Monday, December 9, 2019
Mean Girls free essay sample
Cady  finds  herself  having  a  hard  time understanding  the  social  norms  in  the  school,  and  is  drawn  to  the  the  Plastics,  the  most  popular clique  in  the  school. Mean  Girls  does  not  only  consists  of  the  usual  American  teenage  drama, dealing  with  boys,  friends,  family  and school but  also  exposes  more  modern  and  considerable topics  such  as  cyberbullying,  sexualization,  and  body  image. Ultimately  the  message  is that popularity  isnt  everything  and  that  girls  need  to  support  each  other,  not  tear  each  other  down. Some  may  say  that  this  form  of  entertainment  may  be  bad  for  a  childs  development,  but  as mentioned  in  Steven  Johnsons  Everything  Bad  is  Good  For  You,  this  form  of  modern  film turns  out  to  be  nutritional  after  all. (Johnson  P. 9). The  movie  draws  out  a  laugh  from  the  viewer while  bringing  to  light  significant  issues  of  todays  teens  all  while  encouraging  cognitive development  through  the  Sleeper  Effect. Through  positive  role  models,  diverse  characters,  and  a continuing  theme  of  learning  from  your  mistakes,  the  mean  girls  learn  their  lesson  all  while improving  the  viewers  way  of  thinking  through  Multithreading. In  the  movie,  common  cliches  are  introduced,  such  as   the  typical  crush,  inevitable  cliques, and  the  struggle  with  grades. And  although  it  may  appear  to  be  a  typical  chick  flick  Mean  Girls goes  into  depth  about  subjects  that  seriously  affect  todays  teens. In  the  movie  Cady  finds  herself accepted  in  the  popular  group  known  as  the  plastics. Mark  Deming,  a  critic  with  a  B. A. in journalism  simplifies  the  plot. While  Cady  is grateful  for  her  new  friends,  it  doesnt  take  long  for her  to  realize  how  manipulative  they  can  be,  and  she  soon  discovers  shes  violated  an  unwritten  law when  she  goes  out  on  a  date  with  Aaron,  who  is  charming,  good  looking and  Reginas  former boyfriend. It  isnt  long  before  Regina  and  her  pals  are  on  the  warpath,  and  Cady  must  face  a  level of  vengeful  behavior  for  which  years  in  the  jungle  never  prepared  her. (Demin  P. 1). As humorous  as  Demins  summary  may  seem,  teens  find  the  movie  relatable  and  witty,  making  the conflicts  and  resolutions  familiar  to  them. Throughout  the  movie,  The  Plastics† are  constantly talking  about  their  body  image  and  how  ugly  they  are. Because  of  their  lighthearted  manner  the viewer  sees  how  silly  their  statements  are  and  come  to  see  the  ridiculousness  of  their  insecurities. The  effect  of  rumors  is  shown  through  characters  previously  introduced,  causing  the  viewer  to become  attached  to  the  victim. The  infamous  queen  bee,  Regina  George  states  about  Cadys  close friend  Janice,  I  was  like,  Janis,  I  cant  invite  you,  because  I  think  youre  a  lesbian.  I  mean  I couldnt  have  a  lesbian  at  my  party.  It  is  clearly  shown  in  the  movie  that  Janice  is  heterosexual and  that  Janice  was  hurt  by  the  rumors  teaching  the  viewers  the  effect  and  power  of  that  their words  have. Sexualization  is  specifically  shown  in  a  scene  where  Regina  Georges  younger  sister imitates  a  scene  of  Girls  Gone  Wild. Her  age  is  never  specifically  stated  but  it  is  clearly  shown that  she  is  too  young  to  watch  a  movie  with  such  content. The  absurdity  of  this  scene  is  humorous but  also  disturbing. Because  nothing  in  Mean  Girls  is  unrealistic  or  turns  into  caricature,  the viewer  is  forced  to  realize  that  the  issues  mentioned  throughout  the  movie  are  very  plausible  and are  recurring  issues  in  many  peoples  daily  lives. It  can  easily  be  declared  that  Mean  Girls  can  be  brainwashing  and  ultimately  a  poor influence  to  children  and  even  young  adults  because  most  modern  forms  of  entertainment  tend  to be. Many  say  that  the  movie  is  an  illusion  and  does  not  mirror actual  life. But  in  many  reviews  and statements,  the  majority  of  people  say  that  they  have  experienced  many  of  the  plot  themes  in  their high  school  career. â€Å"Mean  Girls† can  be  very  informational,  contains  wisdom,  and  teaches  many life  lessons. Because  the  main  character  is  such  an  innocent  and  sweet  girl,  she  is  relatable  and  the viewer  learns  life  lessons  by  simply  following  the  plot. Priya  Elan,  Senior  