Mean Girls - Janis and the Unpopular Mean Girl
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- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2024
- Get a full month of MUBI FOR FREE: mubi.com/thetake (With the support of Creative Europe - MEDIA Programme of the European Union) | Regina George and the Plastics weren't the only Mean Girls in the movie. What about Janis? Is she a rebel working tirelessly to overthrow an oppressive dictator... or a vengeful, secret dictator herself? In this video, we take a look at how Janis embodies the Unpopular Mean Girl archetype, and the kind of high school experience that made her this way. If you like this video, subscribe to our channel or support us on Patreon: / thetake
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but can we please have Boardwalk Empire Character Analysis plz plz like plz
The Take your next video should be Hollywoods Evolution of the Token Character
Thank you for taking my suggestion from a previous video and analysing it. Feels cool that you took the time to look over this.
this is the first time i actually check out a sponsor. W H A T. I WANT
I love love love these videos you upload! I apologise for not saying this enough times, you guys deserve more views and subs. The Take and Lessons from Screenplay are 2 of my absolute favourite channels. This is esp because both of you don't just take a character/script/trope etc and go on dissecting it. Both of the channels provide other examples from reel and real life, quotes from various authours/books that back up the point you're trying to make, as well as going back years to illustrate when/how/where certain things originated from.
It's a request from "The Take" if they could do a similar analysis on the 4 main characters from the show "Elite". Namely, Guzman, Lucresia, Samuel, and Carla? It's in Spanish but I would love to hear your take on the 4 most interesting characters and their bit by bit dissection. :D
She admitted it tho "At least Regina and I know we're mean"
What kind of admitting is this. I don't admit the way she does, I don't apologise the way she does, it's better not to say it. Thing is she has a bad heart that she's not even trying to change and there is a difference a person who can admit something should be looking to change that thing that wasn't admitting, that was projecting. It is all in the attitude don't praise people who admit to things and apologize this way, they're being self-righteous and are out only to make themself look good. What would what Cady say have anything to do with admitting to being mean? Here's the thing though Janice is Evil, bitter and Jealous.
she only admits it to fault Cady for what Janice AND Regina actively tried to make her. she was only ready to admit she was mean when she found someone she could paint as meaner, because the whole movie, she time in and time out portrayed herself as the “oppressed, nice, quirky girl” but only told Cady how mean she was when she made Cady just as bad, and when Cady realized that Janis was (in some cases) worse than Regina
@@alexmun7391 yes that's some mastermind manipulation right there. I am shock how the whole school praised her fake apology. She doesn't apologize right she needs to give both Regina and Cady proper apologies sincere apologies. No Cady wasn't an asshole, she didn't even let Damien talk.
"At least I admit it" is hypocrisy that's a *special* kind of insulting.
Janice knew if she could get under Gretchen's skin they would be able to overthrow Regina. Because everything Regina felt, or experienced she told Gretchen.
Janis is not a lesbian but She's lebanese. Love that detail
Me too. It's likely that Regina either confused the two words, or was relying on her classmates to THINK that they'd heard "Lesbian" instead of "Lebanese".
Haha spot on both of you!As a greek I find another layer of funny in this as Lesbian also refers to somebody's place of origin in greek just ike Lebanese :-P Maybe Tina Fey originally wanted to make her a Lesbian since she is Greek American? Anyway I prefer Lebanese ♥️ the Lesbian-lesbian is an old and really obvious "joke" here
sergio vela janis is obsessed with regina
No she’s Pie-sexual *COUGH* Bi-sexual.
@@konstantinakatmada8019 like people from Lesbos?
Tina Fey has written Janis so well that everyone seems to forget how toxic her character is.
...
Kind of like Walter White
Alexis Fitzroy Skylar sums it up perfectly: “someone has to protect this family from the man who protects this family”
The Dark Overlord Jessie was dumb but he deserved better
True. I so love this movie - one thing that would have made it even better is to better reveal how Janice was indeed one of the most toxic girls in the end - and I'm not sure she ever really cared about Cady.
