Stereotypes in film- Mean Girls

Mean Girls and its audience

Mean Girls is a Hollywood movie produced by Paramount in 2004. The storyline is based upon a teenage girl and her first encounters with High School life. She then is influenced to go undercover into a group of popular "Plastic" girls to find out their dirty secrets, however once in the group she gives in to her urge of becoming popular and becomes just as "bitchy" as the other girls.
The target audience for this movie is teenage girls ranging from 12, as the film is certified a 12A, to 16. All though this is a small target audience the film was majorly successful. I think that this was because it had a comical edge which attracted people from outside the intended audience. The target audience was also a big market as there is a shortage of films which appeal directly to teenage girls, which means that any film that does come out would become a necessity for them to watch. There are very memorable quotes that spring up throughout the movie which were placed specifically by the writers to get the audience to repeat them in everyday life which would then in turn “spread the word" and give them a larger potential audience as well as free advertising. The movie consists of allot of stereotypes and relies on its target audience to take it's sometimes patronising message as funny and light-hearted enjoyment, however this may send the message to young, easily lead girls that it is ok to be "bitchy" and to stereotype and has therefore caused controversy.

Stereotypes in Mean Girls
Karen
Karen is one of the main characters and is seen as “Dumb teen". She is ridiculed by the students outside her friendship group as being a "blonde bimbo"; she has good looks and is completely unaware of her stupidity. She is often looked down on by her peers, suggesting that her opinion or say is not valid or worth listening to. However, although the other onscreen characters poke fun at her the audience become somewhat attached to her and laugh along with her rather than cruelly at her.

Cady
Cady is the main character and starts out in the movie as the loner, however after being persuaded by Janice and Damien she becomes a superficial teen. She represents how an innocent person can be tainted by High School life and the people in it. Once in with the "Plastics" she becomes self obsessed and plays down her intelligence as it is seen as uncoil because it is a threat to the other girls in the group. She then also fits the stereotypical role as perusing Aaron as a potential boyfriend, she plays stupid as that is what she thinks will attract him to her, and this is also a stereotypical view but this time not from the writers or audience but by a character within the film. This shows that stereotypes are everywhere and that they are unavoidable.

Regina
Regina is the leader of the "plastics" and is referred to as "the queen bee”. She is a superficial teen as she is consumed with unimportant problems such as becoming homecoming queen. She also manages to manipulate both the head teacher- after publishing "the burn book"(a book full of girls photos with inappropriate nasty comments written on them) as well as her mother- by telling her what to wear and what to do in order to not make her embarrassed however her "Mom" thinks that she is "keeping her young" and appreciates her rude criticisms. Near the climax of the storyline she manages to alienate herself from all her friends due to her brash and self obsessed behaviour, which also complies with the rules of a superficial teen stereotype.

Regina’s mother
Regina’s mother stereotyped as a blonde, rich, white woman. She is dressed in a pink tracksuit with bling diamond necklace; she has also had a boob job which concurs with the opinion that she is absorbed in her looks. The self proclaimed "cool Mom" is also a single mother, she represents a mum trying to compensate for the fact that she has failed in a relationship leaving her daughters to live in a broken home.