watch without her and tbh she was very relatable sometimes. She just was rich enough to do what we couldn't
When you look at early 2000s teen movies, the "mean girl" is always really feminine which is strange to me. I think this is why many young girls developed this "pick me" mentality or "i'm not like other girls" kind of thing. Because the movies they watched subconsciously made them think that if you were typically feminine at all you would be a mean girl or annoying. This happened to me as a child because my favorite color used to be pink and I loved disney princesses, but seeing villians like Sharpay and Regina George made me reject those things and even shame other women who wore pink and were into shopping. I even began to be "sassy" to others for no reason because I thought it was cool. But I was just a bully. I hated everything I used to like for years because I thought it was shameful to like anything girly. Not until I turned 18 did I finally begin to turn back to pink and girly things that I loved in my childhood
She represents the shadow side of the feminine, in the same way the macho asshole bully represents the darker aspects of masculinity
This is exactly what happened to me! Nice to know I wasn't the only one who fell for it :)
I have to disagree that this movie demonizes hyper-femininity. It’s more about the dark side of female interpersonal relationships, and the movie isn’t about protagonists or antagonists.
i lived my childhood in the early 2000s till early 2010s, i perfectly remember in that period girls used to hate the color pink and skirts, overall were considered cooler more masculine things and now reading your comment it makes so sense
I was def a "not like other girls" type of teen. It's great that you realized that at 18. I'm 26, last week I was playing Mario Party with my sisters, and idk why I chose to play as Princess Peach. They made so much fun of me cause of that. I mean no one cares anymore, but it was something we always did as kids. And that got me thinking how deep this "I'm one of the guys or not like other girls" mentally goes. It's so natural for our generation that we still do it and we don't even notice. We have to be aware of the little things, cause that could eventually traumatize another generation.
The fact that Regina is only "good" when she starts doing sport a typichally masculine activity...
I think it’s really interesting! it shows how women aren’t encouraged to express their rage in feminine settings, so it must be channelled into masculine contexts
Participating in sports hasn't been a typically masculine activity for decades. Hell, even Greco Roman women took part in athletics
@@MechaJutaro ok and? It's asociated with masculinity, just like makeup it's asociated with femmes
@@itsnebi9903 And sports haven't been exclusively associated with masculinity in eons. The fact that The Williams Sisters, Anna Kournikova, Ronda Rhoussey, Stephie Graff, etc are all house hold names is indicative of this. RG's image and reputation being improved wasn't connected to her joining a team
@@MechaJutaro yeah, i know but socially it's a "male activity" i'm not saying that they're exclusive for males
this is precisely why Legally Blonde was such an important movie
Not really…
@@victorlolxd7347What makes you think that?
@@MinisDunyasi5I think they say that because Elle just stopped being an airhead and started studying for a guy’s attention(?? But at the end she learns that she doesn’t need a guy to be happy so idk😭😭😔😔
Because they don’t demonize femininity and instead play into it to showcase the main character’s strengths and unique skillset.
Winx club was my life. They were so feminine, powerful and such deep women in touch with their own aspects of femininity.
i still watch the original winx club show to this day!
all they talked about was how hot the boys are and how they don't wanna break a nail!! i see it as a beautiful fashion/art project that should've stayed on mute lmao.
I need to watch that show
i've always kind of had the opposite perspective, and felt that mean girls, as much as it indulges in some harmful stereotypes, is really quite empowering bc of how strongly and unapologetically it leans into hyper-femininity and teen girl culture. everything you said makes total sense though!! great video!!
I have to disagree that this movie demonizes hyper-femininity. It’s more about the dark side of female interpersonal relationships, and the movie isn’t about protagonists or antagonists.
I am fairly of the same perspective. It does not want to demonize hyper femininity as much as it wants to point out that in our society one of the few ways for us to get some sort of power is to embody that kind of persona, our power comes at the cost of being always self conscious about our appearance, or throwing other women under the bus (which has a quite visual representation in the movie), and being aware of that allows us to be more complex in our expression of femininity and fight for our place in society.
@@diamondminer5459 except it is. And that’s what Tina fey does with a lot of her work
@@diamondminer5459 did you rly reply with this to every single comment lmaooo did you even watch the video. dear god
I don't think this movie actually does that either, considering it's not like Regina is hype feminine because she necessarily wants to be, but it's more of a requirement for her power. Karen seems to like being feminine just because, judging by how she still dresses the same by the end of the movie, then Kady is still more feminine than she was at the beginning of the movie, showing she doesn't want to be the tomboy from the beginning again, but that she also learned appearance matters (just not THAT much) from the plastics.
So many good points! Tina Fey also parodies the demonization of hyper feminity in her show 30 rock. Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) decides to tear down her co-worker's hyper feminine facade and ends up runing her life. The "cool and casual" girl is actually the villain who can't accept an expression of feminity that isn't her own
There is no wrong way to be a girl.
Or accept the part of herself that loves being feminine for whatever reason.
good point! i remember that episode, i thought it was strange the girl changed her identity to someone who is very popular in hetero male attention. i feel like that would only make it easier for him to find her again? but liz shoulda just minded her business anyway lol
There was also that episode where she remembers the blonde pretty feminine girl as being a bully in school but when she shows up to the reunion it’s revealed that Liz was a bully while still being a nerd 😚👌🏾
@@BubaielLiz is even a bully to her best friend at times who is often shown to be the more stereotypically feminine and dramatic one in the spotlight. I remember she would always do this passive aggressive way of showing she didn’t approve of something she was proud of, and in the end she didn’t enjoy her new movie because she wasn’t a part of it. The show really did do a great job of showing the other end of the spectrum of a mean girl demonizing others for not being a girl or feminist in her exact brand how that stemmed from insecurity. There is no one way to be a girl.
Also, I noticed that grown adults have called teen girls (especially under 16) who do more "feminine" things like wearing heavy makeup, wearing miniskirts, and styling their hair "fast or "grown". I feel that feminine activities are highly adultified and this shames teen girls for doing "girly" things that most adolescent girls try and do at that age. It's also an incredibly misogynistic and sl*t-shamey way to view things like makeup and skirts and other things like that.
Exactly! The first time I got ripped jeans I was told by a grown women, “Oh my you’ve grown up so fast!” It’s like no. I’ve just finally got a taste in fashion.
not the expectation that all girls will do those things 😐
@@tiaowo642 I never said all, I said most or some would try to do such things.
