History Headscratchers / MeanGirls

** Norbury knew Cady started the rumor from the moment she saw the Xerox of the Burn Book page--before she even knew that there ''was'' a Burn Book and that Cady had been accused of writing it. Her look of realization was from remembering her "pusher" conversation with Cady and making connections. For Cady's part, she was still trying to figure out a way to convince people that she wasn't responsible for the Burn Book (since, well, she ''wasn't''). She was between a rock and a hard place, things were happening fast, there wasn't a lot of time to think, ''and'' there really wasn't a response that wouldn't end in even more hurt feelings. She didn't do the right thing, but panicking and freezing is a pretty realistic reaction to the situation, and in the end, her conscience got to her.

Just how smart or dumb is Gretchen exactly? She seems to lack social intelligence ("I can't help it that I'm popular" Regina wouldn't have said this because she would've known that the crowds reaction wouldn't be approving) and comes off as slightly ditzy but the WMG assumes that she's a TeenGenius and ObfuscatingStupidity in order to fit in.

*** Agreed. The group rules may be flexible, but they still have to kinda reflect the original group values, of which academic success was not seen to be a major part. And that there's a real resilient demand for these values is actually proven by the fact that the Plastics recreated themselves as a group even after all the protagonists have graduated. If it all were as straightforward as [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeEm "the queen bee makes the rules, period"]], Regina would have never been kicked out in the first place.

** Sadly at that point of the movie, Cady pretty much abandoned who she truly was because she was happy that she was a major influence and she had so much power. You're also forgetting that Cady dumbed herself down just to get Aaron Samuels to talk to her, thus abandoning her "nerd" persona. Also, Nobody would have taken Cady "pretty and smart" rule seriously, even if she did make an exception for Karen.

[[folder: Gretchen and Karen's "friendship]]

[[ /folder]]

** I guess it really boils down to "she could never think Cady was capable of doing that". Regina could have cross-checked Gretchen because the latter could have confused Kalteen Bars with a part healthy diet out of sheer idiocy, but with Cady the only explanation would be malice, and Regina just didn't seem to even suspect it in her.

** I guess it really boils to "she could never think Cady was capable of doing that".

** The point of that scene — as established by the immediate flashback to the bracelet compliment — is that Regina is so fake that even people she calls her friends can't trust that she's being sincere. If she'll publicly compliment someone's skirt and then immediately diss it in private, she's probably done the same to others, possibly including her friends. She is insincere, untrustworthy, and loyal to no one, and that's what Cady realized when she witnessed that.

* Why didn't Regina look up Kalteen Bars on the internet? This was 2004, not the 70s, after all, ans she is rich, so I'm sure she has access to the web, although not to the extent teens have nowadays.

* Why didn't Regina loom up Kalteen Bars on the internet? This was 2004, not the 70s, after all, ans she is rich, so I'm sure she has access to the web, although not to the extent teens have nowadays.

* Is it just me, or is Gretchen secretly Cady‘s favorite plastic member? I feel like our protagonist is intimidated by Regina and doesn’t bond with Karen but deeply cares for Gretchen. Maybe she feels sorry for her or can relate to her self-esteem issues. This gets noticeable in the four-way call, where Cady [[AffectionateNickname affectionately calls her friend „Gretch“.]] I feel like Cady has a soft spot for Gretchen and they have a deeper, more genuine connection than Cady has with any other plastic.

** “Us females”? Speak for yourself. Boys/men can be just as bad, it’s just that society doesn’t call it bitching.

*** Was that supposed to be a joke, ''especially'' coming from a female (nice that you can't just say girls or women, too)? Guys bitch every day like girls are supposed to be 5-7 days a month. Even Aaron did it. But yes, only teenage boys, well-known for their good sense and high moral values, are capable of that. Girls never do it (like Cady and Janis and Ms. Newbury). The ones who do it like myself simply don't exist. Except you, probably. The most realistic thing about Aaron this Troper has found is that he knowingly continues dating a sociopath because she's attractive and puts out freely.
*** Aaron liked Cady for who she was, not the plastic she became. What's so wrong about that?
*** And lastly, are you serious? Aaron's a nice guy, that's why he offers to help Cady out when she starts to fail; by this point all he knows is that her test scores are lower than his. Maybe he's not the greatest at maths, but it's clear that he doesn't know she's failing on purpose until she tells him. And if you're referring to the original screenplay, it's not just implied he does his ''own'' laundry, but he does his ''mother's'' too. Sorry, but that's pretty impressive for a teenage boy. We don't meet any of his friends because Aaron has a relatively small role in the film, and there was honestly no need to show them either.

* Once Cady became the new AlphaBitch couldn't she just make it a rule that "plastics are pretty '''and''' smart?" She could easily make an exception for [[TheDitz Karen]] for being part of "The old rules". The result is Cady can now be open about her math skills, "no hypocrisy, I'm smart too" and the plastics are more exclusive than ever.
** Sadly at that point of the movie, Cady pretty much abandoned who she truly was because she was happy that she was a major influence and she had so much power. You're forgetting that Cady dumbed herself down just to get Aaron Samuels to talk to her, thus abandoning her "nerd" persona. Also, Nobody would have taken Cady "pretty and smart" rule seriously, even if she did make an exception for Karen.