GWSS 3306: Popular Culture Women

Everytime i watch Mean Girls, I'm immediately back in high school. The part that got me the first time was when they are showing the different lunch tables and described the people sitting at them. Everything down to the sex crazed band kids it fit my school. I didn't actually enjoy Tina Fey until i saw this movie. It addresses some good topics that really do significantly damage a teenage girls years of puberty. The movie is hysterically funny and puts things under a relatable microscope. You were either one of those girls, or knew one of them, or were afraid of them, or maybe even thought they were a joke. It reveals teenage girls' secrets to revenge (which i'd be lying if i said i couldn't also identify with that part as well). The friendships formed in this movie are what makes it so interesting. The way they all so boldly tarnish each others' reputations without remorse is what exploits them as the furthest thing from a friend. it shows the nasty things people can do to each other and the lengths they will go to achieve humilation towards someone else. an important part is at the end when there's resolution and forgiveness. They all admitted to their faults and moved on.

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2)Rigid Codes/ Feminine Ideal/Fitting In: The movie portrays the many unwritten rules that exist in "girl world." While some are stated explicitly, like wearing pink on certain days and wearing jeans on others, there are other more subtle rules of being ideally feminine and fitting in. The kind of aggression displayed in the film is almost never overt. Girls in the movie are mean by being sarcastically nice. This fits in with the idea that it is not lady like to be outwardly mean and aggressive. Girls are not "allowed" to call names in front of people's faces, or get into fist fights, like is culturally allowed for boys. Like Cady says, girls have to be sneaky. This allows girls to keep up the appearance that they are nice, and therefore able to be liked, while at the same time being able to get out their frustrations and aggression.

5)Enforcing Heterosexuality: One of the ways in which the movie portrays the enforcement of heterosexuality is by using the label of "lesbian" as a threat. Janice was able to be cast out because Regina labelled her as a lesbian. The idea that girls are supposed to view relationships with boys as superior to any friendships or relationships with girls enforces heterosexuality by making boy-girl relationships the standard. I also found it rather odd that Janice, being best friends with an out gay male, would be so sensitive to and angry at the label of lesbian. She would not even let Damien tell Cady that Regina had called her that. One would think that she, as a gay-friendly person, would not view it as such an insult. The movie also enforces sexuality by its portrayal of Damien. Damien's sexuality is viewed as comedic, and we are supposed to laugh at his stereotypical behaviors, instead of view him as a real, complete person. The fact that, by the end of the movie everyone is paired up in a heterosexual relationship, but Damien is still single, exemplifies the movie's view that gay people are okay, as long as we don't see them as being sexual.

Posted by Melissa Green at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship:
In the movie Mean Girls, friendship functions in a very strange way. Girls are nice to each others faces, but the talk smack about each other. They seem to be such amazing friends, but then they turn around and tell others how they don't even like one person that much. They use each other as support systems and as ways to climb the social ladder.
Everyone wants to be like The Plastics, and if it means stepping on old friends, then that's what has to happen. No one is open with their friends, that is a big factor in maintaining a suppotive relationship. Friendship is important in high school, especially to girls, but for different reasons at different times. When something goes wrong, they want people there to support them and make them feel better. But sometimes they just want friends who are 'cool' and can get them seen as 'cool'.

Enforcing Heterosexuality:
The movie enforces the rules of sexuality by making the supposedly bisexual girl and the gay boy the outcasts. They're the people that everyone views as freaks because they aren't the same. Janis is called a "dyke" because that's how The Plastics decided to label her just because she was different. If you're different you're labeled as such and looked down upon.
Heterosexual romance drives this movie and enforces gender roles. Two main characters fight over a boy, one gets him just to mess around with the other. Cady dumbs herself down just to try to get his attention, making it seem like she needs to depend on him to do well. The girls all spend time making themselves look pretty so the boys will notice them. The girls who dress down are looked down on and aren't as popular.

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2. The Rigid Codes of Feminism/Fitting In
" You know I'm not allowed to wear hoop earrings, right?" a distressed Gretchen tells Cady, in reference to one of many ridiculous dress codes and rules of The Plastics. Gretchen goes on to tell Cady the reasoning for why she can't wear hoops, even though she likes to, is because Regina won't let her.
This is an important facet of the rigid codes of fitting in-- Regina forbids her "friend" to wear hoop earrings, most likely because she feels threatened by someone else looking better than her. A lot of the "codes" of the Plastics were fueled by low self esteem and insecurity, which obviously runs rampant in high school, when it means so much to be part of the whole, and to be liked. Because its in high school when we are still unsure of our own thoughts about ourselves, or anything for that matter, because we are still learning, so we look to others to confirm how we feel or what we're thinking. So, of course, we want others to confirm our thoughts that we are generally good people, and that we are interesting and worthwhile, but somehow, all of these qualities are judged by how good we look.
For some reason, then, we want to come off as better than others in comparison, and I think thats the basis for the girl-on-girl sabotage that was the main plot of the movie. Therefore, girls will pick other girls apart to make them feel better about themselves. The character of Regina even went as far as making Cady second guess herself, because she could tell that Cady felt pretty good about herself and had no reason to feel self conscious in the first place. For instance, towards the beginning of Mean Girls, when Regina invites Cady to sit with them at lunch, she says, "So, you're like... pretty", to which Cady, thrown off, replies, "Thanks?". Regina then shows the transparency of her compliment when she disgustedly retorts, "Oh. So you agree? You think you're pretty."
This scene is interesting because it shows how a girl can completely turn on another when she feels threatened, and in this case, Regina is trying to keep Cady down, making her rethink whether or not its okay for her to feel pretty. So, later, to fit in, Cady tears herself apart in front of the mirror when the Plastics are over at Regina's house, bonding over their perceived "flaws". There is something very wrong about that-- conforming to the beauty ideal of never being good enough in order to fit in with the popular girls.

