Get In Loser, We’re Regressing

By Sophia Goetz

I’m no theatre kid, but, to my knowledge, this is how musicals work: characters don't just express their emotions—they belt them out in an expository blast. Even if it appears strange or absurd at first, you can usually get into the groove if the performers and material are interesting enough. But “Mean Girls,” rather than taking flight, just grinds away.

Adhering to the original film’s plot, Cady Heron, a math whiz, has a crush on Aaron Samuels. Regina George, the infamous mean girl prototype, pretends to speak up to Aaron (whom she used to date) for Cady, but all she's really doing is reaffirming her claim to him. Cady is then inspired to try being a mean girl for herself in order to retaliate against her backstabbing frenemy.

Here’s my issue: “Mean Girls” (2004) benefited from stealth, wit, as well as a number of talented young performers. And, while it never moralized explicitly, it did have a serious underpinning: everyone deserves kindness, regardless of their social status. However, in the fiery number "I'd Rather Be Me," Cady lashes out at expectations of "how girls should behave," claiming that "sometimes what's meant to break you /makes you brave." That is fair enough, except that that number contradicts the core concept of the original “Mean Girls.” Instead of acknowledging that mistreating others is the quickest way to demean yourself, it encourages excuse-making: a badass is the best thing a woman can be; it is acceptable to mistreat other women if they have wronged you. If that's feminism, then the mean girls have truly won.