Why Do We Like Mean Girls?

Back in the day, Lindsay Lohan was not just the butt of child star jokes. She actually had a career. Thanks to the genius of Tina Fey’s Mean Girls (which she wrote and starred in) Lohan’s status as a teen icon was cemented only to crumble away in a couple of years really.

Now, my purpose here is not to discuss some fallen Hollywood starlet. There is a contrast to be made: though her fame might have fallen by the wayside, this movie has managed to remain pretty significant, especially within gay culture.

In a recent conversation with another Gay Mormon Boy (GMB) online, one of us quoted a line from Mean Girls. Without thinking, the other responded with the next line from the movie. We went back and forth 10-15 times before we realized just how well we knew that movie, begging the question “Why?”

Reason #1: The Parallel

There is an obvious correlation to be made by a gay audience:

Girl World = Gay World

The Plastics: Gretchen, Regina, and Karen

In both of these worlds, there is just a comparable amount of drama, cattiness, and social maneuvering. In fact, there are entire Facebook groups (such as this one) devoted to this connection.

One observation (one of many) made in Mean Girls requires very little translation, but applies to both spheres quite easily. The main character’s statement:

Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.

…with a simple change becomes…

Halloween* is the one night a year when [gay boys] can dress like a total slut and no other [gay boys] can say anything about it.

[*Alternate translation: Pride]

Based on this evidence, I think it would be possible to produce a shot-for-shot remake of Mean Girls featuring gay men. Such a change would be minor and realistic. As evidenced above, the script rewrite would not be difficult.

Continuing in this line of thought, the next line in the script:

The hard-core girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears.

would become:

The hard-core [gay boys] just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears.

And casting the movie’s Mean Girls (replacing the girls seen above in said ears) would not be difficult either:

Amos as Regina George

Chad as Gretchen Weiners

…and…

(brace yourself)

Timothy as Karen Smith

As much as we don’t like to be stereotyped or parallel the drama satirized by this movie, those of us that fit this mold (stereotypically slutty gay men), often ruin things for the rest of us. As a result, we identify with this movie because of the unfortunate parallel between girl world and gay world. We want justice for the characters harmed by the slutty, drama-addicted, catty characters.

As we observe the meaningless drama in the film (fighting over boys, revenge, etc.), we’re forced to step back and realize that our own situations are, in many ways, trivial and something we can overcome just like Cady, the movie’s main character.

Next time: Reason #2