5. Enforcing Heteroexuality
There are a lot of scenes in this movie that touch on the high school notion that being gay or bisexual is "bad", and that the traditional roles of gender are enforced. For example, in the Burn Book, Janis is condemned a "dyke", and is looked upon by the Plastics as a freak for being different. They don't even truthfully know Janis' sexual orientation, but still use the derogatory term "dyke" to make sense of her clothing choices and her disinterest in fitting in.
Even though Janis and Damien are supposedly good friends, she still constantly puts him down with anti-gay shots, such as "You're too gay to function". This is really sad, because even though they are "friends", one can see that Janis still feels the pressure to condemn gayness as wrong or as something that retards normal functioning, almost as if to say, sure you're my friend, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with your sexual orientation.
Finally, the situation between Cady and her love interest, Aaron, reinforces the gender roles of traditional heterosexual relationships. Cady, who is innately bright and good at math, decides to dumb herself down for Aaron, so as not to make him feel inferior. Because, of course, the heterosexual dynamic requires the female to be inferior to the male. The humor of the situation is that Aaron is actually really dumb, and in reality inferior to Cady as far as math skills go, so when she asks him to help her with math, her inner monologue is berating him for being wrong. Its just so ridiculous, though, that Cady would stoop beneath his skill level to "impress" him, and to get his attention. It just seems counterintuitive-- trying to woo someone by needing their help, and trying to impress them by being dumb. But she feels that thats whats expected of her, and she saw how discouraged he felt when she got A's on her tests, so she started getting D's to pump up his ego and allow him to think she needed to rely on him.
However, Ms. Nordbury did not just stand by and allow this to happen in her classroom. Tina Fey makes a great point when she talks to Cady and lets her know that she can see through the ditzy act, and she tells her that its just not worth it to degrade one's abilities just to get attention from a boy.

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ROLE MODELS/AUTHORITY FIGURES
I find the parents and teachers of this film to be some of the most interesting characters because...

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Posted by Emma Furness at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship: Mean Girls portrays many different types of immature relationships. The common interest with the Plastic girls is the desire to maintain their popularity. Everyday, when the doors of a middle/high school opens it lets in a fog of low self-esteem that lingers through out the day. It leaves at the end of the day, only to follow the student’s home and back again to school. The Plastic's girls formed a clique together because they have found acceptance from a certain image. To maintain their status they thrive off their classmate and each other’s insecurities to boast their own self-esteem. The Plastics are not a group of friends. The lack the ability to genuinely care about anyone but themselves and to have any kind "real" friendship or relationship this is a necessity.
Role Model: Ms. Nordbury is the only role model in this movie. She is confident individual that has great morals and stand up for what she believes in. She has a firm grasp on what is important and knows how to relay those messages to her students. She recognizes potential in Cady and help to guide her to make the right decisions. Every teacher is an authority figure and someone that students will potentially look up to. Ms. Nordbury acknowledged Cady's potential and voiced her disappointment when Cady was making the wrong choices.

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FRIENDSHIP
Cady grew up in Africa where she was home-schooled until her family moved to the U.S. Cady came into the new high school fresh and unspoiled. She was naive about the silly games high school girls play. She made friends right away with Janis and Damian but soon fell victim to The Plastics.
The Plastics are a tight bunch of friends with their own foolish rules for membership. If you are loyal you will play along with the 'game' and do whatever it takes to fit in. This means wearing certain colors or types of clothing on certain days. This is The Plastics' version of loyalty and sisterhood within their clique. They are all insecure of themselves and their relationships with one another. A healthy, supportive friendship does not rely on 'rules of the 'game'. Friends should encourage one another to be themselves and value their individualism.
ROLE MODELS/AUTHORITY FIGURES
One strong authority figure in this film would certainly be the teacher, Ms. Norbury, played by Tina Fey. She is Cady's calculus teacher and is also a supervisor for the Mathletes. She is a strong, independent, intellegent, divorced woman who works 2 jobs. She is a good role model for all the girls and boys in the school. Ms. Norbury is a fine and respectable role model for the girls; she is a hard worker with a good head on her shoulders.
One parent in the movie is Mrs. George who is Regina's mom. She is an absolute disaster as a positive, parental role model. She tries so hard to be friends with her daughter when she should be disciplining her and setting a good example for her by her actions. At one point in the movie, she even encourages cocktails/happy hour as she parades into the room with drinks on a tray for the girls. She is a rather despicable mother and role model for any daughter or son.

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ROLE MODELS
Most of the authority figures or parents in this movie were ineffective role models, with the exception of Tina Fey’s character. Regina’s mother was more interested in being her daughter’s friend or peer than she was in being a role model or disciplinarian. Further, she seemed oblivious to her daughter’s insults and harsh treatment of others. She allowed her daughter too much freedom, especially freedom from responsibility.

