History YMMV / Meangirls

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: A deliberate example. Regina is the primary antagonist of the movie, but even before she starts showing her sympathetic side, she's beloved for being a quotable LoveToHate MagnificentBastard who is still seen as a pop culture icon to this day. The only person who is not given any sympathy and is universally despised is Coach Carr for preying on his underage students, which, in all fairness, is worse than anything Regina ever did; it's just an extraneous factor that has little effect on the plot.

*** Although she seems to have genuine feelings for Shane Oman, she is shown to be very comfortable and close with her female friends and has deep interests in women. She and Janis ended their friendship because Regina thought Janis was a lesbian, told everyone, and uninvited her from her pool party allegedly because Janis would make it "awkward". Maybe she was voicing her own feelings? Maybe she was in fact in love with Janis, not the other way round, and felt ashamed?
*** Regina becomes close with Cady fairly quickly, and doesn't seem keen on Cady dating at all. Maybe Regina hates the idea of Cady being with someone who isn't her? As well as that, Karen (who Regina admits is prettier than herself) has no boyfriend (but is mentioned to be promiscuous) so maybe it's not just Cady Regina wants to keep to herself. Gretchen does have a boyfriend, but then remember, Regina doesn't think Gretchen is pretty.

* UnfortunateImplications: During the math competition, both teams choose the sole girl from the opposite team to compete against them. Since they would logically choose the weakest member, it can be interpreted that they both thought the girl would lose the most easily.

* MisaimedFandom: Oddly, this movie seems to be most popular with the same kinds of people that it mercilessly makes fun of.

** The riot itself is this, not helped by Regina's PsychoticSmirk as she watches the chaos unfold in front of her. You see a bunch of girls throwing down with each other over rumors that were photocopied and spread throughout the school. Some of the teachers trying to peacefully break them up to get beaten in turn, as seen with Ms. Norbury; meanwhile, the creeps like the coach can't resist a bit of touchy-feely while holding the girls apart, which Principal Duvall notices and has to stop. Later, he says that some parents were worried a ''school shooting'' had happened. Cady herself is aghast at the chaos, praying that it's only a bad dream. It's a good thing this was a work of fiction, otherwise, someone could have gotten badly hurt rather than just having their hair and clothes ruined by the sprinklers.

** The portrayal of Janis and Damian illustrates how attitudes towards LGBT people among teenagers were evolving in the early-mid '00s. Regina suspecting that Janis is a lesbian was enough to get her to kick Janis out of her social circle and spread rumors about her sexuality, leading to her present outcast status, while the Plastics list Janis in the Burn Book as a "dyke" and Damian as "too gay to function". This sort of casual homophobia on their part was shown as a sign of their AlphaBitch tendencies even in 2004, but characters with such tendencies in 2014 would be portrayed as downright bigoted rather than merely callous, given that nowadays, homophobia is seen by teenagers as roughly on a par with racism. It illustrates how, while tolerance of LGBT people was growing, full equality and acceptance was still a ways away (this was the year when Massachusetts became the first US state to legalize same-sex marriage, an occasion that sparked controversy and [[MediaScaremongering moral panic]]), and being gay, or even MistakenForGay, could make somebody an outcast. This is partially acknowledged in the musical adaption. Whereas in the film Regina makes it clear that Janis wasn't invited to her party during middle school because of her alleged homosexuality, in the musical she ''pretends'' it's just because she was only allowed to invite six people.

** As noted under UnintentionalPeriodPiece, the casual homophobia of most mid-2000s teenagers is on full display.

** Even though Regina brought it on herself, it's possible to feel sorry for her when she sadly says, "These sweatpants are all that fits me right now". This also applies to her after being hit by the bus, being in constant pain and requiring to wear a metal brace for the upper half of her body.
** Even as Cady dips into bitch territory, it's hard not to feel some sympathy for her, seeing how much she was manipulated and mistreated before. Thankfully, she gets better.

