121-652: Chick flick is a slang term for the film genre catered specifically to women's interests, and is marketed toward women demographics . They generally tend to appeal more to a younger female audience and deal mainly with love and romance . Although many types of films may be directed toward a female audience, the term "chick flick" is typically used only in reference to films that contain personal drama and emotion or themes that are relationship-based (although not necessarily romantic, as films may focus on parent-child or friend relationships). Chick flicks often are released en masse around Valentine's Day . The term "chick flick"
242-399: A "dude-flick" category, many individuals are not asking if there is a need to associate a movie genre to women, and then make them feel guilty for liking it. Others argue that chick flicks have been a continuation of the "chick cultural explosion," which reflected and promoted the new visibility of women in popular culture. Instead, chick flicks were grouped with the product of chick culture and
363-409: A 2014 skit for MTV . In 2013, a Tumblr called "Les Mean Girls" emerged, which coupled lines from the film with images from the 2012 film adaptation of the musical Les Misérables . The scene where Janis explains to Cady the cliques of their school is parodied in the 2008 superhero / teen spoof Superhero Movie , where Trey points out the different groups of cliques to Rick Riker. One of
484-524: A US Army librarian. Mean Girls Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey . It stars Lindsay Lohan , Rachel McAdams , Tim Meadows , Ana Gasteyer , Amy Poehler , and Fey. The film follows Cady Heron (Lohan), a naïve teenager who transfers to an American high school after years of homeschooling in Africa. Heron quickly befriends two outcasts ( Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Franzese ), with
605-538: A broad, empirical window into the motivating forces behind slang. While many forms of lexicon may be considered low-register or "sub-standard", slang remains distinct from colloquial and jargon terms because of its specific social contexts . While viewed as inappropriate in formal usage, colloquial terms are typically considered acceptable in speech across a wide range of contexts, whereas slang tends to be perceived as inappropriate in many common communication situations. Jargon refers to language used by personnel in
726-544: A comment she wrote in the Burn Book has framed Ms. Norbury as a drug dealer, Cady decides to take full responsibility for the book, becoming a social pariah. To earn extra credit, Cady joins the school Mathletes at the state finals, answering the tiebreaker correctly to win the championship. The team arrives at the Spring Fling dance, where Cady is unexpectedly elected queen. She breaks the plastic tiara and distributes
847-444: A cookbook inspired by the film, called "The Burn Cookbook: Real Recipes to Feed Your Inner Plastic." The following year, he teamed up with Nocking Point Wines to release a limited rosé wine edition. Ariana Grande parodied the film in the music video for her 2018 song " Thank U, Next ". Actors Bennett and Stefanie Drummond appeared in the video. A clip from the film was featured in a 2020 Discover Card commercial, which aired during
968-475: A dry, humorous and cutting fashion.”. These films have become a vehicle for other issues in our present society including homophobia and women's rights. This can be seen in films including, but not limited to Love, Simon (2018) and Lady Bird (2017). The industry has evolved the genre from solely portraying soapy romance stories to a focus on more realistic hardships. There is not doubt that "chick flicks" are misunderstood as simply appealing for audiences of
1089-518: A film to be considered a chick flick it must have romance and comedy. There are key differences in how a romantic comedy v.s. a chick flick is marketed. A romantic comedy is often produced/marketed with men in mind. However, a chick flick is "a motion picture intended to appeal especially to women." More recently, women have been wondering why is it that romance is the only thing that is marketed to women, when in fact there are many other themes, topics and issues women could relate to? Due to there not being
1210-466: A film. Michaels contacted Paramount Pictures , who purchased the rights to the book. As the book is nonfiction, Fey wrote the plot from scratch, borrowing elements from her own experience at Upper Darby High School and her impressions of Evanston Township High School and New Trier Township High School from her time living in the Chicago area, upon which the film's fictional "North Shore High School"
1331-572: A freshwater well in Uganda . In 2020, the cast was honored with the Pioneering Spirit Award for their #MeanGirlsDoGood campaign. On October 3, 2020, Katie Couric moderated a virtual cast reunion to reminisce about the film. Organized in collaboration with HeadCount to promote voting in the 2020 United States presidential election , it was the first time the entire cast gathered since the 2004 premiere. Paramount Pictures released
SECTION 10
#17327876677341452-399: A language over time. The 1941 film, Ball of Fire , portrays a professor played by Gary Cooper who is researching and writing an encyclopedia article about slang. The 2006 film, Idiocracy , portrays a less intelligent society in the year 2505 that has people who use all various sorts of aggressive slang. These slangs sound very foreign and alienating to the protagonist of the movie,
1573-447: A lead role, their co-star will usually not be an ethnic minority. In the movie Hitch where Will Smith was cast as the main male lead, and Eva Mendes was cast as the female lead was a deliberate decision. A black or white woman was not cast in the role, as Will Smith believed that a black couple would have put off audiences worldwide while a interracial couple with a black male lead and white female lead would have offended viewers in
1694-606: A line by Karen, another character. Clothing designers have printed quotes and other iconic imagery onto clothing and various merchandise. The cast have reunited in video over the years on that day for various causes. In 2017, a GoFundMe was created to raise money for the victims of the Las Vegas shooting and the National Compassion Fund . In 2019, they collaborated with the Thirst Project to fund
1815-568: A metaphorical piece to everyone in my category, especially Emma Mackey who's the best scene partner and best friend..." The second novel by American author Karen M. McManus , Two Can Keep a Secret , includes a reference to a line in the film, where the character Ezra refers to his school's prom committee as looking like "they wear pink on Wednesdays". In October 2024, the film will be released in North American theaters again by Fathom Events for its 20th anniversary. To celebrate