Cady’s parents, who had home-schooled their daughter, seemed out of touch with issues involving their daughter’s assimilation into high school. Although they were intelligent people, they didn’t have the vaguest idea how they could help guide her through this difficult time. Growing up, Cady had happily relied on her parents’ guidance but was on her own when the time came to make important decisions, and she lacked the skills necessary to do so.

The school principal had no leadership skills, frequently turning the responsibility over to other members of his staff. By his own admission he could not deal with the clique clashes. He couldn’t even monitor the teaching staff’s behavior: One of the teachers was caught in a compromising situation with a student and fled the school after being discovered.

By and large, most of the adults were either deferential to or intimidated by high school girls, and The Plastics most of all. It was far easier for the adults to tolerate the behavior than to confront it, and that was the road most traveled.

SEXUALITY
In Mean Girls, if you were other than heterosexual you were ostracized and unpopular. Janice and Damien were not allowed entrance into any of the popular groups because they were “different.� They did not obey the rules. They did not dress or look like The Plastics; therefore, they were shunned.

But most importantly, their sexuality was questioned. To be Plastic and popular meant that you were heterosexual, and the way you dressed and behaved at all times centered around attracting the opposite sex.

At first I thought Janice and Damien were above The Plastics’ slights, but Janice wanted revenge. She enlisted Cady to help her bring them down, with much success. I questioned why she cared what they thought about her, since friendship with any of them was impossibility. Yet Janice went to great lengths to expose their hypocrisy, taking obvious delight in watching them fall. Was it because they “outed� her?

Damien, on the other hand, was more comfortable with his sexuality. He was not the least bit concerned about what The Plastics thought of him. He was not intimidated by their popularity, nor was he trying to gain entrance to their elite club. He was also the happier of the two.

Posted by Ruth Dickson at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

How are the role models and authority figures depicted in "Mean Girls"? This question brings to mind the Ann Lawson article we read on line about, "The Secret Life of Teenage Girls". The nature of developing through your teens is to establish independance, and personhood. The greatest influence on the girls in the article as well as the film seemed to be with each other. On the other hand, adults have the authority. In the article we read it mentioned that both kids and parents are stressed and busier then ever. It also mentioned that, "The mother / daughter boundaries are much more nebulous". In the film, "Mean Girls" it seemed that the adults were secondary figures. They were there to support and guide more then punish or preach.

The Principal, Mr. Duvall seemed to be a likeable guy, with some skills at control damage anyway, but at the same time awkward around the girls. He didn't seem to have a real grasp of taking charge until the end when he, in a panic set off the water sprinkler system. He tried to convey that 'talk to me' attitude, but failed. In the gymnasium he finally had to ask Ms. Norby for help communicating with the girls.
Ms. Norby (Tina Fey) the math teacher was down to earth, supportive and friendly, yet given the limitations of their relationship (boundaries), try as she might, she may never be able to reach all of the girls she would like to help.
The parents of Cady, were almost as naive in some respects as their daughter. When Cady was grounded, her dad allowed her to go to the math tournament. Later Ms. Norby talked her into going to the Spring Fling dance, where her parents showed up. There is a sense though that the three of them very much love and trust each other to do the right thing.
Regina's dad was non-existent. We assume he is working all the time to be able to afford the lavish house, cars etc. Mom is desperate and non-existent in some ways. She wants to be liked by her daughter, to be just one of the girls. She brings drinks (non-alcoholic, unless they wanted otherwise) and is there to supply her daughter with condoms if need be. Not a great role model. Things like material goods and sex seem to be taken for granted.

I think the girls learned they're biggest lesson when they are forced into the intervention session in the gym. The adults where good role models in this case because they didn't scream or threaten to get the girls to open up and finally share some of their feelings.

Posted by Ardis Houle at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

How does the film, "Mean Girls" portray Race and Ethnicity? I would say pretty sterotypically. I wouldn't however agree with Sarah Hentges' commentary on "Mean Girls" (MG) that it was predictably ignorant of damaging stereotypes. I think that Tina Fey was a little more deliberate and intentional in her portrayal of minorities in the film. Hentges' claims that the film was typical of other films within the same genre. Yes, certainly there were the cliques that were pretty much segregated by race and ethnicity. Yet there was a large variety of them. The Asian girls who didn't speak English when they were together, the cool Asians, the Asian nerds. The dopey white jocks. The African American kids, some of the girls were labled the "unfriendly black hotties". The outsiders. Tina Fey also makes fun of the stereotypes associated with home schooled kids. And herself. She play's the character of Ms. Norbury, the math teacher, where in the sceen when it is announced that she has a new student in her class from Africa she assumes, like some of us admittedly would, that the new student is a girl from Michigan, instead of Cady. I think some of the points made in the film regarding race and ethnicity were a direct response to how narrowly we view people who are different then ourselves. Damaging? Well, she is perpetuating some of the race and ethnic stereotypes, but in a way I think that is meant to challenge us too.