Janis and Regina were once best friends for a reason, just saying
I concur, they are so similar, yet don't really acknowledge it. They also both have manipulative, sneaky sides, and won't stop at anything to get what they want. For Regina, it's popularity, and for Janis, it's revenge! 👑🐝💄
Trina Q truth 🙌
Their friendship didn't work out cause both of them were fighting for the alpha spot.
@@trinaq preachhh
YES!!!
People think that Mean Girls refers to Regina George and her inner circle but in reality the title Mean Girls refers to almost all the girls in the movie. Remember how everyone would spread rumors about each other and they would all get into fights and stuff. Yes some of them were victims of Regina George but they also fell into the mean girl machine amongst their other friends and peers.
Yes! I love this take
That's a very apt observation. We are all privy to becoming "Mean" at one stage or another, especially amongst our peers. In addition, the title may also refer to Cady, our protagonist, although she eventually realises how toxic her behaviour has become, and redeems herself before it's too late. 😊
I mean it is called Mean Girl(S) plural.
Jess Exactly
Yes. And it implies that we all are kinf of mean girls. Or capable of it. That scene in the gym where all the cliques complain about their problems reveal all the girls were being mean.
I can't believe how good Mean Girls is. They writers were geniuses.
yea until mean girls 2 came out that shit is trash
@@lanigaston5360 Tina Fey didn't write the screenplay for the sequel so that explains that.
And the actors as well, I mean all of them were good enough to make us hate or love the characters
@Adele Zadi is it like when ppl think that there are only black africans and not white africans or sum else?
@Adele Zadi yeah u have a point because they only showed the somewhat rural part of Africa but Africa has cities and has well-fed people and cities with tall buildings. So I dont like how people make it seem like Africa is a place for starving and diseased peoplel when it's only in some parts of that country.
You naturally sympathize with her *at first* but then as the movie continues she really shows her manipulative personality. Yes she was bullied but she used a somewhat naive girl to achieve her goal *to destroy* another person and convinced her that it was the "right thing to do"....personality wise she was very similar to regina.
Indeed, you've hit the nail right on the head! 🔨 Janis and Regina both take Cady under their wing, and exploit her into becoming "Mean" like they are. Janis also tries to justify her actions, and doesn't seem to realize just HOW her takedown of Regina is eerily similar to Regina own usurping of her popularity in middle school.
The only issue is that I think the film still tries to have her be someone worth rooting for when she kind of isn't.
no wonder they were best friends at one point.
Dark magician !!
In a way, Janis is even more dangerous than Regina because she frames her actions under the banner of nobility. I heard a quote that goes something like, beware people who do bad things to you _for your best interest._ The type of people who quote the Bible as they beat their wives or children. The people who say, "I'm only doing this because I love you" or "for the greater good."
Tbh in my mind, Janis is just as toxic as a normal mean girl, she forced Cady into a situation she didn’t want to be in and when Cady started assimilating with her primary reference group, Janis turned on her.
@Manophere. com it's a movie can we fkn stop with stupid politics for a day. Jesus fkn christ
@Manophere. com what does that have to do with feminism? feminism is not oppressive. it wants the same standards for women that we have for men. nothing oppressive about that.
TheHierophantV nah feminists just want as much power as men so they can be just as oppressive and restrictive.
TheHierophantV feminism started off good but now it doesn’t want equality as they would say women are better than men and thinks having women in charge instead of men is better but it ain’t just the same thing but with women
Good Bye those are radical feminists who are a generally loud minority. Most feminists just want equal treatment with men and no double standards
Omg I've been saying this for years! THERE ARE MEAN PEOPLE IN EVERY CLIQUE!! NOT ONLY IN THE 'POPULAR' GROUP
Hi lana
Yes but it’s more effective coming from the popular group because they have more influence and power in school just saying
This reminds me why I had such an issue with the premise of Shallow Hal. In that movie the doctor hypnotizes him so that he will see people outside as they truly are inside. But that doesn't account for how Hal sees women he doesn't even know. The way he saw women wasn't based on their actual personalities, but on the assumption that if you are unattractive or overweight, you must be a good person, and vice versa. Obviously not true. People are complex, and anyone can be mean or kind.