1936-420: A movie is branded with the title of 'chick flick,' for many it diminishes the credibility of a film, inherently saying that the movie is cheesy, predictable and has a poor plot. This labeling is specifically seen with movies that have subject matters that revolve around women, often reinforcing the idea that themes surrounding women in movies should not be taken seriously. Most criticisms of the genre concentrate on
2057-544: A one-two-three punch in star Lindsay Lohan, screenwriter Tina Fey and director Mark Waters, and, indeed, it delivers a knockout". The screenplay was highly praised by critics with Peter Travers of Rolling Stone calling it "comic gold". In April 2004, Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "as in The House of Yes and Freaky Friday , Waters keeps it wild but real", noting that "all
2178-465: A particular field or to language used to represent specific terms within a field to those with a particular interest. Although jargon and slang can both be used to exclude non-group members from the conversation, slang tends to emphasize social and contextual understanding whereas the main purpose of jargon is to optimize communication using terms that imply technical understanding. While colloquialisms and jargon may seem like slang because they reference
2299-425: A particular group, they do not necessarily fit the same definition because they do not represent a particular effort to replace the general lexicon of a standard language . Colloquialisms are considered more acceptable and more expected in standard usage than slang is, and jargon is often created to talk about aspects of a particular field that are not accounted for in the general lexicon. However, this differentiation
2420-490: A planned release date of May 8, 2015, for a film adapted from another book penned by Rosalind Wiseman . The project was titled Mean Moms , despite not being announced as a spin-off of Mean Girls . Beth McCarthy-Miller was set to direct with Jennifer Aniston to star. However, in May 2014, New Line Cinema pulled the film from its proposed release date of May 2015. In 2018, Jonathan Bennett, who portrayed Aaron Samuels, released
2541-403: A role in constructing identity. While slang outlines social space, attitudes about slang partly construct group identity and identify individuals as members of groups. Therefore, using the slang of a particular group associates an individual with that group. Michael Silverstein 's orders of indexicality can be employed to assign a slang term as a second-order index to that particular group. Using
SECTION 20
#17327876677342662-477: A slang term removes its status as true slang because it is then accepted by the media and is thus no longer the special insider speech of a particular group. For example, Black American music frequently uses slang, and many of its frequently used terms have therefore become part of vernacular English. Some say that a general test for whether a word is slang or not is whether or not it would be acceptable in an academic or legal setting, but that would consider slang to be
2783-573: A slang term, however, can also give an individual the qualities associated with the term's group of origin, whether or not the individual is trying to identify as a member of the group. This allocation of qualities based on abstract group association is known as third-order indexicality. As outlined in Elisa Mattiello's book "An Introduction to English Slang", a slang term can assume several levels of meaning and can be used for many reasons connected with identity. For example, male adolescents use
2904-500: A suitable and charming significant other, their lives took a turn for the better. The first productions of this genre were not initially labeled as "chick flicks"; they were just known as "Girly Films". "What sets it apart from other films geared towards a female is its focus on consumer culture.". Iconic films of the genre such as Clueless (1995), The Princess Diaries (2001), and Mean Girls (2004) act as evidence of such. In all of them, buying feminine clothes, makeup, or shoes
3025-445: A total worldwide gross of $ 129 million. Paramount said the audience was 75% female, and 50% was under the age of 18. Over 90% of moviegoers rated the picture either "excellent" or "very good", and positive notices remained strong even outside the target demographic; ratings were over 80% positive from men in their thirties. Mean Girls received largely positive reviews; critics lauded Lohan's and McAdams's performances and labeled
3146-502: A trio of new "Junior Plastics" and wonders how long they will last, as she imagines them being hit by a school bus. The film's large cast also includes Molly Shanahan and Jonathan Malen as Kristen Hadley and her boyfriend, Ky Pham, and Danielle Nguyen as "Cool Asian" students Trang Pak and Sun Jin Dinh, and Daniel DeSanto and Diego Klattenhoff as jocks Jason and Shane Oman, Gretchen, and Regina's respective boyfriends. Dwayne Hill plays
3267-457: Is "evil", Cady comes to enjoy hanging out with the group at the mall and writing insulting remarks about their classmates and teachers in a diary called the "Burn Book". However, at a Halloween house party, instead of talking to Aaron on Cady's behalf, Regina kisses him in front of her and resumes their relationship. Feeling betrayed, Cady fully commits to Janis's plan to ruin Regina's life. Over
3388-508: Is a vocabulary (words, phrases , and linguistic usages ) of an informal register , common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of particular in-groups in order to establish group identity , exclude outsiders, or both. The word itself came about in the 18th century and has been defined in multiple ways since its conception, with no single technical usage in linguistics. In its earliest attested use (1756),
3509-505: Is a limit to what we can achieve", before drawing upon a line from the film: "My answer is that the limit does not exist." Lord of the Rings and The Goonies actor Sean Astin bet the Irish leader "50 quid" to quote Mean Girls in his next speech. The sixth episode of the third season of How to Get Away with Murder included several references to the film, including Michaela Pratt using
3630-421: Is based. Fey named many characters after real-life friends. In a 2014 interview about the movie, she told Entertainment Weekly , "I tried to use real names in writing because it's just easier." Main character Cady Heron was named after Fey's college roommate Cady Garey. Damian was named after Fey's high school friend Damian Holbrook, who went on to become a writer for TV Guide . Minor character Glenn Coco
3751-441: Is considered one of the most quotable films of all time. In an interview about the film, Fey noted: "Adults find it funny. They are the ones who are laughing. Young people watch it like a reality show. It's much too close to their real experiences so they are not exactly guffawing." October 3 has been dubbed "Mean Girls Day" on social media, alluding to a line by Cady, the protagonist. People also celebrate by wearing pink based on