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In the film Mean Girls the concept of friendship is similar to what one may find or remember from their own high school experience. The main characters and rest of the female population in the school demonstrate the way friendship works when girls are young and immature. It seems that the girls use each other in a way, being friends with the right people is very important, and being a part of the right clique of girls is also important. The friendship function in the movie is all about convenience, whoever is going to do the most amounts of good for your reputation. It seems that none of the relationships between the girls is real or genuine and that no matter how long the girls had been friends that getting ahead and being “popular� was the most important thing on each of their agendas. I think that every girl in the film in addition to Regina, Cady, Gretchen and Karen acted this way. The film showed that no matter what group a girl is a part of there is always a power struggle to be the leader and to be the best within the group. The film demonstrates this through “The Plastics�, “The Cool Asians� and “The Girl Jocks�. Although the girls in the film, like real girls in high school have probably been friends since childhood, when it comes to high school, popularity and boys there is no loyalty or sense of sisterhood. Girls seem to forget how to be a good friend or to uphold their feminine morals when the situation is compromised. It doesn’t matter who they hurt as long as they get what they want. Regina “steals� Aaron Samuels from Cady, Cady sabotages Regina’s life and so on, each girl is guilty of stabbing their “friends� in the back. The concept of friendship is important to each of the girls, not actually having good friends but making it look like they have a lot of friends. None of the friendships are based on real or lasting values, some relationships from high school last a lifetime but in the end of the movie we see that none of the girls are friends with the same people as they were in the beginning, they have all joined new groups and learned how to be a different kind of friend, good or bad.

I think that the only appropriate role models or authority figures in the film Mean Girls, are Cady’s parents and Ms. Norbury. There are other authority figures in the film, but the issue remains that not all of them are good role models for the girls. Regina’s mom for example tries too hard to fit in with the girls and to be their friend, at one point offering them alcohol and condoms, she plays along with their sexual Christmas dance and allows the younger daughter to dance provocatively to sexual music videos and girls gone wild movies. Other teachers and parents in the film play small roles, for example the principal doesn’t play a major role in the film until the girls attitudes and actions get out of hand, and even then when he tries to play an authoritarian role he “fails� because he just cant relate to what the girls are going through. It seems that the adults have little influence over the girls; if they had any control they would be more involved in instilling good morals and values in the girls. High school is an important time in a girls life and without being told how to behave and act by authority figures, they will as we see in the film go wild. Ms. Norbury is an example of a good role model and authority figure in the film because she tries to make the girls realize that calling each other names and fighting with each other only weakens them and causes disharmony. She advocates not victimizing each other and being honest and upfront, by taking responsibility for your actions. She also advocates “girl power�, and the fact that if girls “call each other sluts and whores, it makes guys think that they can call them the same names.� I think that if the parents and teachers made more of an effort to be involved in the girls lives and what is going on that maybe they would have a better concept of friendship and morals and that all of the trouble at the end of the film could have been avoided. Although Cady’s parents aren’t entirely sure how to be firm with her and to enforce rules because she was home schooled for so long, they do a good job in the end of punishing her for her inappropriate actions and it seems that in the end Cady learns her lesson. Authority figures are important to all girls especially those in high school because they are so susceptible and easily influenced by what is going on around them. It is the parents, teachers and authority figures responsibility to teach and instill good values and moral in the girls and to teach them how to be respectful young women who behave themselves. High school girls are still going to be girls, young and immature, however with proper guidance from authority figures, high school girls are more likely to grow up and be respectable women.

Posted by Brianna Green at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I chose to write about topic 2 and 5

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Posted by Margaret Hanson at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't know what I can say about Mean Girls that will be insightful or new. Everyone pretty much sees the same problems with the film, and it's incongruence with reality. After watching Mean Girls and reading the article that talked about Cady as the innocent victim-type heroine, I completely agree with the comments that have been made so far. Cady, a completely fictional character, had never experienced high school life before. She was naive at first, but also smart as a whip - which meant that her naivete didn't last past the first 25 minutes of the film. She quickly figured out how to worm her way into the Plastics and take over the coveted position of Queen Bee. With the help of Janis and Damien (btw, I seriously doubt Janis was a lesbian. Janis Ian in real life was, but Janis Ian in this film is just a caricature. The fact that the film even used the concept of lesbianism as a way for the Plastics to torture Janis is offensive to me beause what the fuck is wrong with being gay???? Just because homophobia exists in real life doesn't make it ok to showcase it in a film that is marketed to pre-adolescent children. Why do the producers and writers of this film want to teach children that it's ok to make homophobic comments and to taunt someone incessantly about their sexuality? This is one case where if they didn't have anything nice to say, they should have shut their fucking mouths.), Cady was able to boot Regina out of the running, effectively usurping the position. Since the other Plastics hated Regina anyway, Cady figured her plan couldn't go wrong, and she was right.

My biggest problem with this film was the issue of homophobia. There were a lot of comments made that were homophobic and offensive, yet none of the characters confronted each other when those comments were made. No one came out and said "hey, it's not cool to say that.". Why not? Is Tina Fey afraid of gay people? Is she homophobic herself? It doesn't make sense to let comments like that slip by, especially when Americans are such proponents of equality and respect. When we don't confront our friends when they make racist, sexist, or homophobic comments, it lets them know that it's ok to make comments like that, and the bigotry continues. Are we really this apathetic? Come on, Tina. Grow some balls.