Yup, I was in the clique that opposed the preppy girls, we were the alternative, rocker girls. We didn't want to be mean, but we had to be because the preppy girls were mean to us. It was a very toxic environment. In the ends years after college we are very close friends with my girls, while the preppy girls stabbed each other in the back so many times they now hate each other.
@LadyJ 22 when....when did I say that? I’m saying it’s more effective coming from popular people.....and it’s is in my experience yes there’s bad ppl in every group but those people get shut down quickly and easily compared to popular people
It's implied that middle school Regina didn't know the difference between Lesbian and Lebanese. Janis says at the end she's from Lebanon.
Alia lol!
Which is how the rumor started just proving how dumb the whole situation was.
@@dead6001 Well said.
*lebanese 😂
Progga Paromita Thanks
At the end of the movie, Janis says she's Lebanese, which to a middle schooler, could sound like lesbian. I always thought that was at least part of the reason Regina spread that rumor.
I didn't catch that, but oh wow that would actually explain the thing...
Wait seriously? I thought that was a joke.
Edit: the Lebanese sounds like lesbian part.
@@HudaefCares It's a theory
I thought you were American
Elizabeth Randal also when Ellen came out, she said a similar joke about being Lebanese.
Remember, Cady didn't have a strong sense of self or identity/boundaries, which explains why she was so easily manipulated and corrupted by Janis (whom she initially wanted to please as a friend). There should be a video on that too.
Remember Cady is also Homeschooled and had no public schooling experience before too.
That's not it. They planned to overthrow Regina not because Cady wants to please Janis but because of what Regina did to her. She was convinced by Janis that Regina is not a good person and that she ruins everyone's lives which was true though,that sge deserved to be taken down which was also true...Since Cady was accepted in Regina's group,they used it as an advantage now that Cady has a reason to revenge on Regina.She was motivated.
@@horrormovielover6725 And that still makes Cady a follower, she didn't really know Regina personally yet agreed to ruin her life. Janice is no victim she's just as guilty as Regina.
There need to be a video in the part where Cady says *It's not my problem that you like me*. This part seems to be ignored all the time
@@LonnieBhi but regina started the chain of events by humiliating her about being a ''lesbian''
_"It's laughably simplistic and false to assume that all geeks are good guys and all cool guys are bullies."_
SYNDROME. Just because he was the overlooked fanboy of Mr. Incredible's story doesn't make him the good guy. In fact, the whole point of the movie is how his obsession and jealousy made him the villain.
There’s a great line from 90210 when Naomi who is really popular falls for a geek and when she puts herself out there his friends are super mean to her and she says something like “you and your friends are just as snobby and mean as you say my friends are”
Megamind does a good take on this too
The movie Megamind proved all these things.
This actually reminded me of Revenge of the Nerds when the nerd protagonist tricked his popular girl crush into having sex with him by giving the impression he was her jock boyfriend. We're supposed to feel sorry for all these nerds that get bullied but our nerd protagonist literally rapes the popular girl he's been fantasizing about since forever. Oh, and the series rewards him for it by later making them a couple and even having them get married and have children. Like, WTF.
@@TheSaiyanPrincess89 I remember that now! Yikes! 😬
She was, I noticed that too. The only one who wasn't mean was Glen Coco. Four for you Glen Coco!
You go, Glen Coco!
And none for Gretchen Weiners bye!
Thanks
@@davidkonevky7372 nice reference to the musical and the movie
Glenn is a guy, how could he be a "mean girl"?
Big red flag for me: Janis refused to pronounce “Cady” the way that Cady preferred. Always thought she was uber manipulative
Frrrrr “I’ll call you Caddy”
Also notice how she only calls Cady with the correct pronounciation after Cady agreed to spy on the plastics?