Chick flick - Misplaced Pages Continue
3872-455: Is especially awesome and "hype". Words and phrases from popular Hollywood films and television series frequently become slang. One early slang-like code, thieves' cant , was first used in England in around the year 1600 as a way of law-breakers to communicate without the authorities knowing of what they were saying. Slang is usually associated with a particular social group and plays
3993-706: Is named after a friend of Fey's older brother; the real Glenn Coco works as a film editor in Los Angeles. Janis Ian was named after singer Janis Ian , who was one of the musical guests on the first Saturday Night Live episode , in which she sang the song " At Seventeen ", which can be heard playing in the background when the girls are fighting at Regina's house. The film was originally going to be called "Homeschooled". Fey, Michaels, and Paramount's chairman Sherry Lansing wanted to cast Lindsay Lohan after seeing her performance in Freaky Friday (2003). Lohan
4114-581: Is not consistently applied by linguists; the terms "slang" and "jargon" are sometimes treated as synonymous, and the scope of "jargon" is at times extended to mean all forms of socially-restricted language. It is often difficult to differentiate slang from colloquialisms and even high-register lexicon because slang generally becomes accepted into common vocabulary over time. Words such as "spurious" and "strenuous" were once perceived as slang, but they are now considered general, even high-register words. Some literature on slang even says that mainstream acceptance of
4235-417: Is portrayed as a large part of women's identities. Women are often portrayed as overly emotional and dependent on men; reinforcing patriarchal societal expectations that women should prioritize finding a romantic partner and getting married. These expectations can be interpreted from movies such as He’s Just Not That Into You (2009) and The Notebook (2004). Many believe that the content of this genre in
4356-482: Is sometimes considered an early chick flick due to common elements such as dealing with loneliness , obsessive materialism , and happy endings. Author Molly Haskell has suggested that chick flicks are very different from the women's films of the 1940s and 1950s in that they now "sing a different tune." She feels that they are "more defiant and upbeat, post-modern and post-feminist . In the United States in
4477-478: Is unexpectedly invited to join the Plastics; Janis hopes to use it to collect information on Regina, whom she accuses of "ruining her life". Later that day, Cady becomes infatuated with her classmate Aaron; Gretchen warns her that as Regina's ex-boyfriend, he is off-limits. Regina discovers Cady's infatuation with Aaron and tells Cady she does not care about their relationship. Despite Janis's insistence that Regina
4598-500: The 1980s , a succession of teenage drama pictures also labeled as chick flicks were released, many by director John Hughes . These often had a different and more realistic tone than previous chick flicks, with dramatic elements such as abortion and personal alienation being included. Several chick flicks have been patterned after the story of Cinderella and other fairy tales (e.g. A Cinderella Story (2004), Ever After (1998) and Pretty Woman (1990)), or even Shakespeare in
4719-532: The Pillsbury Company released a limited edition of Toaster Strudel featuring pink icing and Mean Girls packaging to pay homage to its movie-claimed inventor's daughter, Gretchen Wieners. In October 2023, Nestlé 's Coffee Mate announced that a limited-edition pink frosting flavored creamer would be available from January 2024 to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary. In November 2023, Walmart unveiled its annual holiday campaign featuring much of
4840-820: The Super Bowl LIV . K-pop singer Sunmi named her song " You Can't Sit with Us ", after a quote from the film. A Mean Girls -themed pop-up restaurant in Santa Monica called "Fetch" was announced in 2020 as well. Primark launched a loungewear range inspired by the film in October 2019. On October 3, 2020, the Young Veterans Brewing Company released a Mean Girls -themed beer called "Army Pants & Flip Flops". Several Mean Girls -themed events, merchandising products and screenings have been often organized and produced in homage to
4961-648: The White House tweeted a photo of President Obama 's dog, Bo , holding a tennis ball and captioning: "Bo, stop trying to make fetch happen". Taco Bell made a reply to the White House, also using one of the quotes from the film. In June 2018, the official Twitter account of the Israeli Embassy in the U.S. made headlines when it responded to a tweet by Iranian leader Ali Khamenei , calling Israel "a malignant cancerous tumor", with an animated GIF of
Chick flick - Misplaced Pages Continue
5082-513: The "Why are you so obsessed with me?" quote. In March 2019, Hillary Clinton tweeted a GIF of the same quote which went viral for being considered a response to Donald Trump . At the 2013 People's Choice Awards , Jennifer Lawrence referenced the film in her speech when she won Favorite Movie Actress. Multiple scenes have been reenacted and parodied by various celebrities throughout the years following its release, including Ed Sheeran , Iggy Azalea , Amber Rose and Waka Flocka Flame during
5203-444: The "generation-defining high school movie" not only captures the teenage culture of the early 2000s perfectly, "but it's also hilariously clever for being adapted from a non-fiction parenting advice book [...] Mean Girls is great because it captures that cruel teen vibe perfectly, and it tries to deliver a nice wholesome message to fight it, which kids will laugh at, agree with, and then never do anything about." In September 2020,
5324-492: The 12th-best high school film of all time: "While Mean Girls is technically a comedy, its depiction of girl-on-girl cattiness stings incredibly true." In 2012, Rotten Tomatoes included the film in its "Top 50 Greatest Teen Comedies" list. In 2021, Marie Claire ranked Mean Girls as the best 2000s movie, calling it "the '00s pop culture staple". In 2020, Hornaday included Mean Girls at No. 8 in her list "The 34 Best Political Movies Ever Made". She wrote: "[I]n addition to
5445-440: The 1980s, mostly noticed in the early 2000s, and continued to evolve through the 2010s and early 2020s. In its early development, the films were created as white-female-targeted films, primarily involving white-female characters, topics, and interests. As the genre developed, there was repetitiveness in the plot and characters of these productions. "Chick flicks" often began with single characters, who soon after unexpectedly meeting
5566-420: The Burn Book to frame Cady, Karen, and Gretchen. Regina distributes photocopies of the book throughout the hallways, inciting chaos. Principal Duvall and math teacher Ms. Norbury gather the female junior students in the gym to talk through their social issues. When Janis reveals her plan against Regina to the students' cheers, Regina storms out and is struck by a school bus, fracturing her spine. After realizing