Posted by kaylen_culotta at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The movie, Mean Girls, is a great contemporary social commentary on American teenagers. When I first saw this movie, I recognized so many things that represented similarities between what I personally experienced in high school. But beyond that, this movie shows how the female youth of America have been affected by popular culture. To begin, the plastics represent typical female stereotypes. Females, who think collectively rather than individually. Their clothes, hair, boyfriends are all chosen based off of social acceptability. Beyond typically female stereotypes there are also many other stereotypes which are exposed in this movie. The nerds, jocks, art "freaks" and so on. Much of the movie is spent identifying and dividing these particular cliques. This movies main stages much of what is unfair in high school popularity contests. It also speaks to women of all ages, who could learn a thing or two about treatment of fellow females.
While the ending of the movie is unrealistic, is it refreshing. The fact that this parody has achieved so much popularity sheds hope on the fact that perhaps individual teenagers will recognize this in themselves and be proactive in changing their approach and attitudes.

Posted by Jessica Schrinsky at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's clear who's supposed to be the authority figures in this movie however, they seem powerless and the people who should be looking up to them really don't.

Cady remarks at one point that she never before experienced that adults didn't trust her, indicating that she has somehow always been treated as an equal to adults. However, having being used to this makes adults' words and trust useless to her. Later on she will have no scruples against lying to her parents or her teachers.

Lying and betraying "authority figures" becomes easy to the teens in the movie because they don't look up to them. They look up to each other or the "queen bee" of their peers. They see the authority figures as "losers" and why shouldn’t they, that's how they are presented. The first time we see Ms. Norbury, she accidentally flashes the principal and talks about her failure in life. All the way through the movie, her failures are highlighted and ridiculed
And maybe they are presented this way because, honestly that's how teens generally view people who are older then them.

The girls cannot look up to them because they simply don't want to be them. Ms. Norbury or the other teachers are not the kinds of women they want to be and they are also "de-feminized" in a way. Mr. Norbury is a frumpy math-teacher who has three jobs and can't keep a man.

The timing is also crucial for the role models. It is only in the end, when everything is, pardon my French, screwed up that the authority figures step up to the plate and make a difference. However, here, it is still in a weak sense, since it seem almost a last resort... as though they repair the situation as opposed to actually preventing them.

In terms of race, I won't go in to everything Hentges said about Africa and how Cady's upbringing there is prominent in the movie. I would like to mainly focus on how white is the norm and how African Americans and Asian Americans are "included in whitewashed, stereotyped, purely supportive, and parodic roles.

Being that minorities are marginalised, race branding works; race in itself, doesn't. There's no doubt that white people are the norm in this movie. All other cliques that include member that aren't white are classified by their colors; "unfriendly black hotties", "cool Asians" and so on. The Plastics aren't called "the white Plastics" they just are who they are and not classified by their race.

Whether it is a movie about and for white girls is quite tricky. The main characters are white and it is their problems that we follow, so obviously it is about white girls but it is definitely not just for white girls. I think (even though it's heavily stereotypical) the representation of race is accurate in the sense that people of color stand in the background.
I don't know exactly how race works in high school (and college for that matter) in America as I grew up in Scandinavia. However, the movie sort of shows how it was growing up among the majority of white people (at least for me).
They are the focus of everything and seem to almost be the main character of your own life and you yourself is pushed aside because your race, if it's not Caucasian, simply is marginalised. This is not only seen in educational institutions, but also in media, politics and norm.

The girls of color are presented in stereotypical ways but in a "good way" (in quotes, 'cause stereotypes can never really be good).... or at least different. Asian girls are usually presented as socially inept geeks with strict parents in other movies, in this movie they are "cool" even they may be sluts. Their "sluttyness" isn't really punished... sure it's made fun off but they aren't ostracized in any way. Black girls are usually presented as catty thug-like girls in other movies. They may be unfriendly in this movie but they are not as "ghetto" as some images make them to be. They don't push girls against walls or yell bitch at each other. The girls of color are "more" normal in this movie than they are in other movies that also have stereotypical images of African American and Asian American girls.

The representation is humorous and it is hard to take seriously, really. It can also work in the way that makes people more aware of how we brand people just because of their race. And it is presented in an easily accessible way and people can laugh because it's just a joke. However, so was blackface in its time and that isn't at all funny for some people.

Posted by Karla Noreen Navera at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rigid Codes and Fitting in:

The codes for the way people are supposed to act or not act to fit in are epitomized in the Plastics. They are the model that all girls who want to fit in try to follow, and within their group they have strict codes that revolve mostly around what they wear and their appearance.

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Posted by JC at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship in the movie Mean Girls only truely exists between Damien and Janice.

Girl/Girl friendships in this movie are shallow and cruel, and unfortunately a pretty (if a bit exaggerated) typical portrayal of highschool friendship. Loyalty is only really exhibited by Janice and Damien, as all the "plastics" and other cliques regularly backstab one another. Girls in this film use the flaws and downfalls of one another to "move up" and inflate their low self esteem.

Girls in this movie are prevented from having meaningful friendships with eachother due to the stringent codes at their school, preventing cliques from mingling with eachother. Guys often also come between girls, as in the relationship between Regina and Cady, preventing them from really being friends because they are competing for the same guy. Looks are also a big factor in girls friendships, as girls often demean the looks of one another to make themselves feel better, and to break down girls they feel are too perfect.

Female role models in this film are really very few and far between.

