http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBAYiBoy43M
(and the fight scene towards the end, but I couldn’t find a clip of it)
The title of the film Mean Girls is, by itself, indicative of gender stereotypes. After all, the specification that these girls are mean ones, and thus challenge traditional ideas of femininity, shows that society has a collective idea of what females are or should be: gentle, modest, and kind, perhaps. The film throws out this notion, albeit humorously; these girls are vicious in a way that renders their opposition incapable of fighting back, because “all the fighting has to be sneaky,” as Cady points out. This could be said to challenge traditional ideas of females being ever-compassionate.
However, maybe the way in which these girls are “mean” simply reinforces the female ideals that being “mean” seems to throw out. Indeed, if girls were to settle disputes by openly fighting--which is, Cady says, how things would be settled in the vicious animal world and, in a less extreme way, the stereotypically confrontational male world--they would be deemed un-feminine and looked down upon as less than what proper women should be. Their conflicts are therefore manifested in the form of whispers and subtle glares--and when their buried disputes finally come to light (see: fight scene), the principal is horrified that “young ladies” should act in such a primal, monstrous way. In reality, there was no more hostility when the girls were physically fighting than when they were simply taking subdued jabs at each other, but it was seen as utterly unacceptable for the girls to take their fighting to a more direct level. The plot is resolved, and all characters are happy, once the girls conform to traditional notions of femininity and seem to become poised, kind, non-confrontational women.
I'm so glad you wrote about Mean Girls - definitely one of my favorite movies of all time! Plus, it fits in right with the subject of our class in that Cady is a good girl that goes bad.
ReplyDeleteI don't really agree with the ending of your blog, though. At the end, it doesn't seem that the girls are conforming to traditional notions of femininity - rather, it seems that they have realized how ridiculous many of their problems were and have learned to deal with them in a healthier manner. This manner isn't necessarily feminine, because otherwise that would mean masculine individuals wouldn't be able to resolve conflict in a health way. I hope I'm making sense? :)
The connection with the principal was good too - he plays WAY too much into stereotypes in being the "token black male" of the film (he comes from the south side of Chicago) and in believing girls are meant to be "young ladies." AWESOME BLOG!
It's great that you focused on the stereotypical codes and rules of female to female confrontation. You say that what makes these girls "mean" is their masculine qualities of "aggression and anger".
ReplyDeleteBut I think the movie's portrayal of these girls actually enhances their feminine qualities and further entrenches gender stereotypes instead of challenging them.
I agree with you, the girls are far from poised and elegant when they are pitted against each other. But the way in which they resolve their conflicts is distinctly feminine! Mean Girls definitely provides the audience with an insider look to the politics and hierarchy of young adult girls.