High School Cliques

In the film “Mean Girls” there were many types of peer relationships expressed. Friendships are described as a reciprocal liking, trust, and loyalty between all participating dyadic parties. An example in the film is the relationship that Damian and Janis hold because they are loyal to each other and the liking is mutual. Peer acceptance is to the degree one is liked by their peers. In the film Aaron Samuels is very much liked by his peers. Perceived popular is a child that is considered popular based on their peers’ perceptions. Regina George is a prime example of teenage girl perceived as popular. When students described Regina George in the film these type of comments were made, “Regina George is flawless”, “One time she punched me in the faced. It was awesome.”, and “she always looks fierce.” Cliques are polyadic social groups that are voluntary. A main clique in the movie is “The Plastics” which consists of Regina George, Gretchen Wieners, and Karen Smith. These forms of peer relationships are a lot more complex than just a group of friends, these relationships of dynamic in early adolescence.

The movie Mean Girls favors popular culture when it comes to fashion, music, and trends. When Cady and Janis cut holes into Regina’s tank top a majority of the girls also did so because the most popular girl so it was considered to be cool. Most people try to fit in to avoid being harassed by those who are popular and those who dare to not conform are more vulnerable to harassment. The girls who attended Cady’s school were more likely to make fun of eachother than the boys.

Jack was a boy who wanted to fit in with everybody in school. It took him awhile to understand that cliques begin in middle school. Realizing that he got labeled as “nerd” for reading books and having glasses, he decided to change his appearance. Jack stated, “I figured if I wore clothes that were more like everyone else’s I could pass for cool, or at least not be made fun of” (Garrod, 2012, p. 180). Along with the wardrobe change, he also convinced his parents to let him use contact lens’ and went to the dentist to fix his yellow patched teeth. Jack noticed how his peers picked on him during school. Even if he thought someone was his friends he knew if he did something they did not approve of, they would turn their back on him. He did not

Middle school was the point in every middle scholar’s life to find a group where they fit in. These groups were called cliques, a group centered around gossiping about others and even gossiping about one another in the group. In middle school this group became your community. The group you do everything with and told everything to. This group is almost like your other family. Sadly, this community, the people you surround yourself with can lead to negative thinking about others. Your community can easily persuade your actions and thoughts because the people you surround yourself with have such a big influence on your life.

Melinda Sordino completely loathes the cliques at Merryweather High school, there are so many it is overwhelming. There's a group for every type of person , in theory it should work, but it does not, simply because people are seclude to one certain group and have to keep up to a certain standard. I think another reason why Melinda hates the cliques is, because she is all alone and does not fit anywhere, so seeing the cliques is just another painful reminder. Also Melinda losses the only friend she had to the Martha's , which is serious blow to her self esteem. This quote best describes how Melinda feels” We fall into clans: Jocks, Country Clubbers, Idiot Savants, Cheerleaders, Human Waste, Eurotrash, Future Fascists of America, Big Hair Chix,

They might have a fall out with a friend in there own group at one point and join another or they simply make friends in another group and realize who true friends are and join one group. Cliques form by bonding over something. That’s how the group gets it’s name. If a group is all about sports than they’re athletes, if someone’s group is all about skating than they’re skaters. Depending on what clique you’re in, it can be good or bad.

The film tries to mimic some aspects of a public high school. There are some elements of cliques throughout the movie, which a typical high school tends to have. These groups are usually people that have a common interest, mainly being a friend group. In the movie, certain cliques are shown in the lunchroom: the plastiques, the jocks, and the Asian nerds. So, when Cady moves to the new school, it is difficult for her to fit in just like being new at any high school. The movie is also realistic in the way it shows the types of friends some people may have in high school. When Cady joined the plastiques, Regina George, the head of the plastiques tells her that she has a lovely bracelet. Cady rejoices at the moment, but later Regina comments on someone else's skirt while immediately turning to

Second, while discussing her attitude, Claire discloses feeling substantial pressure from her friends, admitting that she hates doing what they say (Hughes et al., 1985). This is a realistic example of how clique member’s ensure conformity and strengthen cohesiveness (Arnett 2013).