Cady's mother would be considered a positive role model in this film, she is a college professor and clearly uninterested in what's "normal" and "popular". She cares for her daughter and wants her to make smart decisions. Ms. Norbury would also be considered a positive role model, she is a smart and most importantly she is relateable. She tries to guide Cady not to follow in the footsteps of the "plastics".

Regina's mother is not a good role model for girls, as she tries to be "one" of the clique. She encourages a rule-less househould, and doesn't discipline her daughter for her outragous actions. She fails to show her daughter what it means to be a strong woman. She encourages shallow behaviors and doesn't exhibit any positive ones. Positive role modeling is so important for girls because it gives them a realistic, positive picture of what it means to be a woman, something to emulate that is positive.

Posted by Nicole Balistreri at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(4) Role Models/Authority Figures
There were multiple authority figures in Mean Girls, including parents and teachers. The worst was probably Mrs. George, who instead of being the parent, seemed to try and fit in with the teenage girls. Mrs. George is not a good role model to the girls. This sort of role model can be destructive to a young girls self esteem. It is the responsibility of parents to be parents, to set rules in order to teach their children how to function socially; there have to be restrictions set, yet she tries to be a friend to her daughter instead. She really displays the lack of authority. She represents the woman trying to hold on to her youth at all cost. Her influence on her girls is recognized in Regina’s nasty ways and the younger daughter’s shaking her booty while watching a music video (also lifting her shirt like the girls in the ‘Girls Gone Wild’ commercial). Opposite of Mrs. George is the intelligent math teacher Ms. Norbury. She becomes the voice of reason in the film, teaching the girls that there is more to being a woman than looking pretty. Her speech includes lessons on being united rather than fighting amongst themselves; the importance of respecting each other and demanding respect from the men around them. She also teaches Cady to be who she is and not to ‘dummy’ herself in order to impress a guy.

(5) Enforcing Heterosexuality
In the film, sexuality is displayed as a vital part of being in high school. The plot of the movie is shaped around the idea that friendships can be destroyed when the desire for a boy is added to the equation. Cady went into this ‘social order’ naïve and with the intention of just making friends. In the end she becomes a part of the clique that everyone fears yet desires to be like. The strongest influence of the high school is a clique in which the members are called ‘the plastics’. When I think of plastic I think of Barbie dolls, fake, phony, or not genuine. These are the characteristics displayed by the girls in the group, and in order to get the guy she wants, these are the characteristics that Cady adopts. This emphasizes the strength of social influence, when a girl can come from a different culture and completely change her personality in order to adapt. The popularity of these girls seems to be based on the cute guy, their physique, and the other girls they surround themselves by. It is implied in the film that if these things were taken away, the girls of this group would be like every other girl. The homosexual character and the one who was perceived as such were portrayed as rebels of this high school social order. They were shown as bitter, angry, and out to destroy the plastics. They were treated as freaks and outcast by the plastics. There are parts of the film in where the rules of sexuality are not really enforced, but rather mocked. For example, near the end of the film when Cady reveals that she was good at math and was only playing stupid in order to get with this guy, the guy tells her that that was stupid. This reflects the idea of the damsel in distress, when girls act helpless in order to get a man. This film emphasizes the stupidity of the actions and attitudes that we take on sometimes in order to fit in or with the desires of fitting in.

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Friendship:
Cady home-schooled in Africa, has no clue about the ins and outs of social interaction. Social outcasts lesbian Janis and gay Damian immediately adopt her as their own, and go about introducing the various levels of high school coolness. The girls that everybody fears and wish to be the "plastics". She knows that these girls are mean and evil, yet the lure of vaulting to the top of the food chain is too much for Cady, and she soon finds herself acting more and more like them. When she falls for Regina's ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels the kid gloves come off, and Regina and Cady declare war on each other. The all-out cat fighting that one would expect from rival high school girls is there. The backstabbing is there. When Cady’s imagination runs wild and she envisions herself attacking The Plastics, that’s when “Mean Girls� really hits the mark. The fact that Cady goes about planning how to get revenge is different, since it shows a high-schooler actually thinking. At the urging of the only people who will speak to her when she first arrives Cady pretends to be formed out of the ‘Plastic’ mold, and soon finds herself assuming the characteristics she most despises. Turning from a straight-A student - a nice girl with a sweet innocence about her - into a fake, self-absorbed follower, Cady backstabs, manipulates, and lies in an effort to compete with the Queen of Mean, Regina George. Cady and Regina wage war over Regina’s ex, leaving a path of emotionally devastated fellow students in their wake.

Continue reading "Mean Girls" »

Posted by Diamond Smith at 1:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1) FRIENDSHIP:
Friendship plays many different roles in the movie "Mean Girls". It acts as a bonding factor but at the same time as a destructive factor. There is definetly a strand of true loyalty and sisterhood but that is mainly overshadowed by destructive power of girls for other girls through the medium of "friendship". The most noticable true friendship was that between Damien and Janis which is not a girl/girl friendship. All of the other girl/girl friendships went through at least some turmoil before they were able to restore the relationship.
So why do the girl/girl friendships suffer more than others? Girls would like to have healthy friendships with other girls, but many believe that there are too many conflicts in the way. Brown explores this idea. One of these main conflicts is competition and thus jealousy; competition over clothes, other products and BOYS!! Girls have trouble being friends with eachother because they are competing for the same things. Furthermore, if a girl gets something that another one wants, she will try to sabatoge the other girl to remedy her feelings of envy. These feelings may be subconscious but they reinforce the girl on girl hatred and further diminish the strength of a possible friendship.