@@miraculoustheories721 ripped jeans arent really girly though lol. i personally dont like ripped jeans but to each their own. youre allowed to wear what you like
@@oooh19 i think they're just stating that showing any sort of style preference is seen as trying to grow up too fast lol
At the end, it’s suggested that both Regina’s hyperfemininity and Janis’s rejection of femininity are both disingenuous. Regina explicitly performs the femininity expected of her to manipulate others for her own gain. Both Janis and Cady have obviously more feminine styles at the end, whereas Regina obviously less, but Karen dresses the same - because the problem isn’t hyperfemininity as long as it’s genuine
Yes!! While the video makes good points, i don't think it means to say that hyper feminity is bad. It's just that the femininity that makes women desirable also cages them and sets them against the each other. Every other girl clique besides the plastics has their own issues and that is made clear. Cady even says that she becomes a human being in the end - free of whatever bounds she once had. Even janis, chooses some girly star clip in the end scene, showing how she can be more feminine with out pretending now.
This video is awesome, but I think it's important to separate critiquing hyper-femininity and critiquing conformist culture. At the end, the plastics hardly change; they're more so expressing themselves in ways they couldn't before because they had to put in so much effort to portray themselves a certain way. The reason Janis' (and Karen's) wardrobe remained the same is because she was dressing exactly the way she wanted to. Regina taking up lacrosse isn't a positive change because it's less feminine, but because she isn't forcing herself to not do things that interest her in order to maintain her femininity.
I have to disagree that this movie demonizes hyper-femininity. It’s more about the dark side of female interpersonal relationships, and the movie isn’t about protagonists or antagonists.
THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY
Absolutely!
I agree, I think this is definitely what the movie was portraying.
THIS. It's not about femininity versus masculinity. It's about girls not being allowed to express their emotions of anger/powerlessness/rage in a healthy way when adhering to those rules.
I was bullied more by people like Janis, than Regina.
I also kind of have the opposite perspective because Karen and Gretchen are still very feminine at the end and don’t change much either like Janice. I felt it was more about the dynamics of female relationships. I read something about how Regina mistakes Janice for being a lesbian because she’s Lebanese. So, I think that is a part of reginas physical transformation because she said janice’s dream was diving into a pile of girls and then at the end of the movie that’s what Regina does. But loved your insight!
karen does change though, just not her style.
@@hawyee1162 she's still hyper feminine tho
not to be rude but can we please stop this narrative that regina "mistakenly" thought janis was a lesbian because she confused it with Lebanese? she did not. she purposefully used homophobia to bully janis out of female friends, saying she "can't have a lesbian in an all girls pool party" and spreading rumors about it. of course theres nothing wrong with being a lesbian, but the fact she used it to paint janis as creepy and predatory and shouldnt be allowed near girls is cruel and evil, and definitely not a mistake. it was purposeful. why do people want to insist that regina is stupid? she clearly isn't.
A few years ago, I used to be the girl that said she "was different." Because, yes, I had more male friends and liked doing sports and gaming. Nonetheless, I internalized, that 'being feminine' was being weak and boring - straight-up misogyny. By now I understand that being "girly or womanly" is nothing bad. Heck, it is fucking cool!
Your videos are great! Keep going :)
i feel like that also used to be Billie eilish
@@azereth338 how would you know?
@@semolinalibra just her whole personality and the way she was. I feel like she just wanted to be different from other girls so bad. She’s changed now though, it kinda stopped when she was around 17.
miss omelette no she didn’t, she had her own style (style evolves and changes constantly) and she wore baggy clothes because people bullied her for her body
@@azereth338 Why are you talking about a literal stranger like if you were her psychologist lol i don't even like billie eilish but what the hell lmao
Weird, it seems to me that what the movie does is showing how toxic privilege and hierarchy ideologies are, but also how society is super prone to put woman against woman. And how it is always a pleasure to everyone when we can tear down someone from a higher status, even though we may always be prone to make the same, if not worse, msitakes once we grasp the power left in vacuum
Exactly
I like how everyone has gotten a different message out of this movie. There is a long-lasting trend around making feminine things look evil & masculine things look good, but I think there's a "dark side" to both spectrums. Maybe it'd be better if they had shown that you can be very feminine without being toxic.
Next time you should analyze The Powerpuff Girls and their contrasting personalities. I think that too would make a good video essay on the topic of feminine archetypes represented with a trio of superheroines who are highly distinctive but equally though when it comes to crime-fighting. I haven't seen any videos of it yet.
Omg yeah! A lot of tropes could be dissected right there!!!
Maybe you could try. Would definitely give that a listen
honestly can we normalise dressing like janis and the plastics at the same time
I have the same accent as you, it's so fun to find someone with the american irish muddled accent! Also I really like your videos, keep it up!
twins!! 💖
I'm Irish and I was watching this and didn't notice and you said one word and I was like that sounds suspiciously Irish maybe it was a fluke but no. Lol
A line I've thought about a lot is when Janis tells Cady "at least girls like me and Regina George know we're mean." Obviously it's not a huge thing, but I think it's a cool little nod to how Janis and Regina aren't that different and are both pretty toxic
It also shows how while Janis hates Regina, she still respects the fact that Regina is honest with herself, and owns the fact that she's a bitch. To Janis, Regina is better than Cady. She even goes on to say in the movie "Take Aaron Samuels for example, he broke up with Regina, and he still doesn't want you, so why are you still messing with Regina's life Cady? I'll tell you why. Because you are a MEAN GIRL! YOU'RE A BITCH!" In the musical she has a similar line: "I hate Regina's guts, but here's what you don't comprehend. At least she has the guts, to not pretend to be my friend!"
This is why shows like Barbie and Bratz were (at least to me) really crucial to this era. It shows you that you could still be hyperfeminine but also be whoever you want.
While I do think Tina Fey's message about mean girls still stands, I can't help but feel like she should've developed the Plastics more. The scene with Cady and Regina in the bathroom would've been more compelling if we learned more about her flaws than just in the third act. Gretchen and Karen could've been more developed too...
I have to disagree that this movie demonizes hyper-femininity. It’s more about the dark side of female interpersonal relationships, and the movie isn’t about protagonists or antagonists. The Plastics should have gotten more screen time, but the movie was more about Cady anyway.
