Of all the quotable 2000s movies, Mean Girls takes the cake as everyone knows "Is butter a carb?" or "Stop trying to make fetch happen." Looking past these memorable lines and thinking about the characters and overarching plot, it's easy to see why the movie has so many fans, but the movie also has a few glaring flaws.
Mean Girls was released in 2004 and the makeover movie is still beloved. But while there's still much to enjoy about this classic movie, there are some reasons why the same story might not fly if it was released today.
Holds Up: The Discussion Of Bullying
Fans many scenes from Mean Girls and they include Regina George's bullying streak.
The movie shows the influence that a single person can have over their entire class (or entire school, in some cases), and it's definitely tough to watch sometimes. Regina is a bully who wants to be the only successful and beloved person at her high school and if someone gets her way, she's going to take them down. It's rare that an entire movie talks about bullying, especially when it's a comedy, so this is something important that Mean Girls brings to the table.
Didn't Age Well: Cady's Scheme Is Mean
After meeting Janis and Damian, they tell Cady to pretend to be a Plastic and get revenge on Regina George. Cady becomes part of the popular crowd and seems to forget what the original purpose was.
While the plot of Mean Girls is entertaining, it's definitely a bit cruel, as Regina's life is ruined and she starts gaining weight and feeling insecure. Even though she has hurt people, Cady hurts her right back, and that kind of "eye for an eye" storyline feels problematic today. There could have been another way to teach the Plastics a lesson that didn't involve the same kind of bullying.
Holds Up: The Teacher-Student Dynamic
Ms. Norbury is a great teacher and Mean Girls has a fantastic scene when Janis, Damian, and Cady see her at the mall. The teens mention how it's strange to see a teacher outside of school and in the real world. They say that it's hard to adjust to, a funny comment that many students can most likely relate to.
This teacher-student dynamic is still relevant now, as if anyone has ever bumped into a teacher somewhere in their city and town, it feels awkward and it's hard to know what to say.
Didn't Age Well: Damian's Description And Regina's Rumor About Janis
Damian is described as "almost too gay to function" and that's a problematic and offensive statement. This wouldn't be funny in 2021 and the characters would hopefully be treated better.
Regina also spreads a rumor that Janis is gay and this is why Janis wants to create a plan to take her down. All that homophobia would not be tolerated by current audiences.
Holds Up: Teenagers Love Talking On The Phone
Everyone re when Regina and Cady talk about Gretchen on the phone and Gretchen overhears it all. This is a classic part of the movie and also very relatable. Many middle schoolers and high school students make prank calls or spend hours on the phone with a good friend, so Mean Girls proves that phones play a big part in a teenager's life — though today, the teens are more likely to interact over social media.
This call doesn't end well, of course, which is the only logical and reasonable conclusion. It's never a good idea to gossip about people, and even if they don't overhear it that minute, it always comes back to haunt everyone.
Didn't Age Well: A Physical Burn Book
Since Mean Girls came out in 2004, it makes sense that the Plastics would create a Burn Book that was a physical book. Regina's reign of terror began with this book and the Plastics would write cruel things about other students in there. Thankfully, this practice ended thanks to that memorable scene in the high school gym.
This part of the movie didn't age well as now, that Burn Book would be a website or maybe a social media page.
Holds Up: The Desire To Make Friends
One thing that holds up well about Mean Girls is how Cady is interested in becoming friends with the Plastics. While at first, she's just going along with their routine because of the revenge plan, it does seem like she wants to be liked by them.
Everyone wants to have friends, especially in high school, and it makes sense that Cady would want to get to know Karen and Gretchen. It also seems logical that they would all get caught up in wanting to be part of the popular crowd.
Didn't Age Well: Coach Carr's Speech
There are several teen movies throughout the decades that deal with relevant issues such as sex, romance, school, and friendship. But when Mean Girls discusses sex, it doesn't do the best job.
In one scene, Coach Carr told the students, "Don't have sex. Because you will get pregnant, and die. Don't have sex in the missionary position, don't have sex standing up, just... don't do it. Promise?" While this was meant to be a parody of sex education classes, it would have been great to see a teacher having a real discussion with their students about safe sex.
Holds Up: Beloved Place In Pop Culture
Even though not everything has aged well, Mean Girls is still a super popular and beloved movie. The story is classic and gets referenced often in the world of popular culture.
There is also a Mean Girls musical, which proves that the story has made a lasting impression and it's still one that people care about.
Didn't Age Well: Slut-Shaming Name-Calling
There are many Mean Girls quotes that fans still love, but some of the dialogue in this movie hasn't aged well. This is because the characters often call each other "whores" and "sluts," which seems pretty offensive.
Regina says "Boo, you whore" to Karen, and Cady says, "Halloween is the one time of year a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girl can say anything about it." The characters use these words rather casually and while it's making the point that the characters are mean to each other on a regular basis, it feels a little intense now.