2)RIGID CODES/ FEMININE IDEAL/ FITTING IN:
There were many rigid codes in "Mean Girls", especially within the plastics. For instance, one has to fit into a certain dress code in order to be in the plastics and if they dont they can't sit at their table at lunch. Also, Regina sets many codes for the other girls in the plastics concerning fasion, boys and social activities. Gretchen does anything that Regina wants so that she can be popular. These rigid codes reinforce the feminine ideal that is prevalent in "Mean Girls" and in real life girl/girl relationships. If someone does not conform to these rigid rules they will not fit in and in turn will be ridiculed.
Brown explores this idea as well. There is a lot of contradictory information placed upon these girls. They are explected to be beautiful, sucessful, smart and these things foster competition. The contradictory messege comes in because these girls are also expected to be classy and civil. This leads to the phenomenon of "backstabbers" and "gossip". Girls will pretend to be friends when around said girl but when they are appart she is a totally different person. Sometimes a girl will spread negative rumors or sometimes she can do even worse, like events that took place in "Mean Girls".

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FRiENDSHiPS
Friendship functions as a way to become popular in high school. Being popular is idealized by a majority of the students. In Mean Girls the Plastics were the most popular girls in high school. When Cady first moved she became friends with Janis and Ian. She got invited to eat lunch with the Plastics one day for lunch. Janis and Ian encouraged Cady to become friends with them so they could get the dirt on the girls. Cady eventually began to like the girls. The girls were not loyal at all. For example, when Regina found out that Cady liked her ex-boyfriend Aaron, Regina decided to go out with Aaron again. The girls cannot have solid friendships because they revolve around Regina. Regina is the one that tells the girls what to do and how to look and act. The girls get annoyed and offended by Regina but don’t say anything. Friendships are important to the girls because they are known to be popular. They know that everyone wants to be them and look like them. Brown and Simmons say that friendships are a major struggle. There are many things that can come in between girls in high school. Friends will stab you in the back and then they can be the best.

RoLE MoDELS/ AUTHoRiTY FiGURES
A major role model for Cady was Ms. Norbury. Ms. Norbury knew that Cady was slowly becoming popular. Cady always did well on math exams and then all the sudden she was failing to get help from her crush. Cady was so good at math she was on the math team that was lead by Ms. Norbury. Cady was venting one day to the girls about Ms. Norbury and then they had her write about it in the burn book. Cady made up a story that Ms. Norbury was a drug dealer. The burn book was then out for everyone in highschool to hear. Ms. Norbury then was investigated by the police. After the Burn book is revealed Ms. Norbury each girl get up and express themselves infront of all the student girls. Ms. Norbury wants the girls to be able to understand each other. I think Cady really looked up to Ms. Norbury because she went through a lot in her life struggling and working two jobs. Ms. Norbury made accomplishments with the girls by trying to make them see that they are all the same and they can all be friends.

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Lisa Freund
BLOG 4

1.) Friendship in Mean Girls does not seem prevalent in this movie especially in the main characters where the girls only seem to have friends to gain popularity which to me seems like a pretty unhappy and unfriendly position to be in. The two plastic characters, Gretchen and Karen would not put up with Regina’s back stabbing antics and put downs if they knew they wouldn’t gain something out of it and even Cady the main character would not become their accomplice while they hurt other girl’s feelings if she couldn’t have gained more “friends.� There are times when we see the female characters looking out for their friends and being loyal like when Regina makes fun of Janice and Cady finally says something and steps in however, it does not seem to happen as often as the prior.
I believe that friendships truly are important to girls in high school and are a crucial part in surviving those years but unfortunately it is a time where girls are so worried with certain images and beliefs like they have to be a certain shape or size or need to have so many friends that sometimes these things come in the way and ultimately ruin what could have been a true and caring friendship. Girls feel they must always compete with one another and are always comparing themselves to one another, especially their friends, which can cause a lot of hurt feelings and distrust and their ultimate breakup. High school is a time where many girls start realizing who they are and what they want to become and need good friends to be able to rely on and trust in which means it could possibly the worst time in their life for dishonesty and backstabbing. Brown and Simmons believe that friendships for young girls thru fifth grade and high school can be very destructive but not because these young girls are terrible people but because society keeps giving them mixed messages making it nearly impossible for girls to be accepted in society. Any girl that has confidence is seen as a bitch or “know it all� which serves as an excellent way to deliver messages to young girls that you can never be perfect because if you are too perfect than everyone will hate you.

6.) In this film all of the main characters and even most of the lines are said by white middle to upper class girls and exclude any kind of diversity. The lines that were actually said by those of color were only words that defended or provided an open door to discus their race, for example, an Asian girl says to her friend “Nigga please!� One girl who has dark skin has to remind her teacher that she is from Michigan and not from Africa. There are also the groups at school which include the smart Asians, nerdy Asians, the black cool group and so on but you don’t hear any of the groups being called the white geeks or white skateboarders.
I think especially because the groups of people in this movie are so obviously separated because of their race that it is hard for anyone of color to really relate or want to relate to this movie that only makes fun of and denotes certain characteristics to groups based on their color of skin. Unfortunately even still today there are very few films that have characters that are not Caucasian and if they do they still automatically stereotype them and make them act and dress in a certain way which goes back to the color of their skin.