5687-647: The Motion Picture was released by Rykodisc and Bulletproof Records on September 21, 2004, the same day as the DVD release. The album featured songs performed by the Donnas , Pink , Kelis , Samantha Ronson , Boomkat , Blondie , Katy Rose and Peaches amongst several others. Mean Girls was released on VHS and DVD in North America on September 21, 2004, five months after its theatrical release. It
5808-640: The U.S. Casting Eva Mendes was seen as a solution because a Latina female lead and a black male lead was not considered taboo in the U.S. We see this type of casting with many different chick-flicks such as Upgraded (2024) having a Latina female lead and an English male lead. This is an ongoing issue that raises questions about racism and issues of ethnic minority inclusion in the film industry, with much progressing needing to be made in showcases people from ethnic minorities and displating LGBTQ+ relationships. The following films have been characterized as chick flicks by some commentators: Slang A slang
5929-424: The achievements to feminism"; however she contends that they can be celebrated for their representation of female freedom. Dang further proclaims that it gives space for the female voice to be present or heard in contemporary work like chick flicks. Chick flicks are often also lumped in with the genre of romantic comedies. This narrows what can or cannot be considered a chick flick, with many people believing that for
6050-506: The case of She's the Man (2006) and 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). In addition, a large number are adapted from popular novels (e.g. The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Devil Wears Prada (2006)) and literary classics (e.g. Little Women (1994)). While most films that are considered chick flicks are lighthearted, some suspense films also fall under this category, such as What Lies Beneath (2000). These works have risen since
6171-422: The cliques is "Frodos" – kids dressed up as Hobbits akin to Frodo , The Lord of the Rings character, and another the "Scarface Society" – dressed up as Al Pacino 's character Tony Montana from the 1983 film Scarface . In June 2020, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar referenced the film during a COVID-19 lockdown news briefing. Varadkar stated that "some have asked whether there
SECTION 50
#17327876677346292-531: The content most chick flicks have in common. Although the subcategories represent different plotlines, they all share several characteristics. Many chick flicks can have the "ironic, self-deprecating tone" that film theorist Hilary Radner associates with chick lit. This tone is one of the genre's defining characteristics, and she argues that many feel it lacks substance compared with other genres. She says they follow "a set of narrative tropes" which can be seen as "repeated film to film". Radner also goes on to say
6413-536: The deliberate decision to address female audiences, meaning that womens significance in contemporary culture was increasing. The typical narrative in a chick flick of falling in love has now been adapted, and instead there has been an upward trend of including a greater representation of women in chick flicks. Women who instead focus on their professional life, women who reject beauty standards and feminist themes have all been seen in more recent chick flicks. There have also been chick flicks that aim to raise questions about
6534-403: The early 2000s along with the rise in popularity of social networking services, including Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram . This has spawned new vocabularies associated with each new social media venue, such as the use of the term "friending" on Facebook, which is a verbification of "friend" used to describe the process of adding a new person to one's group of friends on the website, despite
6655-428: The eleventh best of the 21st century up to that point, praising her "blend of charisma and awkwardness, innocence and guile" as well as "faux-casual earnestness" she used for dialogue. In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked Mean Girls as the twentieth greatest comedy of the 21st century, saying: "Tina Fey established herself as one of America's best comedy writers courtesy of this instant teen-movie classic, which boasts one of
6776-463: The entire film for free streaming on TikTok in 23 snippets to celebrate Mean Girls Day 2023. The hashtag "#meangirlsday" was one of the top trends on the platform that month. American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey has said several times that she is a fan, quoting the film in numerous interviews and TV appearances, including a 2013 episode of American Idol . Carey's 2009 single, " Obsessed ", begins with an interlude quote where she says, "And I
6897-429: The events of the film with the player taking the role of a new student who enters North Shore during senior year. It was followed by two other stories, Sorority Rush and Spring Break . On January 28, 2013, Fey confirmed that a stage musical adaptation was in the works. Fey wrote the book of the show, while her husband, Jeff Richmond , composed the music with lyrics by Nell Benjamin . Directed by Casey Nicholaw ,
7018-450: The existence of an analogous term "befriend". This term is much older than Facebook, but has only recently entered the popular lexicon. Other examples of slang in social media demonstrate a proclivity toward shortened words or acronyms. These are especially associated with services such as Twitter, which (as of November 2017 ) has a 280-character limit for each message and therefore requires a relatively brief mode of expression. This includes
7139-402: The film as Seyfried and Caplan's breakthrough roles. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 84% based on 219 reviews, with an average rating of 6.90/10. The site's critical consensus states: "Elevated by a brilliant screenplay and outstanding ensemble cast , Mean Girls finds fresh, female-fronted humor in the high school experience." On Metacritic ,
7260-510: The film has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore , gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four, writing: "In a wasteland of dumb movies about teenagers, Mean Girls is a smart and funny one." Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post wrote that it "boasts
7381-586: The film was released in September 2022. It was released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for the first time on April 30, 2024, in commemoration of the film's 20th anniversary along with the release of the 2024 film . In its opening weekend, Mean Girls grossed $ 24.4 million from 3,159 screens at 2,839 theaters in the United States, ranking number one at the box office and averaging $ 8,606 per venue. The film closed on September 9, 2004, grossing $ 86.1 million domestically and $ 43 million internationally for
