Stereotypes In The Film 'Mean Girls'

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"Mean Girls" is a 2004 teen comedy film written and directed by Tina Fey. It has now gained cult classic status. Cady Heron, a young girl who was homeschooled in Africa and is now navigating the perilous social environment of an American high school for the first time, is the main character of the film. As Cady enters high school, she is exposed to a number of cliques, the most well-known of which being "The Plastics," a group of popular girls under the cunning leadership of Regina George. Cady experiences the highs and lows of high school drama, the social order, and personal development as she becomes embroiled with The Plastics. Despite taking a lighthearted and enjoyable approach, "Mean Girls" upholds a number of stereotypes regarding gender, socioeconomic class, and teenage behavior. …show more content…

Stereotypes that most stand out include the portrayal of "The Plastics." Queen Bee, Regina George, is presented as the quintessential cruel girl—beautiful, affluent, and merciless. Gretchen Wieners and Karen Smith, her sidekicks, are likewise stereotyped: Karen is the archetypal "dumb blonde," lending comedic relief with her lack of intelligence, while Gretchen is the insecure gossip, anxious for Regina's praise. The relationships between these characters, which are inflated representations of real-life personalities frequently encountered in high school settings, support the notion that deceptive behavior and surface-level traits are prerequisites for

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