What We Can Learn From Mean Girls

Story by Amina Ownes. Photos courtesy of Blogspot and The Sphinx.

Earlier this year, and 20 years after the original fan favorite changed pop culture, the highly anticipated Mean Girls remake came out. For those of you who aren’t familiar, in 2004, the original Mean Girls movie, written by Tina Fey, came out in theaters. Tina Fey wrote the original movie based on a book titled Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wideman. Mean Girls was an instant hit and classic, as it taught young girls about friendship and navigating life as a teenager. 

The original 2004 Mean Girls movie became a musical that premiered in Washington, DC in the fall of 2017. That musical became a movie that came out in January 2024. 

There are a few differences between these movies: the new iteration includes actors, language, clothing, and electronics from this generation. However the main difference between the 2004 original and 2024 remake is the music. I know what you’re thinking, everybody loves musicals! However, when that's what the movie is all about, it doesn’t feel like it has a true purpose. You're just going to hear singing the whole time! Singing can ruin the experience because you can miss the jokes or hidden messages conveyed through the dialogue. The original Mean Girls was not all about singing or dancing, and held my interest more because the characters talked and interacted, making it, in my opinion, funnier.

By watching Mean Girls, both the old and the new, I learned not to trust everyone that you meet immediately. Also, do not try to get revenge on a person who is mean, and don’t try to be like them. You could lose real friends by following the wrong ones.  

Amina Owens is a 5th grade scholar at Friendship Southeast Elementary School.