Analysis of Relationships in the Film 'Mean Girls'

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"Cold, shiny, hard, PLASTIC," said by Janice referring to a group of girls in the movie Mean Girls. Mean Girls is about an innocent, home-schooled girl, Cady who moves from Africa to the United States. Cady thinks she knows all about survival of the fittest. But the law of the jungle takes on a whole new meaning when she enters public high school and encounters psychological warfare and unwritten social rules that teen girls deal with today. Cady goes from a great friend of two "outcasts", Janice and Damien to a superficial friend of the "plastics", a group of girls that talks about everyone behind their back and thinks everyone loves them. Adolescent egocentrism and relationships with peers are obviously present throughout the film. I also noticed self worth in relationships, parenting styles, and juvenile delinquency throughout Mean Girls.
Adolescent egocentrism can occur when teenagers think they have an imaginary audience or think people are more concerned with their appearance and behavior than they really are. In the movie Mean Girls, Regina George, Gretchen Wieners, Cady Herron, and Karen Smith are referred to as the "plastics" by their fellow classmates because of their self-absorbed personalities and glamorous looks. They have a book titled "The Burn Book" in which they talk about everyone in the school in a very nasty way. They believe that these people are concerned with how they look and act at all times. Gretchen Wieners said, "I'm sorry that people are so jealous of me...but I can't help it that I'm so popular." In the beginning of the film, Cady has a very humble personality in which her true friends admire. However, as the movie progresses Cady begins to think that everything she does is important to all of he...

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...s a classic that shows just how nasty adolescent girls can be under typical circumstances. Nearly every character at one point shows adolescent egocentrism. There are numerous lifespan concepts covered throughout the movie. Cady Herron is a perfect example of how tough high school can be for an adolescent girl going through multiple changes. She goes through a lot more than the typical adolescent girl. However, I think she shows how staying true to yourself is important when going through high school. The "plastics" do a great job of displaying different relationships with peers. They have strong relationships with each other, but struggle to form these relationships with anyone outside of their group. All in all, Mean Girls does a great job of displaying parenting styles, egocentrism, relationships with peers, self worth in relationships, and juvenile delinquency.

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