Mean Girls Research Paper

During the opening scenes of the movie Cady’s dad is shown handing her a brown paper sack lunch and telling her that there is a dollar inside so that she will be able to buy milk during lunch, he then tells her that she can ask “one of the big kids” where to buy the milk at. This sounds more like a dad talking to his kindergartner on the first day of school, not a sixteen year old on her first day of high school. This is showing the relationship between Cady and her parents. You always see that even though they are not directly controlling her they are still babying her, which is a part of balancing freedom and control (Santrock 395). A big part of adolescent develop is their need to become independent and their aversion to authority figures because of the mind set that are always right and they know best because they are now growing up. One thing that parents have to strive to achieve is the balance of supporting the child’s newfound independence and their desire to still have control over what is best for their child. Another time that you see Cady’s relationship with her parents is when she asks if she can stay home one weekend without them because they have tickets to a show but she wants to go to Janis’ art show. They protest telling her that she always comes, but then change their minds because they think she is responsible enough to stay home by

Stereotypically, men and women have very different roles in the eyes of society. Gender roles and stereotypes have a history in religious, political, legal and economic systems. In reality, men and women are more alike than most people assume. Throughout the world there are struggles with identity, power, and violence occurring everyday between both men and women. The film Mean Girls, directed by Mark Walters, follows a young girl, Cady’s, transition from being home schooled to public high school. Cady enters the school’s group of mean girls, otherwise known as “the plastics”, which consists of Regina George, Gretchen Wieners, and Karen Smith. Throughout the film each character struggles with their true identity.

"Mean Girls", based on the book "Queen Bees and Wannabes" written by Rosalind Wiseman, was produced by Paramount Pictures in 2004. (Walters 2004, Wiseman 2002) The leading star, 15 year-old Cady Heron (Lindsey Lohan), recently moved to the suburbs of Illinois after being home schooled in Africa by her zoologist parents. During her first day of public high school, Cady befriends two teenager outcasts, Janice Ian (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese). They supply Cady with a map of North Shore High School in order to educate her to the 21 different cliques within the school. Even more, warning Cady to stay away from the "worst people you will ever meet", The Plastics. Which was comprised of three girls: Gretchen Wieners, a girl who's rich because her father invented toaster strudel; Karen Smith, the "dumbest girl you will ever meet"; and Regina George, "queen bee" the unofficial leader and the meanest one. The Plastics take an interest in Cady and invite her to join them, Cady is very unsure of this. She discusses this with Janice and Damian and they convince

As Cady gets to know the plastics they begin to introduce her to The Burn Book. This book is a perfect example of prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice is hostile or negative feelings about people based on their membership in a certain group. Discrimination is behavior directed against persons because of their membership in a particular group. The Burn Book was a book that singled out anyone in their school whether it was fellow students or even faculty members, and would basically list things that were wrong with that person. For example, they stated in the book that one of their newly divorced female teachers was selling drugs on the side and that certain girls were fat and ugly. Some examples would also stereotype because of a part of sports team or group those students were part of. For example, the students that were part of a more man like sports team such as lacrosse or field hockey was considered “lesbians” or “dykes”.

The story begins when Cady meets two friends, Janis and Damien, who show Cady the ways of high school. This is a very normal way in reality and most would not think much of it. Unconsciously, Freud would say, that there is some sort of motive behind this behavior and that there is no possible way that there doing it just to be nice. But as the story goes on we do find out that Janis used to be best friends with Regina (queen bee of “the plastics”) and that their friendship ended due to Regina spreading a rumor that Janis was a lesbian. When Cady is asked by Regina to hang out she is very hesitant to do so and tells Janis what is happening. Janis gets overly excited and instantly her id, the pleasure seeking principle, of her behavior jumps into play causing her to completely ignore

Mean Girls is about a girl named Cady who joins an elite social group at her new school known as the Plastics. While socializing with the Plastics, Cady develops a new, mean girl, personality and ends up sabotaging the group’s leader, Regina, and becomes the new leader of the Plastics. Regina retaliates by spreading the burn book, a book the Plastics filled with insults and gossip about other students, around the school leading to a riot and Cady takes the blame. Cady realizes that her new personality is wrong and apologizes to the school, makes amends with her old friends, and forms a truce with Plastics who disband and become regular students (Mean Girls, 2004).

Mean Girls is about a young teen girl Cady Heron who just moved from Africa to attend a public high school in America for the first time. This is very different for Cady because the high school setting in America will be extremely different from how it was when she was living in Africa. It’s not easy for her because she is not used to the American customs or “norms”. Within the first couple of days of school she becomes really good friends with two people named Janis and Damien. In the school there are many many cliques, and Janis

In the teen comedy Mean Girls, directed by Mark Waters, the protagonist (Cady Heron) is welcomed into the stereotypical high school setting after being raised in Africa for all of her educational path. Cady, never being in a public-school setting, comes across the Plastics: Regina George (unspoken leader), Gretchen Wieners (gossip queen), and Karen Smith (the stupid, clueless one), who are at the top of the social pyramid. Befriended by the girls, Cady is left to decide whether or not she belongs in this clique or if her place exists in a different one. Throughout the film satirist and comedic scenes are used to show the different sexist lenses and stereotypes that women are viewed with.