Let me start off by saying this reading really opened up my eyes. It’s crazy that there is so much that comes into consideration when being apart of a society. High school is a big part of many people’s lives, they need to make it out big in the hallways. This means that people will do anything in their power just to fit in with the “cool kids”. In reality there is such a thing of a higher status and a lower status, but the fact that in high schools it’s a huge problem is sad. When I was in high schools, which wasn’t that long ago, this was a big problem. People needed to have the hottest clothes, shoes, phones, and music, in order to just be recognized. The funny thing is was that, the “nerds” were very high in demand as well. The cool kids wanted to be on their side as

In this particular film, students are also treated in a like manner of those in The Breakfast Club. Social stereotypes are also present which hinders adolescents’ social development. This gives individuals a closed mind about the possibilities of other human beings. In Mean Girls, this issue is especially prominent in the scene in which the popular girls, otherwise known as ‘The Plastics’, reveal to their new friend about a burn book they have. This book categorizes every person in school and sheds negative light about each and every one of them. Doing so, causes an uproar in the school. Therefore causing students to lash out at one another. Eventually, these students also see a corrupted social system and attempt to end such a horrendous

The fact that the students in this movie actually become friends at the end shows that when looking at this situation from a sociological view, it can be said that cliques are not always what defines people. Cliques can be a negative and a positive thing. Obviously the negatives to cliques are that people get labeled into stereotypes which can be hurtful to some, and that people isolate themselves from other peers that are not in the clique. Positives of cliques can be that the people in the group have a sense of belonging, support from their friends during tough times, and also have a form of identity.

Functionalist theory states that everyone in society serves a purpose, which in turn makes society functional. In reference to “Mean Girls,” the variety of groups serves as a necessity to the functionality of high school. When Cady is given a map of the cafeteria, some of the cliques mentioned include The Plastics, The Cool Asians, The Jocks, and The Asian Nerds. Each group serves a particular function in order for the school to function normally. As that being said, there is a level of inequality amongst the individuals of the groups. In this case, popularity is measuring stick. The Plastics are sitting up in the throne and the majority of the school follows their trends. Emile Durkheim, a functionalist, would state that social order is preserved through public harmony. If there were to be any changes made to where each group was on the popularity ladder, it would need to be a mass

Some cliques at Easton would be: the popular girl, the jocks, the nerds, the band kids, and drama club kids, the skater boys, and the weird kids. I think I belong mostly to the band kids not only because I am a band kid more so because I relate more to the band kids and those are the only people I hang out

John Green’s “Freak the Geek” takes place at Hoover Preparatory School for girls, where the are very clear distinctions in friend and social groups. The school has the traditional school groups that you may see in a movie about high school, or something similar. There are populars, and the “geeks”. Lauren doesn’t like a lot of the things the school does over and over again, things she says are traditions. One theme or idea that comes up a lot throughout the story is that there is a social ideal, and you are expected to follow it, or “suffer the consequences”.

For four long years I felt as if my high school was in a different world in of itself. I had spent that time interacting with an extensive amount of groups, or “cliques”, and getting to know what they do. Through my experiences, I had begun to realize what made this “subculture” high school of sorts run like it did. High school is an incredibly dynamic time for people, and I had changed as a person dramatically from my freshman to senior year. Like many, my freshman year was quite awkward, as remnants of my middle school self remained with me. As time went on, how, I talked to more people and grew out of my passive and shy personality. This did not just randomly happen without reason though. I began to learn and realize who I was and whom I enjoyed talking to in school, which explained why I spent so much time socializing with multiple kinds and groups of people. Everyone’s concept of “normal” was different, and high school was where I learned that lesson and will never forget.