Well to be honest Karen did not have much substance lol
@@diamondminer5459 I disagree with you
Agree.
@@diamondminer5459 Well-said. People are reading way-too much into a 1-1/2-hour teen comedy, but some people are always going to feel the need to get attention.
I am so excited for more videos over the summer! Also, I feel like the “so you agree, you think you’re really pretty?” line/meme kinda encapsulates a part of this ‘trap’ of femininity in Mean Girls.
The gals have to be perfect without caring about being perfect, at the risk of being vain. If they embrace being ‘vain’ or adhering to this particular standard of pretty/pink femininity it’s portrayed as negative, despite the entire school’s obsession with this image - and the plastics end up being punished for it!
Also, with Regina’s mum constantly reinforcing the importance of this kind of femininity and of being popular, it seems natural for Regina to be obsessed with amassing this kind of social capital and being the perfect queen bee and all the more unfair that she is demonised for it.
preach it king!!!! i feel like that’s where the “cool girl” stereotype comes from, an “effortlessly” hot woman who doesn’t care about her appearance and is interested in sports, drinks beer, etc. also so perceptive about her mom! didn’t even think of that
I have to disagree that this movie demonizes hyper-femininity. It’s more about the dark side of female interpersonal relationships, and the movie isn’t about protagonists or antagonists.
@@diamondminer5459 I disagree to you
I honestly don't even know if Regina liked girly fashion as a means of expressing herself or if she only saw it's value in manipulating the social order as a pretty girl in her position. We never really get to know what Regina actually likes for herself (except having sex with the jock which she tried to hide). Plus regina seemed to be groomed into being girly by her mom who did the same to her sister. We obviously know Karen likes girly fashion because she was very excited about wearing pink on Wednesdays and she's still very feminine at the end of the movie.
I think that Regina is still pretty girly, I mean just look at her room, all decked out in pink and cute, girly decorations. And she also says that she "made" her parents trade, so she clearly likes having that room. I think by the end of the movie it's not so much that she discards femininity, but that she learns to genuinely embrace femininity on her own terms. Throughout the movie, she wears sleek, body-hugging, and revealing outfits that she knows will appeal to the males of the school. She's not feminine for herself, she's feminine in a way that appeals to the male gaze. Meanwhile, at the end of the movie, she joins a lacrosse team, an all-girls one at that. And is shown still wearing a feminine outfit, but it is more comfortable and less revealing. Regina learns at the end of the movie to be herself and that she doesn't have to appeal to the male gaze, and that femininity takes many forms, not that being feminine is bad.
Once again, although I agree, the 'economically privileged' part is what stands out to me as the core of the villain trope within teen films.
Art representing life.
That is because people with more money or with a higher class in real life possess more power, the original films do it for a reason because it reflects real life. Knock offs just take everything at surface level, mean girls does think hyper femininity is bad but it makes it pretty clear that Janice is also a mean girl but things like mean girls 2 just read it as femininity is bad and create not like other girls protagonists
@@dontworryimnotastalker5486 yet Janice wasn’t ‘punished’ for her actions like the others
@@imxel2193 This film is about Cady growing up so Regina being hit by the bus wasn’t really about Regina being punished for her actions. This is the moment that Cady comes face to face with the reality of what her manipulation has done, this couldn’t have been done with Janice because Janice isn’t who she’s been devoting all of her time and energy manipulating.
The films response to the characters actions isn’t to give them a fair comeuppance, it doesn’t believe in an eye for an eye, Aaron samuels makes the comment that these were just girls that were bored and had nothing better to do, we see after this the girls devote their time spent gossiping to real hobbies, Regina gets involved in sports, Cady joins the mathletes, Karen becomes a weather girl, Gretchen joins another clique but she at least starts talking a new language and Janice starts a relationship with Kevin G.
Janice isn't punished because the story isn't about punishing people. The story is about people not getting what they want ( power ). Regina is the all powerful ruler in the established system, and Janice opposes the established system ( we get the impression that Janice does this in order to implement another system where she is the all powerful ruler and the girly mean girls are at the bottom ). Janice doesn't get what she wants, because when Cady destroys the established system, it's done in order to implement democracy ( we see this when she throws the broken crown to everyone in the room) as opposed to establish a new system where she and Janice are the all powerful rulers. Janice doesn't get to rule a new system just like Regina doesn't get to preserve the old system in which she ruled. When that happens, they both change, Regina becomes less of a tyrant and Janice becomes less antagonistic. Janice learns to be happy in her environment, and we see that at the end of the movie when she is with her new boyfriend.
I get where you’re coming from, but all the hyper-feminine characters are publicly humiliated while Janis is held up and celebrated. so while she doesn’t become the new ruler, she’s the only character that gets clout and praise for her actions. I don’t think the film is about punishment, I’m just examining how it treats characters with different gender expressions
@@elleliteracy I have to disagree that this movie demonizes hyper-femininity. It’s more about the dark side of female interpersonal relationships, and the movie isn’t about protagonists or antagonists.
Janice didn't try to rule anything.
She only had an aspiration to take down the plastics. She's more like a revolutionary (who takes down the system but doesn't necessarily rule anything afterwards) than another dictator. I think when ppl say that Regina and Janis are the same, and that Janis should be punished too forget that Regina did messed up things to innocent people in her school, Janice only does it to Regina. It is silly to use Regina's awful methods against her but at the end of the day Janice is not the same. Janice tried to take down a bad person (a dictator) in a questionable way but Regina did that to the entire school especially, girls, for years!
@@elleliteracy Janis NEVER SOUGHT OUT TO BE A RULER TO BEGIN WITH.
@@summerrose8110 How do you know? It's a well established pattern than revolutionaries often become dictators themselves.
Brilliant observations. Now that I’m becoming a feminist I see how desperate we as a society need to deconstruct every piece of the culture we live and consume like movies and pop culture in order to stop demonizing femeninity.
It's also interesting to see how society still rewards the cool girl arquetype with this male fantasies like the tomboy style and 0 interest in "girly things".
@@chocchipsxx e x a c t l y. Femininity is always forced on us in one way or another. So fuck that. Being a woman doesn't mean being feminine
I have to disagree that this movie demonizes hyper-femininity. It’s more about the dark side of female interpersonal relationships, and the movie isn’t about protagonists or antagonists.
@@sofia-ut7kh You responded to a comment about how femimity is demonized and masculine girls are rewarded with "exactly femininity is always forced onto as". Are you dumb or something?
