10 Lessons I Learned 10 Years After ‘Mean Girls’
I am like the biggest Mean Girls fan in Egypt, if not the world. You will find me saying catch phrases from the movie throughout my mundane conversations. It started when I was 12. The movie was released and I’ve had a poster of the cafeteria map above my bed since then.
Why am I crazy about it? If not the amazing fashion or the gorgeous people or the hilarious dialogue, it’s the plot that is timeless and basically taught a whole generation of youth everything it needed to know, from how to dress to how to get revenge.
You can apply these concepts on any social group, be it work, college, school, whatever.
Revenge is not as sweet as it sounds, but it turns things around
Let’s admit it, sticking revenge on someone sounds so brilliant when you’re angry, but after a while things get complicated, very complicated. Cady almost lost everything because of Janis’s revenge. Without Janis’s plan, would anything have changed in high school? Regina would rule the high school world til graduation and probably wouldn’t have learned anything. And we would have never seen Gretchen’s Asian hair look.
When you like a guy, just go freaking tell him yourself
Yes! Yes, please. Don’t ask your friends and totally not his ex. Also, don’t sit there and expect that he will fall for you when you have barely spoken to him. Cady never actually talked to Aaron Samuels before asking Regina to talk to him about her. Get a hint, people.
You can take down a dictator by cutting off their resources
If someone powerful is annoying you, the solution is to find her or his power points and turn them against her or him. When that dictator has everything turned around, they will feel fragile and cracking them will be a piece of cake. Regina George would be nothing without her technically-good physique, high-status man candy and a group of ignorant followers.
The glam life with the cool posse has its costs
The cool group looks like heaven from the outside – they are the hottest girls in college or the most paid at work. They get invited to cool events, they always look good and everybody knows things about them. Inside the group, you will have to do whatever it takes to feed your addiction to being cool and it won’t make you as happy as they look. Gretchen was being treated horribly by Regina, yet was still hanging out with her just because she wanted to be a cool girl in The Plastics.
Don’t trust anyone with your diet
No, sweetie, not unless it’s a certified trainer or nutritionist. There will never be a magical pill or a nutrition bar or a three-day diet that will help you lose weight. Those “Swedish nutrition bars” pushed Regina out of her Spring Fling dress and opened up her appetite for all the carbs in the world – and, by the way, butter is not a carb.
Always ask for the dress code when attending an event
I have been through this before. It’s not fun going somewhere wearing an evening gown and everybody else is in jeans and T-shirts. When Cady showed up to the Halloween party in the “ex-wife” costume, while everybody was wearing their sluttiest outfit, that was the beginning of a bad party.
Be nice to the people on your way up because you will meet them on your way down
If you step on anybody who doesn’t seem powerful or that important while you’re climbing the social ladder, it will bite you in the back, my friend. Yes, sure, The Plastics ruled the school with cruelty, but nobody was there to catch Gretchen when she was throwing herself into the crowd – well, except for Karen, who doesn’t really count.
The world is made up of followers and leaders
Deal with it! If you are not a leader, you are a follower. A leader gets to set rules and everybody wants their affection and attention. Beware of a mean leader, though, even if it’s your best friend. Karen couldn’t respond to being called stupid by Regina and Ian kept trying to tell Cady about what Regina did to Janis, but Janis never let him. That’s how leaders and followers act.
Don’t talk trash ANYBODY!
They will find out eventually, even if you are telling the most discreet person in the world. Everybody has this habit of telling their best friend and asking them not to tell anyone, and it’s an infinite circle of people and their best friends. Also, everybody likes to add their personal touch. The whole idea of the Burn Book was based on this, rumors and trash talking. Did you write this? No? Then you told somebody!
Dress to impress
I heard someone once say, “Dress every day like you are going to meet your worst enemy”. Dressing well will put you in a good mood and won’t put you in the risk of running into an ex and his hot girlfriend looking like you just rolled out of bed. The Plastics always looked good, even in gym class. Mini skirt, check. Personalized accessories, check. Perfect shoes, double check. And remember, “On Wednesdays, we wear pink!”
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