Mean Girls Essay

The 2004 film Mean Girls is a favorite among many and has been seen by almost everyone . The vast majority of viewers see the film as it is given: a coming of age drama about a teenage girl's nightmare about struggling to fit into the “female society” that is high school, filled with corny humor and even a dance routine.This may be true of the story, but if you pay closer attention and read between the lines of the juvenile banter, you'll realize that the movie also has political undertones, particularly as it relates to hierarchy.

How does this narrative relate to politics, then? Not only does the film make multiple references to its high school hierarchy, but it's deeper political message supports the concept of political-resistance and

Repression is Regina's second pillar of dominance; like many notorious dictators before her and many who govern today, in fact, Regina dominates through instilling fear and cruelty among the masses. You can see Regina creating this panic in her peers countless times throughout the film. A notably well-known scene that highlights the cruelty Regina inflicts on her fellow students is when a teacher asks if anyone has ever been personally victimized by Regina George, and the entire female student body, including some teachers, wearily raises their hands! (Mean Girls 2004)This demonstrates that Regina's repression affects not just her peers but also those presumed to be above her; she has considerable power and influence over these

(Mean Girls: Regina George, The Psychology of a Dictator 2019)(Gerschewski 1). Regina does have other competitors, some of whom she confesses to, but instead of making an enemy of them, she ensures that they are close to her but not above her station. As previously said, legitimacy is required for domination, and Regina is largely dependent on her looks and wealth. You may see this co-option in her techniques if you look at who she befriends. Gretchen, the heiress of Toaster Strudels, is the first close friend. Since this is one of the first things we hear about Gretchen, we can safely assume that she is far more wealthy than her friend Regina. Regina, on the other hand, outshines her again since she is both attractive and wealthy. Karen is the next friend, and she is notably attractive; Regina admits that she thinks she is pretty to Cady, but she needs more than one legitimacy to overshadow Regina. Cady is the final character Regina decides to befriend since she regards her as a threat. Cady, on the other hand, is different from the other friends, in that she is attractive and has lived in Africa, providing her with an intriguing past. Cady does, however, later overthrow Regina's reign, but not in hopes of taking it for herself, as Regina initially