Culture  Writer  at Grazia  states  that  â€Å"The  main  theme  is  girl- on- girl  crime,  from  passive- aggressive  takedowns  to  real physical  violence. This  battle  for  social  acceptance  by  any  means  necessary  is  something  that continues  to  be  played  out  in  real  life†. The  movie  introduces  positive  role  models  such  as  Ms. Norbury. Nell  Minow,  an  American  film  reviewer  and  writer,  describes  Ms. Norbury  as  someone â€Å"who  appears  as  a  sympathetic  teacher. She  has  a  good  sense  of  how  girls  like  Regina  operate  to establish  their  domination,  appearing  to  be  sweet  and  supportive  but  in  reality  being  competitive, duplicitous  and  manipulative,  and  always  surrounding  themselves  with  people  who  will  add  to their  power  and  not  challenge  them. † With  this  knowledge,  Ms. Norbury  guides  Cady  and  her classmates  to  open  their  eyes  and  mature. With  Ms. Norbury’s  guidance  Cady  learns  to  accept responsibility,  share,  be  nice  to  her  peers  and  to  be  herself. â€Å"  To  all  the  people  whose  feelings that  got  hurt  by  the  Burn  Book,  Im  really  sorry I  mean,  I  think  everybody  looks  like  royalty tonight. So why  is  everybody  stressing  over  this  thing? I  mean,  its  just  plastic. Could  really just Share  it a  piece  for  Regina  George. She  fractured  her  spine,  and  she  still  looks  like  a  rock star. And  some  for  everybody  else. This  speech  shows  how  much  Cady  has  matured  and  how much  she  has  changed  from  her  previous  ‘plastic’  self. â€Å"Mean  Girls† teaches  not  only  life  lessons,  but  also  improves  one’s  cognitive  thinking through  ‘the  Sleeper  Effect†. According  to  Steven  Johnson,  the  Sleeper  Effect  is  the  idea  that â€Å"the  culture  is  getting  more  intellectually  demanding,  not  less† (p9). He  states  that  â€Å"by  each  crucial measure  of  complexity- -  how  many  narrative  threads  you’re  forced  to  follow,  how  much background  information  you  need  to  interpret  on  the  fly† movies  are  several  times  more challenging  than  single  plot  lines. In  â€Å"Mean  Girls† the  viewer  is  forced  to  follow  the  plot  of  many characters,  including  but  not  limited  to,  Cady  Heron,  Regina  George,  Ms. Norbury,  Janice  Ian,  and many  more. Steven  Johnson  refers  to  this  as  Multithreading(chordal)  or  the  idea  of  â€Å"more characters,  more  plot  thread. † (P. 70). â€Å"Much  has  been  written  about  the  dexterity  with  which  the creators  of  these  recent  films  build  distinct  layers  of  information  into  their  plots,  dialogue,  and visual  effects† (P127). â€Å"These  films  challenge  the  mind  by  creating  a  thick  network  of  intersecting plotlines;;  some  challenge  by  withholding  crucial  information  from  the  audience;;  some  by inventing  new  temporal  schemes  that  invert  traditional  relationships  of  cause  and  effect;;  some  by deliberately  blurring  the  line  between  fact  and  fiction† (P. 129- 130). Because  of  an  intricate  plot line,  â€Å"Mean  Girls† follows  the  concept  of  the  Sleeper  Effect  and  Multithread ing,  forcing  viewers to  think  more  attentively. Despite  the  movie’s  popularity,  â€Å"Mean  Girls† is  educational  and  informative. It teaches  the  viewer  important  life  lessons  and  exposes  more  modern  and  considerable  topics  than the  average  ‘chick  flick’. It  follows  Johnson’s  formula  for  the  â€Å"Sleeper  Effect† and â€Å"Multithreading† improving  the  viewers  thought  process. Although  the  movie  is  lighthearted  and humorous,  valuable  themes  are  shown  throughout  â€Å"Mean  Girls†. Through  positive  role  models, diverse  characters,  and  a  continuing  theme  of  learning  from  your  mistakes,  the  mean  girls  learn their  lesson  and  all  while  improving  the  viewers  thinking  through  Multithreading. All  in  all, â€Å"Mean  Girls† is  not  only  informational  but  through  Johnson’s  theories,  also  improves  cognitive thinking. Bibliography Elan,  Priya  . Why  Tina  Feys  Mean  Girls  is  a  movie  classic.  The  Gaurdian. N. p. ,  29  Jan 2013. Web. 29  Apr. 2013. . Tyler,  Joshua. Mean  Girl.  Cinema  Blend. N. p. ,  n. d. Web. 29  Apr. 2013. . Minow,  Nell. Mean  Girls.  Common  Sense. N. p. ,  21  Sept  2005. Web. 29  Apr. 2013. . Ebert,  Roger. Mean  Girls.  Chicago  Sun- Times. Rogerebert. com,  30  Apr  2004. Web. 29  Apr. 2013. . Johnson,  Steven. Everything  Good  is  Bad  For  You. New  York:  Riverhead,  2005. Print.
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