I disagree that tomboys or masculine women have it easier. What you're talking about is the male fantasy of a Cool Girl, who is conventionally pretty but puts 0 effort and is super "chill" with everything. Shes good at some masculine hobbies but not better than her male partner
@@sofia-ut7kh you missed the point
ironically, this film encouraged me to grow out of my 'not like other girls' phase and embrace my femininity
Awww that's nice!
Most unrealistic thing about this movie is the girl who doesn't even go there claiming everyone got along in middle school. Babygirl it was *worse*
Right? In middle school people bullied me to the point where I was suicidal. In high school, people were much calmer, nicer, and more mature, and I had more friends to boot.
well, she doesn't know that because she doesn't even go there
@@jasperjazzie 🤣
This is why I liked clueless. The Protagonist and antagonist were both pretty in touch with their feminine side. And not making it seem like the more feminine person is the problem.
Same with DeeDee.
I wish the movie could have shown Regina growth while her still dressing femininely, and while doing a hobby that will help with her anger(ballet ,cooking,dancing )and ALSO playing sports .
But instead,we got to see her ditching her feminine traits .In order for her to become good.
And I think it also shows that rage is a ''manly emotion'' so the only way a women can express her anger is while going masculine things(sport ; typically associated with men) and dress in masculine,modest clothes.
Regina still dresses femininely at the end.
A few things: Regina still dresses femininely at the end, but now she’s herself instead of playing into the popular girl archetype. It’s about her finding acceptance with herself to not obsess over popularity and to redirect her emotions into something more constructive. She’s in no way “masculine” at the end.
@@xxxmaysilssss690 yeah, it honestly feels like some people are interpreting it that now that she's doing one (1) thing that isn't hyperfeminine that means she's somehow masculine now?? like she's still feminine she's just feminine on her own terms and not to fill a specific image, i have no clue how some people missed the point this badly
@@jasperjazzie The butchest girl youtube commenters can handle before they start getting scared.
legally blonde attempted to subvert this. kim kardashian studying law is modern day example. megan fox practicing New Age spirituality is also something to consider
Clueless and Bring it On subverted it as well
Oh, my god. We as women can do better than look up to Kim Kardashian. Women, FEMININE WOMEN, have been studying and practicing law for way longer than Kim decided to pursue it as an aesthetic.
@@stefanmakara373 Exactly. I don't know how these people can be this naive.
Kim kardashian is a terrible example. Considering how she one takes the looks and spotlight AWAY from Black women. Her and her sisters steal ideas from black businesses. That’s white feminism. Plus Kim kardashian FAILED her tests and her documentaries was just for face. The people who were ACTUALLY doing the work were BLACK women.
@@stefanmakara373 Ikr, and who would want to look up to a scam artist
5:38 i think this also links with pretty little liars as when the actress who played alison gained weight, they gave her a redemption arc, utterly ruining her character as deliciously sociopathic.
I hear a lot about how Mean Girls sucks because part of the Queen Bee’s downfall was her gaining weight, but that was a plot on the part of a person who is demonizes later for doing so.
It’s only more recently people are pointing out Janice was a mean girl too. But we forget. Janice was a victim. The person she loved, Regina, betrayed her. Regina got all the girls to sign a petition Janice was a lesbian. This was because Janice was being clingy after Regina got a boyfriend. Janice was sad she felt like she lost her best friend. Then, she is actively made to feel like an outcast. People stopped inviting her to events. No body would talk to her. Reminder, Janice dropped out of school for a period of time. She was hurt that much. That’s some trauma. This turned Janice into the person we see today. If she was going to be excluded, she wanted to control it. She began to dress and act in a way to turn people off. She never wanted to be a target again. She wanted revenge. Btw, We never did learn what Janice was going to say at the school assembly. It was Regina’s comment about girls that retriggered Janice’s trauma. Janice did grow at the end. She got her revenge that she needed to heal. She also got into a relationship with someone who liked her for who she was. Janice journey is more nuanced. It’s about healing from trauma.
I think the real question is , did they really want to dress like that ? in the scene where Katy goes to Reginas house and they we’re staring in the mirror, all of the plastics said what they didn’t like about themselves. And forced Katy to say the bad breathe comment. Did the plastics really want to dress like that or was it societal pressure to be “perfect” it’s hard to know who you really are in high school because you haven’t had the chance to experiment much.
i just rewatched the movie and i think as the story goes on aaron's approval of cady's choices becomes increasingly important to the narrative as a whole, not just to cady as a character. cady wins aaron's approval when she is less feminine, which came off as very patronizing, especially given his history with regina. at the beginning of the movie, part of her choosing to become hyperfeminine has to do with getting his attention, but by the end of the movie it's her becoming less feminine that ultimately gets them together. his attraction to her seems based in how she's not like the other popular girls, but him seeing her that way requires her to constantly be in the same setting as the popular girls to demonstrate that contrast (there are many un-hyperfeminine side characters in this movie that aaron never shows any interest in). so in order to win aaron's approval, cady has to walk the line of being plastic but not TOO plastic. the balance that narrative settles on in the end is exactly the view that aaron has, which feels a little yucky.
I love your contribution to this analysis! It’s important to remember what lens we’re to be watching these movies with. The targeted audience can be different to the gaze in which we watch the story playing out. How things are presented show us how the director believes the targeted audience should act, or instead, what’s meant to appeal to the targeted audience. Aaron was a part of the whole thing because he tells young girls (the targeted audience) what they should do to get a man while also telling men/young boys (or the lens they look through to what directors think men should like and act like) that they shouldn’t like girls like Regina or that they wouldn’t really be happy with a girl like Regina.
Ah, but I digress. Basically, I just really agree with your comment.
Janis had to be with KEVIN that’s pretty much a punishment
Like--
I'm leaving a like just for the intro alone, wow I love it so much
hit the nail on the head once again!
I feel one trope fell under the radar : the Black Mean Girl. I feel there is a tendency to depict either a stereotypical white blonde OR a black girl as a Mean Girl. I think it ties into the Angry Black Woman trope, but when she's a teenager she functions like a Mean Girl in the narrative.
A few examples: Prudence from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Chastity from 10 Things I Hate About You (the series)... there are many more but it's late and I'm tired.