SECTION 60
#17327876677347502-482: The film's 20th anniversary, Paramount collaborated with MGA Entertainment to feature Cady and the Plastics as limited-edition Bratz dolls. The collaboration collection will release each character on separate dates throughout October 2024, with Cady on the 3rd, Regina on the 17th and Karen and Gretchen on the 31st (Halloween). Mean Girls won and was nominated for several awards throughout 2004–05. In early 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema announced
7623-661: The film's concepts. Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels serves as a producer; Fey was a long-term cast member and writer for Saturday Night Live . Principal photography took place from September to November 2003. Although set in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois , filming took place primarily in Toronto , Canada. Mean Girls premiered at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles on April 19, 2004, and
7744-424: The film. In August 2020, Screen Junkies released an Honest Trailers episode, calling the film "the best thing to come out of that era," with Screen Rant 's Daniel Gillespie saying: " Mean Girls remains entertaining, funny, and, most importantly, accurate. [...] That relevance almost two decades later proves that Mean Girls is deserving of its classic status," and Slashfilm 's Ethan Anderton writing that
7865-416: The film. More issues with the genre emerge from the opinion that chick flicks play to every woman's "patriarchal unconscious". Radner furthers that claim by saying that it "constitutes a very attractive – and hence often exploited – version of feminine identity". Some argue against the criticism of chick flicks. Researcher Sarah-Mai Dang acknowledges that the films can be "criticized as threatening backlash to
7986-399: The first to report on the phenomenon of slang in a systematic and linguistic way, postulated that a term would likely be in circulation for a decade before it would be written down. Nevertheless, it seems that slang generally forms via deviation from a standard form. This "spawning" of slang occurs in much the same way that any general semantic change might occur. The difference here is that
8107-422: The floor laughing"), which are widely used in instant messaging on the internet. As subcultures are often forms of counterculture, which is understood to oppose the norm, it follows that slang has come to be associated with counterculture. Slang is often adopted from social media as a sign of social awareness and shared knowledge of popular culture . This type known as internet slang has become prevalent since
8228-425: The following months, Cady, with Janis and Damian's help, manages to turn Gretchen against Regina and trick her into revealing her secrets, break up Regina's relationship with Aaron (and spend time with him by pretending to need math tutoring), and cause her to gain weight by giving her high-calorie snack bars under the pretense that they are diet food. After violating the Plastics' dress code rules by wearing sweatpants,
8349-412: The genre is "incredibly heteronormative and white-washed". These common characteristics of the genre can lead to criticism from minority groups and social justice activists. It is often visible through the films and their tendency to use typecasting for their roles; because of this, actors such as Reese Witherspoon , Cameron Diaz , Seth Rogen and Sam Claflin fall into the category of "white-washing"
8470-531: The hippie slang of the 1960s. The word "gig" is now a widely accepted synonym for a concert, recital, or performance of any type. Generally, slang terms undergo the same processes of semantic change that words in the regular lexicon do. Slang often forms from words with previously differing meanings, one example is the often used and popular slang word "lit", which was created by a generation labeled "Generation Z". The word itself used to be associated with something being on fire or being "lit" up until 1988 when it
8591-456: The indexicalized social identifications the former convey. In terms of first and second order indexicality, the usage of speaker-oriented terms by male adolescents indicated their membership to their age group, to reinforce connection to their peer group, and to exclude outsiders. In terms of higher order indexicality, anyone using these terms may desire to appear fresher, undoubtedly more playful, faddish, and colourful than someone who employs
8712-474: The industry is more inclusive than discriminating. Different varieties of the female protagonist and plot themes are being noted more often. The representation of women in noticeable male-dominated professions and/or positions is seen in films such as Legally Blonde (2001) and The Proposal (2009). There is a broadening of topics the films portray in films such as The Edge of Seventeen (2016) which “explores themes such as loss, grief, and depression, but in
8833-432: The lack of a clear definition, however, Bethany K. Dumas and Jonathan Lighter argue that an expression should be considered "true slang" if it meets at least two of the following criteria: Michael Adams remarks that "[Slang] is liminal language... it is often impossible to tell, even in context, which interests and motives it serves... slang is on the edge." Slang dictionaries, collecting thousands of slang entries, offer
8954-490: The last twelve years in Africa , 16-year-old Cady Heron begins her first day at North Shore High School. She has trouble making friends and is put down by teachers on her first day. She eventually befriends outcasts Janis Ian and Damian Leigh , who explain the school's various cliques , warning her about the "Plastics": the insecure Gretchen Wieners, the dimwitted Karen Smith, and the ruthless queen bee Regina George . Cady
9075-528: The line "you can't sit with us", Annalise Keating eating her lunch in a toilet cubicle after feeling like an outcast, Laurel Castillo wearing sweatpants on a Monday, and Simon Drake calling several other students "mean girls". In June 2021, actress Aimee Lou Wood mentioned the scene where Cady broke her Spring Fling crown in pieces and shared it with girls around her. She said: "Now, I said that I'd break [this award] into pieces and share it with everyone, It's solid, Daisy [Haggard] , It's solid! So I'll give you
9196-409: The many choices women must confront such as the possibility of having it all, and the different effects of beauty standards in films such as Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), The Princess Diaries (2001) , and In Her Shoes (2005) . There has been little to no emphasis on including individuals from ethnic/racial minorities in chick-flicks. If an individual who is an ethnic/racial minority is cast as