1st world problems
@@Powerhaus88 It's more the fact that she refuses to call Cady by her real name, disrespecting her until she can get something out of her
Fr, it automatically puts Janis in a place of power, because she’s showing that what she says goes
Regina thinks Janis is gay because she mistook Lebanese for lesbian, that's the joke at the end
:0
Wait she isn't gay,shit!😫.
@@lovergirl6194 gurl she kissed that guy at the end, (not Damien)
I thought Karen was suposed to be the dumb one
Ohhhhh I never got that until now 😂😂
That was literally the whole point of the movie, they were ALL mean girls.
Lol a cycle of hate the movie opens at the close
And yet a lot of people miss this because Janis' manipulations and mean girl crap isn't as in your face as Regina's. If anything, it's good that the channel makes it obvious, because there's a lot of people with the "I'm not popular, I can't possibly be an asshole even though I act like one" syndrome
3 things.
1. This was a viewer suggestion from ages back so cool your jets. They are trying to work through a backlog of comment suggestions. I’ve noticed 5 they have completed this year alone.
2. Tons of people miss this aspect of the movie. It’s played subtly for a teen audience and deliberately subverts the focus of 90’s movies chock a block of Alt girl heroes.
3. Even if it was the most on the nose trope in the world, this channel talks about popular movie tropes. So why wouldn’t they discuss it further?
4. Yes my grammar sucks.
Many people do not get that , And she is painted as a hero or an inspiration. Then they used this as excuse for there own personality ,which we all no is not the message of the movie . This channel simply explained it better
@@Firegen1 All good points except for four. Your grammar seems fine ^^
during my teen years i befriended a girl like janis. because i figured that since she was
so different from the cheerleader types at my school and was OH SO "alternative" she
would never be mean to me and accept me for who i am.
boy was i wrong. she was just as worse as the cheerleaders.
she made fun of me if i wore the wrong clothes,listened to the wrong music.
ignored me if i ever called her out on something.
because of her my teen years were confusing and full of self doubt.
never judge a book by its cover. doesn't matter if she's a cheerleader or a goth or a whatever.
if that person makes you feel bad for being who you are then she's a mean girl and you need to
let that person go.
wish i'd known this truth when i was a teenager.
People like that ruin you. They can apologise, but they've done the damage
I’ve had someone exactly like that too :(
Tbh in my experience popular people are ussually nicer people. That's why people like them. But idk American high school seems kinda difference to how it is over here
I knew someone like this too, I thought she was different but she was just as bad as "popular" kids
@@niamhrtditchfield2348 Actually,I think the part where the girls like the mean girl,Regina is convincing and realistic..It's happening in real life as what I've observed because most people love to chase that person who's acting hard to reach with attractive qualities. Besides,Regina always look and speak nice as she was plastic..It makes people like her.Who wouldnt want cool people's attention right?.And theres always that someone who wants to please someone like her..
She's like the boss from your office whom you want to please.
Regina was right Janis is obsessed with her
MythKp i know Right
True thing, no matter how hard Janis may try to deny that fact, there's no overlooking that she's completely obsessed with besting her old best friend!
Right? While I don't think Janis wanted to fuck Regina or anything, developing and carrying out a plan to systematically destroy someone's life is not the best evidence that you're not in love with them.
She is obsessed with revenge, very different from loving Regina..
@@cyan7181 Revenge is still a form of obsession as you focus so much of your time trying to come up with plans to make them suffer. While, it's not romantic, it's still unhealthy if you end up using and manipulating your friends to carry out your plans of revenge disguised as a ''liberation'' from the main status.
After watching Mean Girls more than once, I started thinking that Janis style and behavior comes from a way to separate herself from the person who she always said that ruined her life. When the movie mentioned that Janis was the creator of the choreography, it just reinforced for me the fact that she would have been more "feminine" and "Regina alike" if the rumor didn't happen.