But mean girls aren't angry or aggressive, they're snarky and manipulative
@@nm9688 The Black Mean Girl trope I describe is not either - but I think it comes from a similar place as the Angry Black Woman trope, aka that a Black woman who's in a position of social power feels out of place to the current western system, therefore she's presented as "bad".
I actually like seeing the Black mean girl trope, as a Black girl myself(who is not mean but still), I've always liked the mean girls in media because they were powerful, glamorous, fierce, feminine, and took no shit. Everybody wanted to be them, they were the prettiest girls in school, guys/girls wanted to date them, they had all the latest trends, etc. and Black girls are never seen that way so it's nice to get that for a change. But I suppose it's better to have the Black girl be the most popular without her being mean. But still.
@@imthebossmermaid3648 Thanks for bringing your opinion to my thoughts, it's an interesting take on it that I hadn't thought about - not being Black myself =)
@@EmelieWaldken np! you do have a point tho! It can indeed be a problem when the only Black girl is the mean one.
Funny how regina being perceived from the hyper feminine side has an avril lavigne poster in her room
Avril Lavigne has girly and edgy traits, similar to how Regina dresses girly but has an edgy personality (rather than a sweet/kind/bubbly personality)
Preoccupation with apperance IS vanity
A system is not always the blame for one's own individual actions. No one made them the Mean Girls, that's what they decided to be.
I wouldn't say its demonizong femininity. Its just that in highschool, the popular girl cliques usually are the ones dressing hyper feminine and caring way too much about their looks. It was that way for my highschool and its true for many others. I remember being afraid of some of the pretty popular girls in my school because they were self centered and mean and would make fun of me for the fact that I wasn't great at makeup and wore my hair up everyday...and it unfortunately does create this negative outlook towards women who are hyper feminine, but it has that outlook for a reason. It didn't just come out of thin air. And a lot of these movies are based around bullies the director knew in highschool or who the book writer knew or whoever. Things they experienced. And hyper femininty is used for the bully image in movies because hyper feminine highschool girls who have cliques and date the popular football player tend to be mean. That's just how it is.
But at the same time Mean Girls showcases that none of these girls were actually bad people. Just teenagers going through highschool petty bullshit because they're young. The "plastics" didn't change their appearance in the end because that was never the problem or even what was trying to be portrayed as a problem. Their attitudes were and not just theirs but everyone's.
Eh I think it depends on the school really. Like honestly a lot of popular girls are nice and a lot of feminine girls aren't popular and are bullied too, I was made fun of a lot of the time for being too girly, not saying that you are wrong, just that it's not as common as you think just because you experienced it.
Modern feminism based on male perspective of coolness, which is being, looking and acting like men!!
It definitely influences how people perceive and treat each other in real life. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve experienced other female „feminists“ who only like you if you are an alternative/ tomboy/ sage kind of girl and hate you if they perceive you as a feminine/ classic/ bombshell type of girl…
The stereotype that if you are beautiful and attractive, you’re stupid, shallow, mean, uninteresting and talentless..
Define acting like men.
@@judgement7164 Doing things society perceives as masculine and rejecting anything feminine.
I agree that society often shames women for being feminine and that sometimes other women who are supposedly "feminist" do this too but please don't shame modern feminists for it. Feminism is not the reason why women are told that they don't deserve to be taken seriously if you're feminine. Quite the opposite.
@@schnozz4301 What's wrong with that? Women and girls are expected by society to be feminine, rejecting an expectation such as that isn't bad.
@@kyleydiamond @kyleydiamond I *partly* agree with your statement about "male identified women", however, it's only to a small extent, and there's a part you haven't addressed, the part where even those "male identified women" (what is this? Are you referring to masculine women or women who don't fit beauty standards? Can't you just say masculine women? Why do you have to use this term?) have to follow feminine beauty standards, they can be masculine, but in a way which still appeals to men, *in a way which is still feminine* .
I don't think you mean this, but you're implying that masculine women generally have male privilege, which is untrue because a woman who doesn't conform to patriarchal, beauty standards often experiences passive and active violence from the community she is in, for the purpose that she adhere to those standards.
Women being attractive to men in all ways is basically still an expectation and many companies strive off of that. Check subs and places for neurodivergent women/girls, they often don't conform to gender roles and patriarchal beauty standards, and are often treated like shit for it by their female/male peers.
Society encourages women to conform to these beauty standards, as women who don't will be ostracised, isolated, or subtly and passively forced to conform (i.e not getting a job because of "women look sick/tired without make up on")
What you're saying is also very terfic and gender essentialis as well...there is no such things as acting like men, there is only acting like humans, plus *manipulation is not a masculine trait, it is a human trait* , humans have been doing it for centuries overall; it is a negative humn trait, not a masculine one...the way you consider these negative traits masculine is actually telling of your opinions of those who are masculine, are you normal about them?
You deeming masculine traits unhealthy compared to feminine ones is what terfs basically do.
D you think women can't be what you deem masculine, or that men can't be what you deem as feminine?
This actually reflect your bias and is what we call benevolent sexism. You know what else capitalism expects of both genders? Constant performance of their assigned genders.
i lovvvveee the typical feminine aesthetic yk, pink, skirts, long hair, frilly stuff, that's just who i am!! but i remember watching this movie a couple years back when i was a little younger and easily influenced by messages in videos and films and at that time the whole "not like other girls" thing was very popular and i felt so bad bc i loved pink and other stuff as much and i remember for years i kept cutting my hair short even though i hated it and only wearing shirts and jeans and im so glad i grew out of that phase, i remember i used to be ashamed when everyone went on about how basic "girly" stuff was... if only this video still existed then or if only hollywood didn't demonize hyper-femininity as much.. i think this video mentions a lot of important points and anyone who went through the whole tomboy thing just to be accepted by their peers should watch this as it covers everything we thought
I think at the end of the day it all boils down to misogyny, the patriarchal mindset.
Regina and all the plastic girls HAD to play into the heterosexual male fantasy of a woman in order to gain popularity. And once she gains the popularity( and the privilege that comes along with it) she overlooks the sacrifices she has to make in order to be at the top of the hierarchy. And who doesn't like being RESPECTED?( in their faces at least). So the girls have to play a kind of role to remain popular
And this is why I respect Tina Fey's writing so much. She showed the reality for us girls. That this mindset is not going to go away any time soon(the junior plastics)
Amazing video, it's been a pleasure seeing your channel exponentially grow so rapidly :D
Are we gonna talk about how Karen did nothing wrong and how Karen also didn’t change?