9317-447: The media can lead to discrimination against women and limit their "human and intellectual potential". More criticisms of the term arise from the actual content of the films in the chick flick genre and how the content affects society's perception of women. Some say that chick flicks are micro-aggressions actions or exchanges that degrade a person based on their membership in a "race, gender, age, and ability". Film critics take issue with
9438-547: The modern feminist community. The word chick at the height of the women's liberation movement in the 1970s was considered an insult directed towards women. "Chick" was used to demean women, casting them as childlike, delicate, fluffy creatures in need of protection from men. The affiliation of chick with chick flicks has resulted in an immediate negative response to many women and feminists. Chick flicks are stuck with many negative stereotypes in which women are typically portrayed as women who are klutzy, sassy, airheaded, etc. When
9559-508: The most quotable scripts of the past 20 years", while IndieWire ranked it as the fifteenth best comedy of the 21st century, calling the script "effortlessly funny, but what makes the film truly timeless has more to do with the actors' ability to find the human grace notes amid the absurd high school hijinks (Kälteen Bars, anyone?) and instant-classic one-liners ("That's so fetch"). It's a high school comedy with broad genre humor and specific insight into teenage anxieties, and for that, it stands
9680-499: The negative consequences that arise from gendering certain interests, in this case, film. Author of The Chick Flick Paradox: Derogatory? Feminist? or Both? Natalia Thompson states that chick flicks are "an attempt to lump together an entire gender's interests into one genre". Many critics argue that unnecessary gendering can negatively affect many different social groups. There is evidence from Russian social scientist Natal'ia Rimashevskaia that gender stereotypes further perpetuated by
9801-495: The only thing that fit her, Regina is banished and Cady becomes the new "queen bee". With her parents out of town, Cady throws a house party. She drunkenly admits to Aaron that she does not actually need math tutoring; he renounces her as being no better than Regina. Janis angrily confronts Cady for throwing a party instead of attending her art show, and declares that she has become as plastic as she pretended to be. Meanwhile, Regina discovers Cady's sabotage and pastes her own photo in
9922-476: The original cast, including Lohan, Seyfried, Chabert, Franzese, and Surendra, reprising their roles as adults and recreating the film's scenes with modern twists. A game for PC was released in 2009 featuring characters specifically created for the game. In 2010, a Mean Girls video game developed by Crush Digital Media and planned to be published by 505 Games for the Nintendo DS handheld game console
10043-730: The original production premiered at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., on October 31, 2017, for pre-Broadway tryouts. The show transferred to Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre , with previews beginning on March 12, 2018, and official opening on April 8, 2018. The original cast featured Erika Henningsen as Cady, Taylor Louderman as Regina, Barrett Wilbert Weed as Janis, Grey Henson as Damian, Ashley Park as Gretchen, and Kate Rockwell as Karen. The show received positive reviews from critics, and
10164-412: The pieces to others in the crowd, makes peace with those she had wronged, and shares a slow dance and a kiss with Aaron. As senior year begins, the Plastics have disbanded; a fully-recovered Regina joins the lacrosse team to channel her anger, Gretchen joins an Asian clique, and Karen becomes the school weather girl. Reflecting on the relative social peace that has taken over North Shore High, Cady notices
10285-517: The possibility of a Scandinavian origin, suggesting the same root as that of sling , which means "to throw", and noting that slang is thrown language – a quick and honest way to make your point. Linguists have no simple and clear definition of slang but agree that it is a constantly changing linguistic phenomenon present in every subculture worldwide. Some argue that slang exists because we must come up with ways to define new experiences that have surfaced with time and modernity. Attempting to remedy
10406-455: The role of Gretchen Wieners , but her mother declined as she disliked the script. Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens also auditioned for Gretchen. Jonathan Bennett was a last-minute replacement after the actor originally slated to play the role of Aaron Samuels was fired. James Franco had previously been considered for Aaron, and Penn Badgley , Jared Padalecki and Max Minghella all auditioned as well. Fey's decision to hire Bennett
10527-401: The role of Janis Ian . Lizzy Caplan was at first considered too beautiful for that role, for which Waters felt a " Kelly Osbourne -type" was necessary, but Caplan was chosen for being able to portray raw emotion. Evan Rachel Wood was offered a role in the film, but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts, a decision she later regretted. Mary Elizabeth Winstead was asked to audition for
10648-448: The role of Karen Smith, but was told by the producers to keep looking. Amanda Seyfried originally auditioned for Regina, and although director Mark Waters thought she was "fantastic", the producers instead suggested her for Karen due to her "spacey and daffy sense of humor". Leighton Meester , Haylie Duff , Kate Mara and Megan Fox were also up for the role of Karen. America Ferrera and Kat Dennings were both heavily favored for
10769-518: The same as normal, everyday, informal language. Others say that a general test is whether the word has been entered in the Oxford English Dictionary, which some scholars claim changes its status as slang. It is often difficult to collect etymologies for slang terms, largely because slang is a phenomenon of speech, rather than written language and etymologies which are typically traced via corpus . Eric Partridge , cited as
10890-971: The school's predatory gym teacher Coach Carr. Alisha Morrison plays "unfriendly" student Lea Edwards and Jan Caruana plays overweight student Emma Gerber. Wai Choi plays mathlete Tim Pak. Julia Chantrey plays Amber D'Alessio and Jacky Chamberlain and Olympia Lukis appear as disabled students Giselle Sgro and Jessica Lopez. Stefanie Drummond plays offbeat student Bethany Byrd. Tyson Fennell appears as Cady's childhood love interest Nfume. Alexandra Stapley portrays student Taylor Wedell and Laura DeCarteret plays her mother, while Nicole Crimi portrays Regina's younger sister Kylie George and Dan Willmott appears as Mr. George, Regina and Kylie's father and June's husband. Sharron Matthews portrays Mr. Duvall's secretary Joan and Clare Preuss plays Marymount Prep student Caroline Krafft. Tina Fey read Rosalind Wiseman 's Queen Bees and Wannabes and called Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels to suggest it could be turned into