I agree. While Janis is undeniably pretty and intelligent, she's considered "a loser" thanks to Regina's rumour, and embraces outsider ism. Luckily, the movie doesn't try to kid us that she isn't attractive. Kudos for catching on to the choreography reference! 🎶💃😍
So true, I think if that rumor never happened they probably would've stayed friends. If not, Janis would've been compared more to Regina
@@_alanawalker I disagree. I think they're so similar that one of them would eventually have to be on top.
@@nigerianprincess101 I beg to differ, they aren't similar in style nor in revenge, but they do have the similar grudge(lol, I just want to feel like I'm on a debate by saying"I beg to differ," okey!?!)🤣
basically this. ever since i saw the original movie i always wished they wouldve created a sequel or "prequel" shortly after with janis ian as the main character, focusing on her life when she was a mean girl herself before her falling out with regina. there were sooo many hints at the life janis lived before cady came around. too bad they made the mean girls 2 monstrosity instead
No one going to mention ‘Janis’ is named after a ‘two-faced’ Roman god.
Whilst ‘Regina’ is Latin for royalty.
Regina in Italian means "Queen"
The Roman god is spelled Janus
@@idiotsandwich1045 in romanian too :)
@@dc9067 romanian, just like italian is a neolatin language, so yeah
We are like neighbors :>
@@idiotsandwich1045 they're really similar that's true ✌
the main difference between Regina and Janis is that Janis is a wolf in sheep's clothing while Regina doesn't bother to hide the fact she's a wolf.
Hmmm I think Regina does mask herself a bit. In the beginning she gives people just enough niceness to make her adore her, but will be mean/manipulative behind their back (ex: cute/ugly skirt scene).
To me janis knows shes mean but she was like : fuck it, if Regina makes me suffer Im gonna make her suffer back
@@renee1309 I know that it's just that Janis continues to play like she nicer but really she's the lesser of two evils
@@dianabarry3479 except janis used cady to exact her revenge instead of doing it directly. Meanwhile when Regina wanted a dirty deed done she did it herself (spreading the burn book) When regina does mean things she'll do them in a upfront way, letting you see clearly she's mean. But janis used other people for her revenge and downplays her own actions hence her being in sheep's clothing
I have to disagree. The main difference imo is their hair color. Both are popular, both have a high sense of self, both are mean girls. Yes objectively they have their differences but they are more alike. Both did devious deeds of manipulation and sabotage.
She got mad at Cady for becoming them when that was her end goal
Crazy right
I remember being like 12 and seeing everyone turn on Cady and feeling something wrong because technically it was all of Janis idea to do this and she never was held accountable for the shit she did while Cady got the blame
jealousy. Was jealous because she secretly wanted popularity.
@@hadbetterdays8118 ikr I watched the movie when I was younger, and I felt like it was also Janis's fault
@@fiver2543 evan when Cady said your the one who told me to be like this she had the audacity to say Cady was bad when she was doing the same thing as Regina taking advantage of Cady's naive nature
You know, For a “Mean girl” Karen is such a sweetheart
Agreed, and how about Gretch? She was oh-so fetch!
@basicass user yeah, she manipulated the others too look rude
The meanest thing she did was assume Cady wasn’t African because she was white.
Yeah, Karen was a cutie, tbh.
@@cupio-stardust that's not mean, that's just dumb
Janis is very much the embodiment of "I'm not like other girls" while also being exactly like other girls.
But isn’t “I’m not like other girls” when someone mocks other girls? Janis never did that she just wanted revenge on someone who she felt did her wrong, of course she didn’t go about it in the right way but she never mocked other girls for liking things she simply just didn’t like Regina
@@Las645 the introductory scene of the Plastics showcases just how catty Janis actually is.
Her beef was with Regina but look at how she talked about Karen and Gretchen. She even had a lot to say about Cady when she was starting to look and act like a Plastic, and that was before the party drama.
Indeed
@@Las645 true
But she was smarter than other characters ,if but that is my opinion.