Are you kidding? He boobs were totally predicting the weather for the entire school. That's quite a change!
wow this is a great video!!! you made some really great observations about visual parallels (Regina being carried in mirroring Janice being carried at the end) that I missed, especially regarding costumes (Cady's house party dress being an inverse of Regina's, etc.) Thank you for your critique and I really appreciate your attention to detail! Your Shiva Baby video was great too!
It was a great video. I specially enjoyed the visual comparisons among Janis’s scene where she is held by her classmates and Regina’s entrance, as well as Cady’s and Regina’s dress. Loved the new reading you’re giving to this movie and that is also held by an analysis made with a close watching of it.
You seem to overlook how this was originally written by a PSYCHOLOGIST
Damn this video was even better than I’d predicted. Love your videos 💝
Love your videos, they are so insightful and well produced!xx
I just wanna say that this is one of the most well written essays I've heard on this site. Like. If this was a class and I was the teacher I'd read this in front of everyone to show them how this style is done. Nice work 🤸🏽♀️
Editing and audio was A+ too
I agree that the way that Janice is a mean girl, like Regina, but is portrayed differently due to Justified Revenge. The vanity of the Plastics is seen as “fake” while the effort Janice puts in is seen as “oh she’s artsy!”, which makes everyone a hypocrite. And that everyone in the story, actually, is a Mean Girl, but Regina externalises it more.
However, my take on it is that the femininity of the Plastics is a part of carving their identity as popular girls. Popular girls are rich, popular girls are blonde, popular girls are pretty, popular girls are white, popular girls are popular because they conform. To beauty standards, both from the male (sexual) gaze and the female (admiration) gaze. And everyone hates them not just because they suck (which they do) but out of jealousy. And they also care about what the Plastics think as they are on top of the social ladder, and even if they hate the vanity, Regina helped breed an ecosystem built on manipulation and judgement, which they are all influenced by. Cady says “even if I hate her, I still want her to accept me!”. They are all willing to either put on a mask constantly, even in their private life, or they’re so sucked into it that it’s no longer a facade.
i'm late to this video and i agree with you, i also however have had real life experiences of mean girls/high school bullies, all of which fit into the hyper-feminine trope and excluded and outcast me for liking alternative things. i feel janis' rage and hatred towards regina, she didn't want to be like her she just wanted to not be outcast for not liking the same things they did, which was the same way i felt all of my school life
i loved this! great analysis :)
omg I LOVE your analyzation of this video.
I think this movie actually criticise the steriotypes in it, everything is kinda over the top. Of course, with the years we learned a lot of things that when the film was made maybe wasn't so in evidence (sorry if the english is not great haha)
I never really idetified myself as either feminine or masculine in terms of how i dressed ormy personality. But as a kid i felt like deep down i really am a girly person. Like when i first was exposed to youtube as a tween, i really gravidated with youtubers who's fashion was a lot girly, or beauty youtubers who did their makeup so well. But i wasn't able to express it and instead, expressed myself as neither feminine or masculine. Partly because of me living in sub-urbs or my economical status. But i felt like the villanization of hyper femininity which equated to the rise of "im not like the other girls" has also subconsiously made me repress ny desire for feminine expression. I honestly never really had a time where i was a "pick me girl" and hated all girly things cuz i know that deep down, its what i wanted for myself.
Im really glad that there's so much videos of this right now tha has helped me see the beauty of femininity. Now, i really dressed in a girly way similar to how girly girls in 2000s dress(which i feel like is because i was repressed as a young kid to do this so im only doing it now), mostly wear pinks, purples, blue and brown, and i cant remember when is the last time i wore jeans and pants. Seeing this perspective of femininity makes me happy as i can now express myself too ans juat be happy with it.
Even as a dude I don’t really identify myself as masculine or feminine either. I just never really cared to think much about it at all or ever cared to assign myself as either. It’s cool to see another person that also doesn’t really necessarily identify as either.
i assigned my 9 and 6 year old sisters to watch this this summer😅 they literally loved it😹 loved ur videos!! always so on point
Most the “preps” at my school were involved in community service and in honors classes and were generally nicer people. I def resented the aesthetic but thats cuz i dont get along with my stepmom. Generally what ive noticed is people with reasons to have self esteem tend to be less bitter. The cruelest people in ha is probably nerds and losers
It hurt a lot more being bullied by “nerds and losers” than being bullied by “preps” mostly because it made me feel like an outcast among outcasts. Plus it ruined my idea that people who were outcasts were more accepting of other outcasts
@@alyssapinon9670 that's the biggest myth there is.
@@annaeverette8960 what is?
This video l(in my opinion) literally misses the whole point of Mean Girls. To say such a blanket statement like that literally denounces the nuisance in the film. In my opinion, the film rather offers us the audience, front row seats to a problem in what Cady calls ‘girl-world’ is known as toxic femininity. No one in the movie demonize female characters are any characters who are hyper-feminine (heck even Damien express is own inner femininity through his adoration for The Plastics’ style [even though he still hates toxic ways] and Karen who is a lovable girl that just caught up in toxic crowd.), rather the film discuss the theme a group of girls who uphold a social hierarchy that built off manipulation and weaponizing each other’s relationships and insecurities.
Ps your point that Regina is good after joining a sports team is foolish, when considering how the film wraps up telling us that for Regina being an athlete gave her more room to have a more healthy way to manifest her aggression.
Agreed. Not to mention that 2 of the Plastics remained "hyper" feminine, Cady returned to her own style, Janice remained the same- literally the only person who massively changed their style is Regina, which makes sense for her character because she ditched the role she was playing- so now she doesn't mind dressing casually because she no longer needs the feminine accessories she was using to get what she really wanted,which was popularity. Hyper femininity wasn't her personality, it was her tool- and at the end of the movie is probably most often going to and from practices and hanging out with a different crowd, so she dresses in casual wear.
I also think that saying who "turned good" and who didn't is silly since none of them were bad people. They were teen girls. Regina was never actually evil, that is how Janice and Cady saw her because they too were kids and to them Regina's actions seem bigger than they are. All of them were just teen girls doing mean things because of the various influences in their lives, and the end of the movie isn't them "turning good" it is all of them /finding peace/. They're kids.