11011-588: The semantic point of view, slangy foxy is more loaded than neutral sexy in terms of information provided. That is, for young people foxy means having the quality of: (1) attracting interest, attention, affection, (2) causing desire, (3) excellent or admirable in appearance, and (4) sexually provocative, exciting, etc., whereas sexy only refers to the quality indicated in point (4). Matiello stresses that those agents who identify themselves as "young men" have "genuinely coined" these terms and choose to use them over "canonical" terms —like beautiful or sexy—because of
11132-624: The show, Ana Gasteyer . Although set in Evanston, Illinois , the film was mostly shot in Toronto , Ontario, at Etobicoke Collegiate Institute and Malvern Collegiate Institute , as well as at Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey . Landmarks include the University of Toronto 's Convocation Hall and Sherway Gardens . Principal photography commenced on September 27, and concluded on November 25, 2003. Mean Girls: Music from
11253-458: The slang term's new meaning takes on a specific social significance having to do with the group the term indexes. Coleman also suggests that slang is differentiated within more general semantic change in that it typically has to do with a certain degree of "playfulness". The development of slang is considered to be a largely "spontaneous, lively, and creative" speech process. Still, while a great deal of slang takes off, even becoming accepted into
11374-492: The socially preferable or "correct" ways to speak, according to a language's normative grammar and syntactical words, descriptivists focus on studying language to further understand the subconscious rules of how individuals speak, which makes slang important in understanding such rules. Noam Chomsky , a founder of anthropological linguistic thought, challenged structural and prescriptive grammar and began to study sounds and morphemes functionally, as well as their changes within
11495-436: The standard English term "beautiful". This appearance relies heavily on the hearer's third-order understanding of the term's associated social nuances and presupposed use-cases. Often, distinct subcultures will create slang that members will use in order to associate themselves with the group, or to delineate outsiders. Slang terms are often known only within a clique or ingroup . For example, Leet ("Leetspeak" or "1337")
11616-401: The standard lexicon, much slang dies out, sometimes only referencing a group. An example of this is the term "groovy" which is a relic of 1960s and 70s American hippie slang. Nevertheless, for a slang term to become a slang term, people must use it, at some point in time, as a way to flout standard language. Additionally, slang terms may be borrowed between groups, such as the term "gig" which
11737-422: The streaming service Paramount+ . Reneé Rapp , who previously portrayed Regina as a replacement for Louderman in the musical from 2019 until its closure in 2020, reprises her role, while Fey and Tim Meadows reprise their roles from the original film. Ashley Park, who originated the role of Gretchen in the stage musical, makes a cameo in the film. It received mixed reviews from critics, and proved successful at
11858-402: The supporting performances go right to the edge of absurdity without crossing the line into random zaniness." Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, saying: " 'Fetch' may never happen, but 2004's eminently quotable movie is still one of the sharpest high school satires ever. Which is pretty grool, if you ask me!" In 2006, Entertainment Weekly had also named it
11979-594: The teen girl persuasion, and not a serious contender for awards and recognitions. Sex and the City (1998–2004) – a "chick flick" series – was nominated for 54 Emmy Awards, 24 Golden Globe Awards, 11 Screen Actors Guild Awards, 10 Directors Guild of America Awards, 7 Satellite Awards, and 4 Producers Guild of America Awards. Additional greatly successful "chick flicks" in the box office are Love Actually (2003), Notting Hill (1999), and Mamma Mia (2008). The term chick flick has generated several negative responses from
12100-412: The terms "foxy" and "shagadelic" to "show their belonging to a band, to stress their virility or their age, to reinforce connection with their peer group and to exclude outsiders, to show off, etc." These two examples use both traditional and nontraditional methods of word formation to create words with more meaning and expressiveness than the more direct and traditional words "sexy" and "beautiful": From
12221-479: The test of time." In October 2022, The Independent also included Lohan's role in a list of "outstanding performances", stating that she "gives a pretty flawless performance, dexterously balancing the film's irreverent comic tone with moments of occasional pathos." Mean Girls has become a pop culture phenomenon. Fans have made GIFs and memes of the film and posted them on various social media platforms, including Facebook , Twitter and Tumblr . It
12342-563: The trio forming a plan to exact revenge on Regina George (McAdams), the leader of an envied clique known as the Plastics. Fey conceived the idea for Mean Girls after reading the self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes . The book describes female high school social cliques , school bullying , and the resulting damaging effect on teenagers. Fey also drew from her own experience at Upper Darby High School , in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania , as an inspiration for some of
12463-450: The use of hashtags which explicitly state the main content of a message or image, such as #food or #photography. Some critics believe that when slang becomes more commonplace it effectively eradicates the "proper" use of a certain language. However, academic (descriptive) linguists believe that language is not static but ever-changing and that slang terms are valid words within a language's lexicon. While prescriptivists study and promote
12584-478: The usual adolescent high jinks and catty comebacks, screenwriter Tina Fey managed to create an incredibly insightful taxonomy of hierarchical power as it is amassed, wielded and ultimately dismantled — all within the complicated context of high school politics, Queen Bee-enforced gender norms and internalized sexism. That's a lot to accomplish, even if we never exactly made 'fetch' happen". In March 2021, Richard Brody of The New Yorker ranked Lohan's performance as
12705-418: The women's films of the 1950s "shed light on a different cluster of issues and situations women faced in their transition from the forties to the sixties: romance, courtship, work, marriage, sex, motherhood, divorce, loneliness, adultery, alcoholism, widowhood, heroism, madness and ambition." The film Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), commonly known as one of the "classic" films from the golden age of cinema ,
