When we were instructed to choose a speech, either real or fictitious, my mind immediately went to the iconic speech that cady heron lindsay lohan gives at the end of the film mean girls. This motion picture was the perfect platform for showcasing various types of behavioral psychology. Cady is unprepared for the complex social system she encounters there, but soon realizes high school and the african jungle have a lot in common. Mean girls introduction mean girls 2004 is a movie that captures the challenging obstacles, excitements, and the letdowns that the adolescents face during high school. The movies plot is based upon the behaviour of young women so it is important to point out misrepresentations. Fans of her like these other characters in entertainment.
Norbury, the newly divorced math teacher who moonlights as a. Cady heron is a hit with the plastics, the alist girl clique at her new. Mean girls essays are academic essays for citation. Caty, the main character, is faced with several extreme situations where she decides to conform, and in the end it gets her in. It is partially based on rosalind wiseman s 2002 nonfiction selfhelp book, queen bees and wannabes, which describes female high school social cliques and the damaging effects they can have on girls.
There are concepts of the conflict theory that can be found in the movie itself. She is portrayed as a regular girl, despite her challenges and who is not seen complaining or wishing she was someone different. Scientific analysis, discussion and freakouts about film. The film stars lindsay lohan, rachel mcadams, tim meadows, ana gasteyer, amy poehler and fey.
Analysis of the movie mean girls 1037 words bartleby. Mean girls is about an innocent, homeschooled girl, cady who. Mark waters directed the script written by tina fey, adapted from the selfhelp book queen bees and wannabes by rosalind wiseman, which examines the inner workings of female cliques in high school and the detrimental effects they can have on developing young women. An analysis of power and social dynamics in mean girls medium. All clips are property of paramount pictures, producers of mean girls 2004, the movie shown. In a wasteland of dumb movies about teenagers, mean girls is a smart. Cady first interacted with janis and damian the outcasts, until the schools values tell cady that it is not cool to hang out with them. Caty, the main character, is faced with several extreme situations where she decides to conform, and in the end it gets her in trouble, which she barely manages to fix. It even contains some wisdom, although i hesitate to. Mean girls was a movie before twitter even existed. This portrayal of teenage girls has both direct and indirect influence on society, and more so today as the issue of bullying, especially cyber bullying is.
The style of mean girls is glossy, the use of high key lighting creates an expensive look and the contrast of highbright colours makes the film more vivid and eye catching the use of the bright colours encourages a cheerful and young audience. To the catchphrases that were common coin at home, from singin in the. Now, i mostly chose this because i have seen this movie at least thirty times not an exaggeration, but i thought it would be interesting to see if there are any rhetorical appeals in this speech. It even contains some wisdom, although i hesitate to mention that lest i scare off its target audience. Mean girls is a comedy full of memorable quotes, amusing characters, and lots of laughs for its audience, but what many people may not realize is that this movie includes many social psychological concepts. Mean girls presents a vicious version of womanhood that rings extremely true for, well, pretty much every woman in the western hemisphere.
I also thought about making a drinking game because obvs, but you could play with only two rules and still get tanked. When her family moves to the suburbs of illinois, cady finally gets to experience public school and gets a quick primer on the cruel, tacit laws of popularity that divide her fellow students into tightly knit cliques. Apr 30, 2004 in a wasteland of dumb movies about teenagers, mean girls is a smart and funny one. Mean girls analysis mean girls, a popular comedic film, is about high school drama in its highest form wanting to be popular. Mean girls is a funnier and more insightful movie than your average teen comedy. Regina george is the main antagonist of the movie and musical mean girls and leader of the plastics.
They knew the movie by heart long before they knew from high school. If you like this video, subscribe for more and click the bell. Mead focuses on behaviorism based on how others perceive you. Damian says that karen had once asked him how to spell orange. The first trailer to be analysed is mean girls, a teen movie released in 2004. A video on hyperbole, imagery, inference, and invective using examples from mean girls 2004. All other girls in the school are dismissed as uncool and therefore unfit to hang out with these girls. In conclusion, we found that the movie mean girls is a welldeveloped portrayal of american high school culture. The way that the characters in mean girls communicate with one another is realistic, even if it is exaggerated at times.