** Regina telling Gretchen that she's never going to make 'fetch' happen. Given the MemeticMutation the movie has undergone -- including that line -- it seems she ''has'' made it happen in (at least some form)!

** Creator/LizzyCaplan as Janis Ian. Anybody who's seen her in anything else she's done (especially ''Series/TrueBlood'' and ''Series/MastersOfSex'') knows that she is drop-dead gorgeous in real life. In fact, she almost didn't get the part, as the casting director [[AbilityOverAppearance thought she was too pretty at first]]. As such the costume designers deliberately gave her an alternative/goth type look, rather than trying to dress her down. Caplan's beauty is probably a contributing factor to the theory that Janis is a former Plastic.
** {{Downplayed}} with Gretchen, who was originally written as a much homelier character who was only popular because she was rich. This was changed when Creator/LaceyChabert was cast in the role, but the the occasional line to this effect still shows up, including Regina straight up saying she isn't pretty, when in actuality, some consider Chabert to be the best looking actor in the film. With that said, it's done in a way where it can be written off more as cattiness than her actually being viewed as unattractive. And in all fairness, Gretchen [[IAmNotPretty being beautiful while fearing others don't think so]] is a scenario that can and does happen in real life (especially since she's Jewish and brunette in comparison to two [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASP]]y blondes).

*** Janis is also extremely manipulative in her ReasonYouSuckSpeech to Regina, where she exposes the plan to destroy her. She attributes most of the light-hearted stuff to herself, and the nasty stuff to Cady. Particularly she says that Cady "made out with her boyfriend and convinced him to break up with her" -- conveniently leaving out that Regina was in fact cheating on Aaron, and Cady merely told him this. Their kiss was also accidental, rather than a tactical move by Cady. Thus this speech can look less like an empowering moment, and Janis once again getting petty revenge on a friend who wronged her, while also avoiding any comeuppance for her own actions.
* UnconvincinglyUnpopularCharacter:
** Janis Ian. She's good looking, smart, and funny but her reputation was destroyed by a rumor and she now willingly embraces outsiderdom. The producers were actually reluctant to cast Lizzy Kaplan as Janis because they thought she was too pretty for the role but settled by giving her a goth/alternative look that would explain the popular girls avoiding her.

** Is Mrs George actually a better mother than she's given credit for? While she does offer Cady alcohol due to a misunderstanding, what she actually says "if you're gonna drink, I'd rather you do it in the house", meaning that if a teenager is going to drink she's going to make sure it's at least happening in a controlled environment where she could supervise her. And she offers Regina and Shane a condom when they're making out on her bed. Let's face it -- Regina is going to do whatever she wants regardless of whether her parents forbid anything, so at least her mother is trying to get her to have safe sex.

** As discussed under the ValuesDissonance entry, Regina's step-mom can come off as much less of a pathetic push-over than she's meant to be seen as if the audience lives in a country with a different drinking culture than the U.S.

** The line where Regina's mother says Cady can have alcohol in the house is meant to be another example of how under Regina's thumb she is. In Europe, particularly the UK and Ireland, underage drinking is not quite as big a deal. Several parents allow their teenagers to have little amounts of alcohol at home -- so as not to have them going mad when out with friends (which in turn also makes Mrs. George's line "if you're going to drink I'd much rather you do it in the house" come off as more responsible than her parenting is meant to be). What's more is that the drinking age there is either 18 or sometimes even 16 instead of 21, so giving alcohol to a 16-year-old isn't as big a deal.

* VanillaProtagonist: Cady. She starts out as an easygoing and friendly girl-next-door type. Her main trait, her social awkwardness, is due to her being home-schooled, not because she's "naturally" dorky. She quickly grows out of it and blends easily with both cliques, the Plastics and the artsy weirdos. The cast otherwise consists of more over-the-top characters: LargeHam AlphaBitch Regina, stereotypical DumbBlonde Karen, ProfessionalButtKisser Gretchen, and the rebellious outcast SnarkKnight Janis.