12826-493: The word slang referred to the vocabulary of "low" or "disreputable" people. By the early nineteenth century, it was no longer exclusively associated with disreputable people, but continued to be applied to usages below the level of standard educated speech. In Scots dialect it meant "talk, chat, gossip", as used by Aberdeen poet William Scott in 1832: "The slang gaed on aboot their war'ly care." In northern English dialect it meant "impertinence, abusive language". The origin of
12947-568: The word "slang" is unclear. It was first used in print around 1800 to refer to the language of the disreputable and criminal classes in London, though its usage likely dates back further. A Scandinavian origin has been proposed (compare, for example, Norwegian slengenavn , which means "nickname"), but based on "date and early associations" is discounted by the Oxford English Dictionary . Jonathon Green , however, agrees with
13068-402: Was "a little intimidated" by her which made him like their dynamic. McAdams had originally auditioned for the role of Cady but was deemed "a bit too old" for the character. Kristen Stewart , Michelle Trachtenberg and Mae Whitman were considered for the role of Cady opposite Lohan's Regina George early on. According to casting director Marci Liroff , Blake Lively was the top choice to play
13189-411: Was announced, but was ultimately canceled before release. Nearly completed before cancellation, the game resurfaced in 2021 by YouTuber Ray Mona (also known as Raven Simone), who received a file for the game from an anonymous email. A full playthrough was uploaded to her channel on July 15, 2021. In 2015, Episode launched an interactive animated web story entitled Senior Year . It picks up after
13310-409: Was directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. in their feature film directorial debut , with Fey returning to write the screenplay and also produce alongside returning producer Lorne Michaels . Richmond and Benjamin also returned to rework their songs from the musical. The musical film was released theatrically on January 12, 2024, by Paramount Pictures, after being originally set to premiere on
13431-399: Was due to his resemblance to her longtime SNL co-star Jimmy Fallon . Lacey Chabert and Daniel Franzese were the last actors tested for their roles. Fey wrote two roles based on fellow SNL alumni Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler , the latter of whom Fey thought the producers would perceive as too young to portray a teenager's mother. The cast additionally ended up with a fourth veteran of
13552-410: Was first used in writing to indicate a person who was drunk in the book "Warbirds: Diary of an Unknown Aviator". Since this time "lit" has gained popularity through Rap songs such as ASAP Rocky's "Get Lit" in 2011. As the popularity of the word has increased so too has the number of different meanings associated with the word. Now "lit" describes a person who is drunk and/or high, as well as an event that
13673-471: Was like, 'Why are you so obsessed with me? ' ", a line from Regina. Carey's ex-husband, Nick Cannon , revealed that the song was inspired by the film. In September 2020, Fey quizzed Carey to prove how much of a "superfan" she is on Billboard 's Quizzed video series. Meanwhile, British band Wet Leg quotes the film ("Is your muffin buttered?/Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?") in their 2021 song " Chaise Longue ". In August 2013,
13794-526: Was listed as the eleventh-best performance of the 21st century by The New Yorker . A made-for-television sequel, Mean Girls 2 , premiered on ABC Family in January 2011. Mean Girls also spawned various adaptations, including a stage musical , which premiered on Broadway in March 2018, with a film adaptation released in January 2024. After being homeschooled for her entire life and having spent
13915-473: Was nominated for twelve awards at the 72nd Tony Awards , including Best Musical . An original Broadway cast recording was released on May 18, 2018. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the show played its final performance on Broadway on March 11, 2020, after one performance with a mostly new cast. On January 23, 2020, Fey announced that a film adaptation of the stage musical was in active development. The film
14036-424: Was not widely used until the 1980s and 1990s. It has its roots in the " women's pictures " of the early twentieth century, which portrays the woman as a victim and housewife , and later the film noir of the 1940s and early 1950s, which portrays the threat of sexualized women. In the 1950s, many women who were in the workforce during World War II faced the transition back into the home. Brandon French notes that
14157-445: Was originally coined by jazz musicians in the 1930s and then borrowed into the same hippie slang of the 1960s. 'The word "groovy" has remained a part of subculture lexicon since its popularization. It is still in common use today by a significant population. The word "gig" to refer to a performance very likely originated well before the 1930s, and remained a common term throughout the 1940s and 1950s before becoming vaguely associated with
14278-494: Was originally popular only among certain internet subcultures such as software crackers and online video gamers. During the 1990s, and into the early 21st century, however, Leet became increasingly commonplace on the internet, and it has spread outside internet-based communication and into spoken languages. Other types of slang include SMS language used on mobile phones, and "chatspeak", (e.g., " LOL ", an acronym meaning "laughing out loud" or "laugh out loud" or ROFL , "rolling on
14399-420: Was originally set to play Regina George , but the casting team ended up feeling she was their strongest choice for the role of Cady Heron , and since executives feared the "mean girl" role would alienate her audience, she eventually agreed to play the lead. Rachel McAdams was cast as Regina because Fey felt McAdams being "kind and polite" made her perfect for such an evil-spirited character and Waters felt Lohan
14520-424: Was released in a special collector's edition, in both its original 1.77:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1.33:1 fullscreen crop, including several deleted scenes , a blooper reel, three TV spots, the theatrical trailer, previews, and three featurettes. A Blu-ray version of the film was released on April 14, 2009. The film was later re-released on a 15th-anniversary Blu-ray in 2019. A limited SteelBook edition of
14641-422: Was theatrically released in the United States on April 30, by Paramount Pictures . The film grossed over $ 130 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Waters's direction, Fey's screenplay, its humor, and the performances; especially lauded was Lohan's acting, which earned several accolades , including three Teen Choice Awards and two MTV Movie Awards , and in 2021,
#733266