Furthermore i will be discussing how the representations shown will influence my own film gender itself within the film is a major theme of representation. The preferred meaning is that of wealth and the creation. Cady is unprepared for the complex social system she encounters there, but soon realizes high school and the african jungle have a. Regina is intelligent, manipulative, and capable of doing everything in her power to get what she wants. Mean girls isnt just one of the most quoted comedies of all time. Even though the movie premiered in 2004, the problems, interactions, and stereotypes presented are still relevant in todays environment. The film ends with the plastics disbanding by the start of the new school year. The girls are all ordered into the school hall, where they undergo a trust workshop, because of this. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing mean girls near you.
First, there is a theme of the horrors of being mean. On wednesday the 21st of september, we had to individually choose a scene to analyse. Also, when cady sits down with the plastics at lunch, karen asks, so if youre from africa, then why are you white, which is feeding the stereotype that karen is a dumb blonde. The mothers in the movie are not much help, however, and feys screenplay wisely uses comedy as a learning tool.
This type of power is also present in this movie and our book defines it as, the. Janis is the very first person cady heron meets after becoming a student at north shore high school. Mean girls is a comedic, yet accurate portrayal of the body image issues that high school girls face today. Cady is the 15yearold, africaraised high school girl begins her high school life by learning what its like to be a normal girl by making friends and talking about other classmates. Mean girls behavioral analysis the movie mean girls, featuring lindsay lohan and tina fey, is a comedic film about a girl in high school who has to deal with all the problems, pressures, and choices of growing up in american society in comparison to that of being homeschooled in africa. Mean girls 2004 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. An analysis of interpersonal communication a demonstration of the importance of interpersonal communication. The first thing the students thought when they heard there was a new transfer student in class from. An analysis of power and social dynamics in mean girls. Cady heron is a hit with the plastics, the alist girl clique at her new school, until she. There is a stereotype with karen where she is a dumb blonde.
She is portrayed by rachel mcadams in the movie and taylor louderman in the musical. Oct 02, 2019 do you think the janiss happy ending is deserved. The films comedy can be broad, like when cady falls headfirst into a trash can. The tv ads, which show lindsay lohan landing ass over teakettle in a garbage can, are probably right on the money.
The frankensteins to cadys mean girl monster, janis and damian are the new kid. Long vu november 17, 2012 women studies sally winkle film analysis mean girls in mean girls, the main character is lindsay lohan who plays the role of a 15 year old high school student, cady heron. The movie touches on several media theories including aggressive cues, social cognitive theory, gender portrayal, and perhaps the most relevant. An analysis of power and social dynamics in mean girls the movie has such enduring power and is quoted so much because it sheds light on real sociological phenomena. Apr 29, 2004 lets see what the culture makes of mean girls paramount, a funny and goodnatured hybrid of pop psychology and saturday night live satire, written by the 33yearold head writer of snl, tina. Theyre selfcentered, theyre cutting and cruel and talk so much garbage about their female peers that it literally fills a book. Mean girls study guide contains a biography of director mark waters.
Representation of gender in mean girls gender125blog. Plot summary for mean girls 2004, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. She is not just another high school bully she is also commonly referred to as the queen bee and the. Mean girls portrays girls acting out verbally against one another. Short film analysis mean girls ocr g324 advanced media. Comedies of social acceptance in the 17th century and now. The movie mean girls is a perfect display of the role of conformity throughout different cliques in high school and how it affects the kids themselves. Regina joins the lacrosse team, karen becomes the school weather girl, gretchen joins the cool asians, and cady hangs out with damien and janis. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Mean girls in the movie mean girls, cady, played by lindsay lohan is faced with a new chapter in her life when she enrolled in a high school for the first time. A highly scientific analysis of mean girls forever young. As well as penning the screenplay, fey stars in the movie as ms.
In the movie mean girls, regina george, gretchen wieners, cady herron, and karen smith are referred to as the plastics by their fellow classmates because of. On this page i will be analyzing the representation of women, teenagers and age within my analysis film mean girls by mark waters. Molly anderson cms 330 important characters responsiveness and conflict management referent power one of the many examples of referent power in this movie. Role exit northshore high school highly affects how both cady and karen socialize at the school. Social psychological concepts in the movie mean girls essay. This is proven when cady is considering joining the mathletes but regina states that it would be social suicide in such a horrific tone. Feb 06, 2015 a video on hyperbole, imagery, inference, and invective using examples from mean girls 2004. Ss analysis of the representation of gender in the film mean girls rightfully focuses on the misrepresentation of the female gender. An ingroup is a social group to which a person psychologically identifies as being a member. Aug 31, 2014 an analysis of power and social dynamics in mean girls the movie has such enduring power and is quoted so much because it sheds light on real sociological phenomena.