Totally agreee
It’s not a matter of what the characters are doing, per se, but more about what’s not being said. The movie itself (as in the storyline) is about your point, but the message it delivers is more to what this person states in the video. It’s the difference between the author’s intent and the reader’s interpretation. You’re thinking about what the story is directly stating while the person in this video is focused on the messages being sent with the frame we’re watching through.
It’s like how when reading a book, it’s typically assumed the character is white unless it’s stated otherwise - showing the context in which the book happens is from a white character’s which not everyone can relate to. That’s where cultural meanings and contexts don’t always translate across to other cultures.
For a different example, say there was a book written in English that takes place from the perspective of a native French person that didn’t know English. The story itself is French (as in representing what the characters are facing) though the lens we’re looking through is of English author believes represents French culture. It’s accurate to the author’s views of France (if it’s appropriately researched), but may not be an actual representation of French culture.
@@oncefortwice1389 your comparrison of assuming a character is white really isnt good, we only assume a character is white because we were brainwashed by society to assume “white is the defualt” , thats not the same as assuming ragina is no longer hyper feminine because she happens to like sports shes still fairly hyper feminine she simply enjoys sports too
Whether her take was hot or nah it eventually having negative effects and contributing to the birth of the pick me girl is very real... - an ex pick me girl 😔
This was such a great essay & a look at how Janis & Regina parallel each other a lot. And now I wanna re-watch Mean Girls :')
loved this video !
After rewatching the movie, I feel like this was kinda the whole point of the movie. I don't feel like they demonized, they kind of brought it forward to see. Although Regina becomes an athlete, Karen and Gretchen remain feminine, but change their attitude. Also, Regina becoming an athlete can be simply seen as a matter of her choice, rather than masculinity. Bcoz we don't see her trying to be masculine in any other way at the end of the movie. This movie kind of tells how society expects you to put lots of effort into your appearance to exude power. Moreover, if we look at Janis, she kind of shames Regina bcoz she wears pink...the video of the stylist talking about their outfits perfectly describes the movie plot too.
After the release of legally blonde , it seemed as if Mean Girls was the question and Legally Blonde was the answer.
Nevertheless, the movie is enjoyable. I haven't known a more quotable movie till now.
I watched this video ready to fight, but this was so well done! Your points were spot on and articulated very well!
Woah this was amazing video you have such a way with words I wish I could express myself as well as you do I’m definitely subscribing 🤩🤩🤩
Thank you for clarifying this, you are awesome.
MG "demonizes" hyper-femininity, in the same way a movie like Colors "demonizes" hyper-masculinity. Both The Plastics in MG and the gangbangers in Colors personify the more unwholesome aspects of womankind and mankind, respectively. Not sure why this is controversial. Both sexes have to avoid becoming caricatures such as these
It would become a problem if all very masculine men were shown to be brutish.
Totally agree!
@@_Sakidora_ Most feminine women in media are portrayed positively. There are far more female characters with traditionally feminine personalities and hobbies than masculine women in fiction. When was the last time you saw a hairy butch lesbian on TV?
Ig the problem wasn't exactly showing toxic Femininity but the lack of healthy Femininity as well. There's a subtext that's clearly understood here when every feminine character had to adopt a masculine trait stereotypically speaking that is, to show growth. Mean girls on its own isn't bad nor does it have the responsibility to absolutely showcase good femininity since that wasn't the point of the film anyway but it's more because of a trend during the 2000s and mean girls ending up contributing to it
@@nithi9638 I think at the end, the Plastics as well as Cady showcased healthy femininity.
incredible deconstruction, loved this breakdown. I can’t believe I never realized Cady’s party dress was the inverse of Regina’s spring fling dress smh, great work!
This is quite insightful and sociologically sound. Very good job!
omg the film deconstructs the system that encourages women to prioritize appearance and rewards beautiful women with popularity. It does this by turning Katy into a monster after she has been intertwined in the system for so long when she used to be sweet and innocent in Africa. The film's resolution and version of a happy ending is Katy destroying the system and implementing democracy when she breaks the crown and throws it to the people. That shouts 'the system is bad!'
I get what you’re saying, but in my reading of the film, the resolution focuses on the actions and personalities of the mean girl’s rather than their gender expression/appearance. Their gossiping and scheming is the main source of tension it addresses, rather than their performance. I still think it’s problematic in the way it frames hyper-femininity, but I totally see where you’re coming from!
@@elleliteracy I just think your read is flawed.
I think Janice’s (hasty and clumsy) arc or change is that she also allows herself to be vulnerable at the end via a romance with Kevin. She doesn’t allow anyone but Damien to get close to her, doubly so after being burned by Regina and then Cady. But we see at the end that she’s openly in a romantic relationship (even though it’s a het-presenting one) which I think was supposed to be indicative of emotional availability and vulnerability. Again, clumsy and rushed, but that’s how I always read it.
A lot of people on here mentioning that Janis says she's mean, as does Tina Fey, but the problem with that is, as the video points out, the narrative of the film doesn't treat her that way. She's never punished by the narrative, like the Plastics (and btw, Gretchen and Karen *are* both punished, just in subtler ways than Regina - i.e. Cady's psychological manipulation of Gretchen, and the both of them being used against Regina essentially unwittingly, and by having their social power removed by the end of the film) or Cady is - and she doesn't at all change by the end. So what happens is, the narrative ends up framing her as a victim of Cady, rather than someone who brought that on herself (a la Lady Macbeth losing control of the person she pushed into doing evil shit and suffering for it), and in doing so, frames her behaviour as righteous, as opposed to extremely creepy and cruel.
All characters are tools of the narrative of the story that's being told, and the recent backlash against Janis is because of an inconsistency within that story that comes from a place of bias in the culture the writer was from, I think.
People are saying they don't think that this is because the writer hates hyper-femininity, but that isn't what's being argued. I doubt most people think Tina Fey set out to write this film to demonize hyper-feminine teenage girls. The point is that regardless of that intention, that's how the narrative comes across. Most people do not watch this film and come away with the conclusion that Janis and Regina are just as awful as each other proves that.
Maybe it's just me- but I am not sure if hyper-feminity is demonized or evil characters happen to be hyper-feminine😅
It's the former.
briliant video really, great job!
omg i loveeeed this video!!