** Regina casually using the word "retarded" as an insult in various ocassions. While it ''is'' being said by a villain, the fact that nobody bats an eye over what's now regarded as an offensive slur doesn't fly well with modern audiences.

*** Although she seems to have genuine feelings for Shane Oman, she is shown to be very comfortable and close with her female friends and has deep interests in women. She and Janis ended their friendship because Regina thought Janis was a lesbian, told everyone, and uninvited her from her pool party allegedly because Janis would make it "awkward". Maybe she was trying to avoid temptation, or voicing her own feelings?
*** Regina becomes close with Cady fairly quickly, and doesn't seem keen on Cady dating at all. Maybe Regina hates the idea of Cady being with someone who isn't her? As well as that, Karen (who Regina admits is prettier than herself) has no boyfriend (but is mentioned to be promiscuous) so maybe it's not just Cady Regina wants to keep to herself.

* QuestionableCasting: Fans of the show, and Broadway in general, had this reaction towards internet celebrity Cameron Dallas being cast as a replacement in the role of Aaron Samuels, after he received middling reviews. Especially after a video was leaked of him, in which he appeared to be sleep walking through his performance and his listless singing was downright flat, to the point laughter could be heard from the audience in the middle of his song, led to many theatre vlogs discussing the dangers and possible harm of StuntCasting.

* ValuesDissonance: The line where Regina's mother says Cady can have alcohol in the house is meant to be another example of how under Regina's thumb she is. In Europe, particularly the UK and Ireland, underage drinking is not quite as big a deal. Several parents allow their teenagers to have little amounts of alcohol at home -- so as not to have them going mad when out with friends (which in turn also makes Mrs. George's line "if you're going to drink I'd much rather you do it in the house" come off as more responsible than her parenting is meant to be). What's more is that the drinking age there is either 18 or sometimes even 16 instead of 21, so giving alcohol to a 16-year-old isn't as big a deal.

* EvilIsSexy: The Plastics are all played by incredibly attractive young actresses, with Regina George by Creator/RachelMcAdams being the most obvious example. Fittingly enough, Regina as the main villain gets the most scenes in her underwear and has the skimpiest Halloween costume of the Plastics.

* EvilIsSexy: Regina George is the BigBad of the musical and AlphaBitch ''par excellance''... and is also ''[[MsFanservice super]]'' [[MsFanservice hot]], being played by the gorgeous Taylor Louderman and Reneé Rapp while also getting to sing some of the most seductive and {{Fanservice}}-laden songs in the musical.

* WTHCastingAgency: Fans of the show, and Broadway in general, had this reaction towards internet celebrity Cameron Dallas being cast as a replacement in the role of Aaron Samuels, after he received middling reviews. Especially after a video was leaked of him, in which he appeared to be sleep walking through his performance and his listless singing was downright flat, to the point laughter could be heard from the audience in the middle of his song, led to many theatre vlogs discussing the dangers and possible harm of StuntCasting.

** Before playing [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Meg Griffin]], Creator/LaceyChabert played Gretchen Wieners.

** The showcasing of [[AlphaBitch Regina George]] and her family's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEQV2OJVBx4 materialistic life]], while meant to show [[StepfordSmiler how empty and hollow her life truly was]] even in 2004, also marks the film as having been made before the Great Recession, at a time when flaunting immense wealth was in style. While the scene of Regina's little sister shaking her booty to trashy pop-RAndB still resonates in the age of Music/MileyCyrus and twerking (and the fact that said sister is named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylie_Jenner Kylie]] is HilariousInHindsight), the fact that she's shaking it to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGL2rytTraA "Milkshake" by Kelis]] definitely doesn't (''Forever Young Adult'' even [[http://foreveryoungadult.com/2014/11/13/a-highly-scientific-analysis-of-mean-girls/ called the film]] a "2004 musical time capsule" in their retrospective). Regina's mom is also shown wearing 'youthful' clothes in an attempt to be hip... which, in 2004, meant garish Juicy Couture sweatpants and tracksuits that, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools in hindsight]], make her look [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents even more pathetic]].