These companies have ideologies of wealth and popularity, which bring the connotations of an expensive set, extravagant costumes, and the attraction of big names in the acting industry. Cold, shiny, hard, plastic, said by janice referring to a group of girls in the movie mean girls. Mean girls is a film that is popular especially for teenage girls. By contrast, an outgroup is a social group with which an individual does not identify. Although the movie is greatly exaggerated and does not hold to the true essence of reality, the film portrays the struggles an individual faces during adolescence. The scenes take place in the mall and in the cafeteria of north shore. Mean girls study guide buy study guide mean girls is a high school teen comedy released in 2004 by paramount pictures, starring lindsay lohan and rachel mcadams. Lets see what the culture makes of mean girls paramount, a funny and. Analysis of the movie mean girls 1026 words 123 help me. When the film is following the twists and turns of the mean girl schemes, it has an energy and a life that is. Cady heron is a hit with the plastics, the alist girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for aaron samuels, the exboyfriend of alpha plastic regina george. Teenage cady heron lindsay lohan was educated in africa by her scientist parents.
It can also be subtle, like the fact that janis isnt a lesbian, shes lebanese. They see themselves as royalty, although regina is the head backstabber and would even throw her two sidekicks under the bus in order to remain on top. Lets see what the culture makes of mean girls paramount, a funny and goodnatured hybrid of pop psychology and saturday night live satire. Mean girls behavioral analysis essay 760 words bartleby. In a wasteland of dumb movies about teenagers, mean girls is a smart and funny one. The style of mean girls is glossy, the use of high key lighting creates an expensive look and the contrast of highbright colours makes the film more vivid and eye catching the use of the. It mainly follows a girl named cady, a new student looking to make and please friends. I am going to be analyzing the movie by meads perspective. Karen, regina and gretchen are considered to be the mean girls, the ones who think they are the best of the best in their high school and no one can mess with them. Helping your daughter survive cliques, gossip, boyfriends, and other realities of adolescence. Capital is the goal and source the society hungers for, it is what controls the society. Before i provide my analysis, ill present my brief summary on the movie mean girls. Even the most popular girls in school find it necessary to degrade themselves, and encourage other members of the group to do so.
I chose a scene in mean girls, where there is a 4 way call between 4 teenage girls. Mean girls follows teenager cady heron lindsay lohan as she enters high school for the first time at 16, after being homeschooled her entire life in africa by zoologist parents. Take a drink after you hear a line that has or will become a. Mean girls is a high school teen comedy released in 2004 by paramount pictures, starring lindsay lohan and rachel mcadams. Since she was home schooled and never had an experience of being in a regular school, she finds everything different. Mean girls is a 2004 american teen comedy film directed by mark waters, and written by tina fey. A highly scientific analysis of mean girls forever young adult. Theres a part near the end of mean girls when, as the girls of the junior class brawl throughout the halls, joan the secretary yells to mr. Tellingly, the only struggle with money is the one faced by tina feys character, ms. The movie has such enduring power and is quoted so much because it sheds light on.
May 02, 2018 mean girls picked up a leading 12 tony award nominations on tuesday, including one for best musical and another for feys book, which adapts her 2004 movie for the stage. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of mean girls, directed by mark waters. Given how much fya quotes mean girls, refers to mean girls, and just plain ol loves mean girls, its kind of surprising that weve never really talked about mean girls so lets talk about mean girls, yall. It is a film that has a few positive aspects such as the portrayal of the character with disability and in the wheelchair. Applying the conflict theory to mean girls has helped me breakdown the theme and understand the underlying message of the movie. Mean girls lindsey kartaszewicz monday, april 28, 14 2. The scenes signify that the american high school is like a jungle, and that the teenagers are animals. Janice tells regina that cady becoming a plastic was just a joke, and tells her all of the mean things that cady did to her. This is a form of aggression of insults and verbal abuse. Over the course of the film, she ditches her denim for short skirts and trades her tees for crop tops. I now realize that this deals with a bigger concept than displayed and this problem is still in occurrence. In the broadway musical mean girls she is portrayed by barrett wilbert weed, and her last name was changed to sarkisian.