We're out here comparing Mean Girls to Orwellian literature, and I ain't complaining.
And the hunger games, but their both great so not complaining either
Because themes in human relations exist in all parts of history
@@adeleaslan8182 Nah... you can't compare Hunger Games to George Orwell's literature.
@@anotheraccount444 Animal Farm and Hunger Games both have themes of ‘just because so and so is a revolutionary doesn’t mean they’re better than the dictator’ though.
At the end of Mockingjay, the revolutionary President Coin is revealed to be just as evil as President Snow. And she was actually going to hold another Hunger Games with Capitol children as a form of revenge. the revolution was supposed to abolish the games, but she’s putting everyone back at square one with the same logic that started the games in the first place.
the whole point of the movie is that ALL the girls are mean girls in some way
Let me rephrase all girls CAN be mean girls in some way, I wouldn’t say all girls are mean because that’s not true
Ashanti Berry I think they are talking about the characters in the movie not girls in real life
Avery oh I didn’t see the “the” in her scented eyes all I saw was “all girls are mean in some ways” my mistake
Ashanti Berry no problem 👍
The message was society pits women against each other makes them insecure so they become mean girls
I remember in high school, there was so much of girls like her. Girls that thought that because they weren't "plastics", or following "trends", that they were better than every other girls and would tear them down. They were a different type of bully.
In a way, it's like the abused going on to replicate the ways of their abusers, but cannot see this because they see themselves as on the other side.
It's the ''I'm not like other girls'' ideology that spread through the 2000's. That idea that the ''the others'' were stupid and childish because they looked or talked a certain way to appeal to men, as opposed to the ones defying the system by acting differently. All because of a set of rules they themselves had created to standardize girls and make them the enemy.
I was a part of that group unfortunately, turns out I just needed better friends.
@@M-WG We've always had the 'me vs them' idea, I was pointing out that this in particular got very popular in cinema in the 2000's(maybe the 90's).
But yes, you are right. Although I don't understand how conservative regions would be more affected.
@@M-WG Oh, I get it. I'm sorry you have to go through that still, we get very immersed in our own culture and forget that others have more problems to deal with.
I was (and I am) that girl too, but I was the one bullied and I never clapped back violently or whatever (you don't wanna be like them, right?). My only form of riot was getting better English and Italian grades than them. Nobody saw me as "cool", but everyone told me their secrets bc they knew I wouldn't tell anyone and, shock of all shock, literally everyone told me they hated the mean girls in class.
I never felt like she really thinks that Cady is her friend, she just used her like Plastics
Too bad because she didn't treat Damian like a friend neither, she was always telling him to shut up.
@gidlegendary no, but she doesnt do it in a friendship way
Damien was Janice's version of Gretchen Wieners.
@@asalways1504 yeah
based from what Ive watched.She really likes Cady and when she found out that Regina wanted to hang out with Cady,she convince her that that she has to do it (spy on Regina) because she hated Regina and she wanted revenge..
The only time she planned how to overthrow Regina was when Cady went to her crying because she was betrayed by Regina who promised to help her with Aaron but only to hurt her feelings. She got back with Aaron for a purpose which is to hurt Cady.
Though Janis was mean,I dont think she was that bad for Cady but I hated it when all the blame was put to Cady. She was a nice girl,she was never mean to anybody except for Regina and first time for Ms.Norburry as she was mad..
The entire “unpopularity doesn’t mean success” thing is kinda heartbreaking if you were bullied in high school. That was what made the suffering easier to take on with the promise of a better life when your older where you can call the shots. But knowing that those same people who made your life hell can grow up and receive big rewards even if they’re assholes is upsetting.
Unpopularity may not mean success, Hannah Montana said life is what you make it right so you may know that popularity and success are also inequivical you may be popular or unpopular and see the success in life when you compare your successes to the successes of other people you may inturn take on the idea that you are unsuccessful, but success hasn't the slightest to do with popularity. It clearly has more to do with maturity and being less mean.