Posted by Lisa Freund at 2:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Charlie’s Angels "Jiggle TV"
In the two clips, it is interesting to see the similarities and differences. In the TV show, the Angels were wearing tighter, somewhat revealing clothing that I can only imagine would have been seen as ‘risqué’ in the 70s; the Angles in the movie were wearing even tighter and skimpier clothing. It is easy to see why the show was given the label of “Jiggle TV�. While I am not as familiar with the TV series, I can certainly see how the views of the two have everything to do with the point in time in which the shows/movie aired and what the cultural ideals were. It is very clear in both how the Angels and Charlie were compared to “a pimp and his girls�; Charlie is the ring-leader in which the Angels obey – any order Charlie gives the Angels, they find a way to get it done. It is also very clear, especially in the movie clip, that the Angles use their bodies and sex appeal to gain attention and achieve their desired outcome.
I find it ironic that Barrymore and Diaz are quote in Womack as saying, “We want to empower these women with their own strength and their own capabilities…there’s something about being able to handle yourself, walk into a room when you’re faced with danger and be able to take care of yourself� (166). What the two actresses do not address is the fact that they both, along with Lui, had the assistance of special effects, wires, stunt doubles, etc that could take the brunt of their ‘action’ scenes. They want to get across to women to use strength and capabilities when they, themselves, have not done so; they use artificial means to accomplish their work. What is this telling women?

Fudge Quote
“For generations, feminism has given shape and structure to individual women’s obstacles—it turns one woman’s lament into a collective yell. Riot grrrl not only gave a new generation of young women a voice and encouraged them to wield it in service of feminism, it also galvanized them into group action. Girl power slaps them on the back and says, “You go, girl,� even if it’s not at all clear where or why they should be going, and it certainly doesn’t say that they might face significant obstacles along the way. Watered-down feminism may be enough to sell baby Ts and thigh-high fishnets; it may even be enough to celebrate the baby-step accomplishments of a few lucky women. But it won’t give girls what they need to demand real power� (Fudge, 161).
I do agree with Fudge’s statement because feminism did give women more power than they once held in a dominant male culture. Feminism is being marketed to us through all means of the media by emphasizing ‘group action’ and working for what we believe in through power in numbers. This could be harmful because a group mentality may not be exactly what one person believes in because it is a collective of everyone’s beliefs. Nonetheless, feminism gave women the right to think what they want to think and be successful in anything and everything they do; it gave women the right to voice their opinions and fight for their beliefs. I think the slogan, GIRL POWER, does nothing but enhance the idea of feminism and means a lot to many women. The slogan proves to the world that women can have and hold power in places where women have never done so (i.e. Speaker of the House, Presidential Candidates). Feminism and GIRL POWER go hand-in-hand to improve women’s place in the world.

Posted by Molly Wickersham at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Both the present Charlie’s Angels and the television version share commonalities and differences in the roles the female characters play. First, I would like to note before I start that although this t.v./movie is about three women who are detectives or police officers the title hints that these women are these objects (CHARLIE’S angels) that are pure (ANGELS) which actually sexualizes them because it is symbolism for forbidden fruit. Now, there are obvious differences between the old t.v. version and the newer movie. The t.v. version has characters which are all caucasian which says all lot about society for not only women but women of color. In the short video clip the women started work at a police academy where they had “hazardous duties� like office work and holding a stop sign for children crossing the street which leads most people to think that these women are really maintaining women’s jobs and making it look like fun and adventurous at the same time. A very positive thing about the women in the original television series was that they had missions like episode four where they “exposed and destroyed sexist institutions and practices,� which was a very positive image for women and men as well to see on t.v. The t.v. version opened doors to other shows with women as leading action figures and women that held the same position as men which was rare in the 1970’s. In 2000 three new women took on the role of Charlie’s Angels, however they were able to stretch the limits much farther than the previous Angels and seemed to follow the boundaries of “less is more.� These characters were far more physical with their criminal encounters and often fought against many men at the same time.
Although Charlie’s Angels may have some feminist appeal it is very obvious as Womack reminds us that they are “glamorous fighters� and both the new and old version provide “tits and ass shots,� reminding us that they have other viewers in mind besides feminist women. In both clips I also noticed how the women’s hair was always down and flowing even when they were in the middle of a fight and their clothes were very form fitting to their tiny, long legged bodies which only goes to reiterate Womack’s point.
I choose quote A about “Girl Power.
The new girl power that has emerged in the past 5-10 years has been an excellent market for downplaying women and their feminist responses by saying here, take a shirt that says your tough so that you don’t have to express yourself by action or mouth but by simply advertising it on your body which also makes me want to talk about consumerism but that is obviously a whole extra topic in and of itself. I can see how originally this new girl power was a positive thing because it was breaking the barriers and women and girls were wearing messages that we hadn’t seen before but at the same time it was portraying feminism as a fad or some shirt with a girl beating up a boy which obviously does not solve a problem and possibly demonstrates women taking on male roles and not really furthering their position at all. The problem with this new image is that it does not lead women anywhere or to any successful position but simply says as long as you’re a girl no matter what you do you go!

Posted by Lisa Freund at 12:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)