The scene that best represents this idea is where the Plastics are at the Old Orchard Mall when they see that Jason and Taylor hanging out. This is when Regina steps up for her cliques and decides to hurt Taylor’s reputation for hanging out with Jason because Jason should only be with Plastics. So, she could keep the status and power of Plastics. Following that event, the Plastics and Cady go over at Regina’s house where Cady meets Regina’s abnormal mother. They go to Regina’s room and this is when the Plastics judge their bodies while looking at themselves in the mirror and Cady seems to be shocked by the number of flaws they point out in their selves. At this point, the camera shows the social distance between Cady and the Plastics separating Cady from the Plastics as Cady finds it hard to believe that perfect girls like the Plastics can find flaws in them.

What they didn’t see coming was that Cady would conform and actually become a plastic. Its clear to see that Cady’s personal behavior and morals values start to go down hill when she sees Regina kiss Aaron Samuels, the boy she has a crush on. After feeling devastated and heart broken, Cady decides to get revenge on Regina with the help of Janice and Damian. They accomplish this by giving her face cream that is actually foot cream, feeding her Kalteen bars that actually make you gain weight instead of loose weight, and ultimately get Regina’s friends to turn their backs on her after a nasty three-way call. Regina was then over ruled and kicked out of The Plastics leaving an opening for new Queen Bee Cady. Regina George now furious about loosing her leadership plans revenge against Cady by writing a burn about her self in her own “Burn Book.” The Burn Book is a book that Regina and her friends created to write multiple insulting comments about people from their school. Regina then makes photocopies of the pages from the Burn Book, including the one about her self, and throws them around the school for everyone to

The movie “mean girls” is about a sixteen-year old homeschooled girl named Cady Heron who lived in Africa for the last 12 years of her life. After 12 years she returns to the United States and is now going to High school. Attending public school for the first time in her life. The homeschooled girl entered girl world that is full of lies, drama, gossip, boys and rules. She started hanging out with the “Plastics” and become friends with. The movie showed many example of conflict management styles, it reflects on the American culture values and beliefs, and power style.

Norbury asks the entire senior class to raise their hand if they have ever been victimized by Regina George and nearly every single hand was raised. She does whatever she wants and thinks that everyone admires her. This is mostly because of the way her mom acts towards her and her friends. Regina's mom tries to be one of the teenage girls and gossip along with the "plastics." She even allows her daughter to drink underage. Regina's mom also allows the younger daughter to watch nudity on the television. Her care free, laid back parenting style plays a huge roll on how Regina acts towards her peers. In addition, Cady's parents are very strict. The first sign of this is in the beginning when they are very concerned with sending her to a public high school. After being exposed to the "plastics" and how they act, Cady begins to drink and participate in illegal activity nearly every weekend. Cady finds her wrong doings as an escape from her parents. This is because her parents are too strict and are constantly nagging her. Their uptight, strict parenting style is what leads to Cady doing unacceptable activities.

The need to create an identity for oneself is a strong human desire with an intensity that is equaled only by the craving to become part of a community. With such strong yearnings for individuality as well as a sense of attachment within a group, the most familiar consequence is conflicting emotions that are all too easily persuaded. The 2004 film Mean Girls exhibits various examples of identification and social influence as well as the level of persuasion they hold over the decision making process of the main character, Cady. After arriving at a new school, Cady is immediately accepted by two unpopular students, but then attempts to become noticed by the most popular group of girls, The Plastics. Once Cady is accepted by The Plastics, her moral compass, belief systems, and actions change in order to more closely reflect those around her and solidify her status

The movie Mean Girls is about this new girl Cady Heron who becomes friends with The Plastics. Cady befriends this group of clique as a way to spy on them with the help of her friends Damian and Janis. In the Plastics Regina George can be seen as the Alpha of the group, Gretchen Wieners can be seen as an insecure person and Karen Smith was portrayed as an airhead. In the movie Cady begins to have a crush on Regina’s-ex boyfriend, Aaron Samuels, Regina finding out about this Kisses Aaron Samuels and become his girlfriend again purposely hurting Cady. Throughout the movie Regina can be seen doing mean things or saying mean things to other. According to the DSM-5 Histrionic Personality Disorder is categorized as a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionally and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts.

Starting with the easiest to loom, judgment is used from beginning to end, being the base of the picture. The first to befriend Cady at her new school are Janis and Damien, the "unique art freaks", as others describe. They kindly show her around, and inform her of what is cool and what isn't. The Lunchroom is the most important, in that being where you sit is your social status, or your clique – they have the nerds, Asian nerds, jocks, varsity jocks, burn-outs, girls who eat their feelings, girls who eat nothing, sexually active band geeks, the Plastics, art freaks, and more. Just by reading the names of the different cliques, you can see emphases toward judgment and criticism that was used. If you are not in a certain clique, then you are not liked by or spoken to by that clique. Janis informs all of this to Cady the same day that the gorgeous Plastics, consisting of Regina- the Bratty Queen Bee- and the two princesses Gretchen and Karen, confront Cady and is asked by them to join them for lunch, because she is really pretty. Cady says that eating lunch with them is like leaving the real world and entering girl world, for example she is given a set of rules like only wearing jeans once a week, your hair can only be put back once a week, every Wednesday you have to wear pink, and so on. After lunch, when reunited with Janis and Damien, Janis insists that Cady keeps hanging