She Is A Mythic Bitch:
The Villainization of the ‘Girly Girl’ and The Misunderstood ‘Mean Girl’
Raise your hand if you've ever been personally victimised by Regina George? Well, maybe she is the victim. Nice girls are made of sugar, spice and everything nice. Mean girls are made of blonde hair, big boobs and are your worst nightmare. Or so we are told. The media we consume perpetuate the dangerous stereotype of the ‘Mean Girl’ which has devastatingly translated into real life. In a recycled formula of high school chick flicks, the protagonist must overcome the obstacles in front of that the beautiful, rich, popular mean girl has put in place. Most notably in the late 90s and early 00s, the ‘Mean Girl’ was the ultimate antagonist, the girl everyone hated. But is the she really the villain? As girls we longed to be like her, yet as an audience we were thirsty for her downfall. As a society, we love to pit women against each other and Hollywood has done just that, through the trope of the ‘Mean Girl’. Is the she the villain or the victim of patriarchal pressures?
The Rule of Regina Georges VS The Revolution of Janis Ians?
It is evident that Mean Girls (2004) has been detrimental in shaping our perception of the aptly named ‘Mean Girl’. On the surface, it first seems that Regina George is the villain of this story; she’s blonde, beautiful and filthy rich. Regina George seems to have everything she wants, from the admiration of the female student body to boys falling at her feet. Like many other ‘Mean Girls’ in cinema, she is a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing. Sweet and smiling to your face, only to stab you in the back. Going against the dumb blonde stereotype, Regina George is highly cunning. She knows that she understands people and recognises how to manipulate them and she is under no illusion on how the real-world works. She is well aware that to succeed, she must come out on top. Although arguably exaggerated, it is apparent that the social hierarchy of high school often translates through to real life situations. When you are at the top of the pyramid, you are safe. In reference to the popular girl group, Veronica Sawyer, in The Heathers: The Musical admires the protection that they have built for themselves (‘they’re solid Teflon, never bothered, never harassed’). If the system works so nicely in the popular girl’s favour, then why would she work to overturn it? She plays the role of the Mean Girl, as it shields her from the violence of high school drama.
However, the rule of the Mean Girl is fragile. The system is ready to crumble at any minute. We often see the protagonist in these films as a ‘not-like-other-girls’ rebel who’s aim is to deconstruct social standards. This is demonstrated through the character of Janis Ian in Mean Girls (2004). Janis isn’t as popular or girly or as ‘mainstream’ as Regina but they are reflections of each other. Despite being ‘alternative’, she is just as scheming, manipulating and controlling as Regina is, if not more. Throughout the film, we are told Regina is the villain yet Janis Ian is the one who corrupts Cady Heron and turns her into everything that Regina George once was.
So, who is the real villain in Mean Girls? It isn’t Regina and it isn’t even Janis. It probably should be the high school P.E teacher who is sleeping with the two students. However, that is another topic for another debate. But the question stands, why do we love Janis and hate Regina? Because Regina George embodies typically feminine qualities and what does society love to hate more than girls? Girly girls.
The Grudge Against ‘Girly Girls’
What do all ‘mean girls’ have in common? They love fashion, pink, shopping, romance; they are girly. With the rise of second wave feminism, girls who love typically feminine things have been left behind. Internalised misogyny has been installed in us since we were young. ‘You’re not like other girls’ has become the ultimate compliment a girl can receive. In Hollywood, the protagonist that we are supposed to love is written with typically masculine attributes, never feminine. The tomboy is the main character, the one to emotionally invest in and the girly girl is the villain. Society has conditioned us to hate femininity so much that we hate ourselves and other girls for simply existing. We despise the ‘mean girl’, not because she is mean but because we have been told to.
Maybe this is why the ‘mean girl’ is so mean. Teenage girls’ likes are mocked, from fashion to boy bands. Do you like pop music? How basic. Do you like rock music? Name one rock song. You wear make-up? Take her swimming on the first date. You don’t? Put a little effort in. We do not allow teenage girls an outlet to enjoy anything. They are bored. Young women are deprived of effective channels to express their emotions. Girls revert to bullying and bitchiness because they are bored. Boys are encouraged to express their aggression, however for young girls, aggression isn’t socially acceptable. Instead of dealing with a lack of communication or toxicity face on, like boys, girls are forced to weaponize relationships with one another. Rumours, lies, meddling in relationships; this is how girls survive the social struggle.
Girls know how to be much more evil because they are much more empathetic. They understand how to read a room and know how to succeed in life. Often, these mean girls possess ‘masculine’ qualities that are applauded in the world of work and real life; confidence, self-assurance, ambition. But more than this, they know how the real-world works. These girls are filled with potential but will never have the opportunities to accomplish their potential. These girls are suffocated under the constraints that the patriarchy has placed upon them. They know they will never be seen for more than their blonde hair or big boobs. This system will never allow them to thrive for anything more than being a bland sex symbol.
Hell Is A Teenage Girl
*Spoilers for Jennifer’s Body (2009)*
For being diminished to their physical appearances and sexualised, you would think female sexuality would be celebrated? No. Female sexuality is to be feared. This is clearly demonstrated in the ultimate ‘mean girl’ Miss Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body (2009). The film was failed as it was marketed towards young men. Wrong move, Mr Movie Men. This horror provided more than a few jump scares, it provided us with a frightening social commentary that was well ahead of its’ time. The film succeeded in terrifying its’ audience and women loved it.
Jennifer falls victim to boys trying to sacrifice her to the devil for fame – which perfectly sums up how Hollywood operates. How many times will a man abuse a woman’s innocence in order to succeed? How much pressure is there on women in order to maintain their purity in order to succeed? The act of the sacrifice was in itself a metaphor that terrified men, as they knew the sinister truth behind it.
These boys have longed for a virgin to sacrifice, yet they do not know she is not a virgin. The plan fails and instead, Jennifer is possessed by a demon. This supernatural transformation is created as a result of Jennifer’s sexuality. It demonstrates the idea that a woman being a sexual being is a danger to men, something to be feared. Gruesome and gore are a consequence of a young woman hitting puberty and becoming sexual. They can no longer be controlled. And hence, she is a monster. Literally. The ultimate mean girl has been born, like a ‘slutty’ little Frankenstein.
The Ramification of Regina George and All Other Girls
The truth is that young women are too complex for us to categorize as a ‘mean girl’ or the ‘girly girl’. They are the sweetest dream and your worst nightmare all at once. They are so much more than the one-dimensional characters they are portrayed on screen as and we are so much more than you think we would be. Hollywood and society have criminalised girls for being girls, whether they be nasty or feminine or sexual. Give girls a break. Let them be bitchy. Let them be sexual. Let them like pink. Girls aren’t mean girls or girly girls or monster girls; they are girls.
The quote 'she is a mythic bitch' and 'they’re solid Teflon, never bothered, never harassed' are both attributed to The Heathers: The Musical
Comments