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Regina George

presented by Section A 409110311 Mia Jiang

Is Not Just A Mean Girl

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Table of Contents

    • Introduction
    • Methodology
    • Literature Review
    • Analysis
    • Conclusion

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SUMMARY

Subtle satire for high school life

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SUMMARY

Cady Heron

(The New Girl)

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SUMMARY

Janis Ian

Damian

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SUMMARY

THE PLASTICS

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THE PLASTICS

SUMMARY

Karen

Smith

"She asked me how to spell 'orange.'"

(Waters)

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THE PLASTICS

"She asked me how to spell 'orange.'"

SUMMARY

Gretchen

Wieners

Karen

Smith

"She knows everything about everyone.'"

(Waters)

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THE PLASTICS

SUMMARY

Gretchen

Wieners

Karen

Smith

Regina George

"Evil takes a human form in Regina George."

(Waters)

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"Why don't I know you?"

SUMMARY

Cady was invited

to join the Plastics

01

02

03

"Get in, loser. We're going shopping."

The Halloween Party

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"Why don't I know you?"

SUMMARY

Subtle satire for high school life

01

02

03

"Get in, loser. We're going shopping."

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"Why don't I know you?"

SUMMARY

Subtle satire for high school life

01

02

03

"Get in, loser. We're going shopping."

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The relevance of the movie
    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The relevance of the movie
    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

01

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The relevance of the movie
    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

01

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

01

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

01

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

01

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

01

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

01

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

01

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INTRODUCTION

MOTIVATION

    • The relevance of the movie
    • The different faces of Regina George
    • Her iconic persona

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

01

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REGINA GEORGE IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

THESIS STATEMENT

According to many critics, Regina George’s bullying behaviors, such as social isolation and abusive language, made her the villain of the film; however, her victimhood of internalized misogyny and the cycle of bullying should not be excluded from the discussion of her villainous characteristics.

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    • Regina's conformity
    • Domestic and institutional impacts
    • Environmental indulgement
    • Imbalanced Power Dynamic
    • The Source of the Vicious Circle
    • The Solution Mean Girls Provides

METHODOLOGY

Internalized Misogyny

Circle of Bullying

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01

The Source of Female Competition

LITERATURE REVIEW

02

Internalized Misogyny

03

Is Regina George a Villain?

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THE SOURCE OF

FEMALE COMPETITION

Biological Factors:

    • Reproductive desire
    • Monogamous marriage traditions
    • Fight for mate

Social Factors:

    • The social ideal of females
    • Comforminity = Popularity
    • Fight for power

(Sarah Cain, Anthony et al.)

(Anne Campbell)

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    • Cause: The Ordering of Social Hierarchy
    • Affect: Females’ Reflection of Self-identity (gendered bodies)
    • Continuance: Reward system (started in early girlhood)

Rooted oppression of women

INTERNALIZED

MISOGYNY

(Constantinescu 120 -124)

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    • Bully?
    • Victim?

IS REGINA GEORGE A VILLAIN?

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IS REGINA GEORGE A VILLAIN?

"That's the ugliest f-ing skirt I've ever seen."

Regina George

    • 90% of the bullying behaviors conducted by Regina George
    • Verble & Social Bullying

She's a bully!

(Sirly and Novitasari 134 - 137)

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VERBLE BULLYING

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VERBLE BULLYING

Sirly and Novitasari define verbal bullying as “repeated or systematic name calling, (and) insults (133).”

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VERBLE BULLYING

Do you wanna do

something fun?

Wanna go to Taco Bell?

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VERBLE BULLYING

Do you wanna do

something fun?

Wanna go to Taco Bell?

I can't go to taco bell, I'm on an all-carb diet. GOD Karen,

you're so stupid!

(Waters)

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SOCIAL BULLYING

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SOCIAL BULLYING

Social bullying includes indirect actions, such as spreading false rumors, to exclude someone (Sirly and Novitasari 134).

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Social bullying includes indirect actions, such as spreading false rumors, to exclude someone (Sirly and Novitasari 134).

SOCIAL BULLYING

Look, I'm not saying she's a stalker, but... she said

she's gonna do some kind of African voodoo... to

make you like her.

(Waters)

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"PLASTIC-TALK"

    • Exclusive sub-language
    • maintain social dominance
    • using certain phrases to confuse and distress others
    • Exemplified in Cady and Regina's first encounter

Disempowering Other Women's voices

(Kaplan 120)

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"PLASTIC-TALK"

So, you never actually been to a real school before?

I didn't say anything.

Shut up...

Shut up!

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    • Bully?
    • Victim?

IS REGINA GEORGE A VILLAIN?

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    • Bully?
    • Victim?