Yay, a new film fatales video!! You always cover films I have a lot of feelings about 🥰
Honestly i always though Janis wears the meanest. Like she says “at least me and Regina know we are mean” in the movie, but it really seems like Janis doesn’t think she is mean but thinks she is a good guy and her actions are justified. Like trust me i get where she’s coming from, being someone who has had a very similar situation to Janis. However, a lot of times it doesn’t feel like Janis hates her because she was mean to her, nut that she just hates her because she’s girly and thinks she’s better than her. also if she wanted revenge so bad get it yourself dont use the new girl just like Regina used you and act like you’re so innocent
I really like the whole "Janis mirrors Regina" segment because it is true though. I never realized it while watching but they are basically parallels with each other, especially the part where they are held up by the people (Regina's entrance and Janis' confession).
While I don't necessarily agree on some parts of the video, I can see why you think it of that way. My favorite line from this video was "This preoccupation with appearance is labelled as vanity, but we have to wonder why their lip gloss is a marker of shallowness while Janis' eyeliner shows her to be unique."
This video is so brilliant ✨
Exquisitely delivered!
Loved the video!
Hiii, glad you made another video!!!
Janis isn't punished because Tina Fey sees herself in Janis.
You could say Janis was an absolute. Tina Fey herself admitted she was considered a Mean Girl in High School though she never saw herself as one.
I feel like this analysis totally misses the point of the movie. This film is about how femininity is weaponised against teen girls, and it does a really good job of it. They have to be pretty, but not slutty, but not frigid or a virgin, but not not a virgin either. Karen is an airhead, but she’s not a one-dimensional character. She’s not a stereotype. Janis is not a hero either, and the film doesn’t glamorise her, she is clearly also a mean girl. This is a well-edited video, but I literally don’t think the analysis supports the thesis in the title. It’s not demonising femininity at all, it’s showing how teen girls are taught to use their femininity as a social currency. It is a criticism of female teen bullying. It’s such a reach to say wearing lip gloss makes someone bitchy. Gretchen and Karen stay very feminine because that’s who they are. And Regina playing sports doesn’t mean she isn’t still hyper-feminine. It just means she’s currently playing sports. She’s wearing the uniform, but she’s still got long hair. She’s not masc-presenting because she’s playing a contact sport.
i think janice changes a bit as she adds red berrets after is no longer intimidated by expressing femininity
Moderngirlz TH-cam channel made a video about the costuming for each character in the movie. She pointed how we see the growth in janice by the berrets she wears as well. I think how Cady dresses is fine at the end because she didn’t really have her own identity at the beginning of the movie and towards the end the clothes she wears seems more “her”. Not a feminine as she was in the plastics but not as plain as she was in the begging. A good mixture of both. I do think they should have done something a little bit extra with janice wardrobe or toned down reginas style change a little bit to better emphasize the point this video made though. It’s kind of funny how karen was the dumbest in the movie but she stayed the same through out. Her wardrobe and her personality kinda stayed the same at the end of the movie emphasizing she was never putting on a facade to begin with.
@@vernicegirl8987 karen is the best and the least mean girl in mean girls
I get what you’re saying and I think you have really good points but I still don’t think that it necessarily demonized femininity, I interpreted the film as a critic to internalize misogyny, witch I think it’s evident when Tina’s character gives her speech, and by the end of the film we can see how all the girls were acting how they thought they should because those were the standards they were put in, even Janis who I always believe was rejecting her feminine side so she wouldn’t be like Regina and in the end of the film we can see her embrace it a little bit more and I think all the other girls keep on being girly just in a way that feels more true to what they really are, but great video anyway 😊
You keep going on about how society rewards Regina George, but... It doesn't? A Regina George will always have a Janice Ian to unthrone them. The point of Regina is dictators don't last forever. Society doesn't automatically reward her, she has to work at it.
Society rewards women like Regina who conform to Western beauty norms and appeal to the male gaze with power, popularity and success. That is what this video is referring to, not the dethroning.
4:45 This is an interesting point! I always thought "Plastics" refer to them being fake. Like they're friends, but only if they can get something from you.
Very well stated. I think Rachel McAdam deserved kudos also - for astounding stage presence and (though not often called on to demonstrate it here) range.
you guys, this movie uses lesbian as a pejorative throughout the whole runtime, casts only conventionally attractive women in non-gag roles, and pairs the suspected gay woman with a man at the end. how are YOU feeling demonized here. misogyny is only wrong against gender normative women??
Misogyny is definitely wrong no matter how the woman presents herself. The purpose of this video isn't to demonize and sideline gender non-conforming women, but to point out a problematic trend in media in which femininity is portrayed as a sign of vapidity, weakness, compliance, or evil. Which Mean Girls, to an extend, perpetuates.
Very good review!
Great video!
such a great and insightful video! also, do you have a slight Irish/Northern Irish accent?
I think the fact that femininity is built by men and for men is being ignored here. Femininity, like the ways of acting, dressing, etc., is not something that benefits women, and it never has been; Think about it: wearing tight/short clothes, heels, makeup, being submissive, shaving, taking care of appearance above all else, prioritizing men's desires, etc. Everything for the male gaze. It's obviously not about judging women who are feminine, but it's also not about saying it's something that women choose without having a single patriarchal influence.
Say it again!!!!! You hit the nail on the head, I wish this point was discussed in the video!
Yup!!!!
This. Also the way she said she IS aware there is hyperbole in the movie but she missed it. No HS girl will actually dress like the plastics. But kids are TOLD by the media that they should. The movie doesn't demonize actual femininity, it says it is not needed to perform what the magazines tell you. The Plastics are shown as what some girls want to be because of the social influence, and in the way, they are told it is not necessary. There is a reason why when Cady becomes fully plastic, the scene that fully shows it is her walking with the rest of her friends in school in high heels and super short clothes. Meanwhile, at the end of the movie where they've all found their peace, the 2 plastics that remained feminine are shown in the exact same style they've had, but only from the top up.
You can be feminine without hurting yourself.
And I think a lot of women who talk about "demonized femininity" miss the point that a lot of the time the said "femininity" is not benefiting women.
Ironically heels and makeup were
Originally worn by men. Heels were worn by soldiers to elevate their footing and makeup was worn by men and women alike in ancient Egypt, not for gender reasons but religious ones
exactly, it's really weird they ignore the fact that hype femininity takes a huge toll on the women who practice it and that it benefits the patriarchy
I love this TH-camr :)
💖