** It's meant to be a low moment for Cady when she doesn't own up to her crimes at the assembly. However some viewers find it quite reasonable that Cady wouldn't want to admit writing something in the Burn Book in front of the entire school -- especially since that would lead to her getting blamed for it all, and probably blow the whistle on Gretchen and Karen too involuntarily.
** Gretchen's ending feels a bit too mean spirited given she essentially just moves into another group to play the same position as before, one she was miserable in, which is PlayedForLaughs.

** A lot of people see the girl whose apology is "I don't hate you because you're fat. You're fat because I hate you" as giving a BackhandedApology, but is she? What she said could well be a more sincere apology as in, she is meaning that the other girl has got into comfort eating in excess because of her horrible bullying, [[WhatHaveIDone which she is now horrified by.]]

* SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct: A retroactive example. While she was seen as a talented up and comer before this film and was praised for her performance at the time, Creator/LindsayLohan's disastrous public image completely overshadowed any ability she had as a performer. Now that she's mostly dropped out of the spotlight though, many viewers look back on her strong, promising work here and lament that her career went so wrong.

** It's telling that, in a DeconstructiveParody of high school cattiness and how even nice people get caught up in it, cyberbullying is never mentioned once, despite it becoming a hot topic by the end of the decade. Gretchen's cell phone (which only shows up in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K4L9K8oUZ8 one scene]]) is a then-cutting-edge flip phone that's used to demonstrate how rich she is, the characters interact with and spread rumors about each other almost entirely through "low-tech" means (such as the "Burn Book", which is a physical, pen-and-paper journal as opposed to a private webpage or online group), and a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLjMbaMazbs "three-way calling attack"]] could only work in a time when landline phones were commonplace. In the early-mid '00s, even teenagers were just starting to get used to the internet and cell phones being omnipresent forces in their lives as opposed to novelties -- Website/{{Myspace}} had been launched just nine months before the film was released, and had yet to really take off -- and this film's portrayal of technology marks it as a clear product of that immediate pre-UsefulNotes/WebTwoPointOh time.
** The showcasing of [[AlphaBitch Regina George]] and her family's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEQV2OJVBx4 materialistic life]], while meant to show [[StepfordSmiler how empty and hollow her life truly was]] even in 2004, also marks the film as having been made before the Great Recession, when flaunting immense wealth was in style. While the scene of Regina's little sister shaking her booty to trashy pop-RAndB still resonates in the age of Music/MileyCyrus and twerking (and the fact that said sister is named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylie_Jenner Kylie]] is HilariousInHindsight), the fact that she's shaking it to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGL2rytTraA "Milkshake" by Kelis]] definitely doesn't (''Forever Young Adult'' even [[http://foreveryoungadult.com/2014/11/13/a-highly-scientific-analysis-of-mean-girls/ called the film]] a "2004 musical time capsule" in their retrospective). Regina's mom is also shown wearing 'youthful' clothes in an attempt to be hip... which, in 2004, meant garish Juicy Couture sweatpants and tracksuits that, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools in hindsight]], make her look [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents even more pathetic]].

* LGBTFanbase: Ridiculously popular among queer audiences, and is something of a modern faux-camp classic. The fact that all three of the younger male actors--Creator/JonathanBennett, Creator/DanielFranzese, and Creator/RajivSurendra--have since come out as gay certainly hasn't hurt.

* LGBTFanbase: Ridiculously popular among queer audiences, and is something of a modern faux-camp classic. The fact that all three of the younger male actors--Creator/JonathanBennet, Creator/DanielFranzese, and Creator/RajivSurendra--have since come out as gay certainly hasn't hurt.

* LGBTFanbase: Ridiculously popular among both gay men and women, and is something of a modern faux-camp classic.