IS REGINA GEORGE A VILLAIN?

    • The misery of conforming to gender ideal
    • Association between her meanness and fear

She's a victim!

(The Take)

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PERFORMANCE OF

ULTRA-FEMININITY

    • Insecurity about her body
    • Performing her attraction toward men
    • Judgmental about sexual behaviors
    • Viewing Janis as potential threat to her values

Constant effort to present her femininity

(The Take)

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THE FRAMING OF

THE STORY

    • Punishment on Regina George
    • The similarity between Regina and Janis

(the opposite ends of the spectrum)

    • Janis as heroic rebel & Regina as evil dictator
    • Everyone is a mean girl

Demonizing ultra-femininity

(“How Mean Girls Demonizes Hyper-Femininity”)

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01

Internalization of Misogyny ideas

ANALYSIS

02

Endless Circle of Bullying

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    • The imbalanced power dynamic between genders
    • The strong link between gender embodiment and bodies
    • Maintained by oppression

Defining

Internalized misogyny

(Constantinescu 120 - 124)

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    • Agent oppression

=> Her bullying behaviors

-=> Imposing rules upon others

    • Structural oppression

=> Reward system, which is established in early girlhood

Invisible Oppression

Upon Regina George

(Constantinescu 120 - 124)

"On Wednesday,

we wear pink."

(Waters)

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    • "Hot body"

=> Western standard beauty

=> Put effort to maintain it (especially about losing weight)

    • "Man Candy"

=> present herself as desirable among males

    • People agree with such idea

Conformity = Popularity

(Waters)

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    • Gretchen Wieners

=> Use Regina to be popular

    • Janis Ian

=> Use Cady for her revenge

    • Cady Heron

=> Use Janis for her revenge

=> Use the Plastics to gain popularity

    • Tools before friends

Everyone is a

mean girl

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Endless Circle of Bullying

    • Insecurity & Low self-esteem
    • Her conflict of being who she is

The Source of Bullying

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Endless Circle of Bullying

    • The toxic environment solidifies and intensifies Regina's fear
    • The need for power and control further strengths the misogynist ideas

The Hierarchy

Power Dynamic

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CONCLUSION

THE COMPLEXITY OF REGINA

    • The social factors behind her actions
    • What she represents
    • Could the cycle be broken?

REGINA IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL

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WORKS CITED

Anthony, Amanda et al. “When Beauty Brings out the Beast: Female Comparisons andthe Feminine Rivalry.” Gender Issues, vol. 33, no. 4, 2016, pp. 311-334,

Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1007/s12147-016-9158-5.

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Cain, Sarah. “Societal Norms Will Never Be Fetch.” Oalk College, 2017.

https://oakes.ucsc.edu/academics/oakes-core/essays/2017%20Core%20award%20ess

ays/OAKS-80A-07-Cain.pdf

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Campbell, Anne. “Female Competition: Causes, Constraints, Content, and Contexts.” The Journal of Sex Research, March 2004. DOI:10.1080/00224490409552210

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Connell, Raewyn. 2014. Gender and Power: Society, the Person and Sexual Politics. New York: Wiley.

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Constantinescu, Sorana-Alexandra. “How Does the Internalization of Misogyny Operate: A Theoretical Approach with European Examples,” Original Scientific Article, 2021. DOI: 10.2478/rsc-2021-0013

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“How Mean Girls Demonize Hyper-Feminity.” Youtube. June 12th, 2021.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLXKgq9eNas

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Kaplan, Anna. “‘Stop Trying to Make Fetch Happen’: The Disempowerment of Women’s Voices in the Film Mean Girls.” SUURJ: Seattle University Undergraduat Research Journal: Vol. 3, Article 16. https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/suurj/vol3/iss1/16

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Mean Girls. 2004.

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Novitasari, Nine Febrie and Nun Ayu Waya Sirly. “Bullying Portrayed in Mean Girls Movie: A Psychoanalysis.” Pioneer, Feb. 7th, 2021. DOI:10.36841/pioneer.v9i2.453

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Resnick, David. “Life in an Unjust Community: A Hollywood View of High School Moral Life.” Journal of Moral Education, vol. 37, no. 1, 2008, pp. 99-113, Education Research Complete, doi:10.1080/03057240701803718.

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Walderzak, Joseph. “Man-Candy, Hot Body, and an Army of Skanks: Mean Girls as Revisionist Text and the Teen Film Genre.” Quarterly Review of Film & Video,

vol. 36, no. 6, 2019, pp. 498-519, MLA International Bibliography with Full Text, doi:10.1080/10509208.2019.1593016.

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#REGINA GEROGE IS NOT JUST A MEAN GIRL