Oh very much agreed
High school is meaningless is the grand scheme of life. Best to just realize that.
Hum, I didn't see a single bully became successful in his/her adulthood. They're like a mess, and tend to blame others for their own inability to make things work. Bullied people's life isn't a way of roses but in the end (if they don't end kill themselves, because of trauma ) they tend to achieve stability. Maybe things in USA are way different, so jerkass like bullies, sexual predators and psychos gonna get top tier in social media. I don't know.
That's how it is unfortunately we live in a narcissistic Society they may appear that they're getting what they want but inside their tortured and their relationships actually suck behind closed doors so they get their karma in one way or another we just don't always get to see it doesn't mean it's not happening anybody can work hard regardless of what their personality or past is/was
The biggest bully I ever encountered was someone who based their entire identity on being alternative and not main stream
The most concise and truest comment ever!! I'm still dealing with scars from a past friend who I thought embodied "individuality and authenticity" (which I wanted so badly but was too afraid to be, because I was afraid people would not like me for me) when in reality they were just a non-conformist and a bully who made fun of people for being who they are.
Those people are such assholes usually
True. They act like nice and accepting outcasts but they are worse than the popular mean ones
Holy shit. Same!
Same… I used to be friends with people from a ‘geeky’ fandom. Holy shit these were some of the nastiest folks I ever met. Unashamedly racist, sexist, homophobic, you name it. They were also hardcore purists so if you didn’t portray a character 100% to how they liked it, they would absolutely tear you down and make you feel like shit. One particularly aggressive fan was notorious for gaslighting the people he bullied into thinking they were too sensitive to take his criticism.
It completely shattered my opinion that nerds are nice. It’s ironic isn’t it? a group that’s always painted as the victims in mainstream media is very close minded and in accepting of other people who’ve been oppressed.
This analysis is super on-point, but it kind of glosses over the fact that Janis recognizes and admits to all this. Though the video implies that Janis thinks she's innocent, in the movie, she doesn't have any delusions about being in the right for torturing Regina as she did. In the car scene, she explicitly says to Cady, "at least Regina and I KNOW we're mean, you act like you're innocent!" or something like that. She might set herself up in the movie as a revolutionary figure, but I think that scene shows she's pretty well-aware that she's just as bad as Regina, making them perfect foils.
EDIT: I'm not saying this somehow makes Janis less of a mean girl or better than Regina. I'm just pointing out that she has no delusions about what a jerk she's being.
True, but she doesn't get her comeuppance. She's called out but not punished. Not forced to answer for it or even apologize for using Cady all this time.
But what does that change? Regina also knows thats she is manipulative, and knows that Janis can be. She's still equally bad as Regina
Sure, she's self-aware some of the time, yet she paints herself to the crowd of girls as a hero for being mean to Regina and is rewarded for it, whereas Regina is figuratively and literally hit by a bus for equally bad behaviour.
I think Janis is worse because she manipulates Cady, who doesn't know any better. Whereas gretchen and Karen CHOOSE to stay friends with Regina. I will say this wouldn't be the case in the real world but I'll suspend disbelief for the movie
Yeah, but knowing you're bad doesn't really make you better does it? I mean, if anything, that just makes it worse since you know what you're doing.
There’s a reason why she and Regina were best friends when they were in middle school Regina probably got rid of her because she felt threatened not because she thought she was a lesbian
Then Regina should keep her in the plastics, thats the purpose
Keep your friend close and your enemy closer
Regina wanted followers, Janice was too controlling and smart
@@StarSemiStardollexactly! It’s clear that even in Janis’s new art freak trio, she still calls the shots and has power. But you can literally see that Regina purposely surrounds herself by people who have the potential of being stronger but will never achieve it, because they need someone else leading them. That’s why Gretchen and Karen are so lost after Regina is kicked out. They need Cady as a decision making support, because they can’t stand on their own.
I really wish this video would have included the problem with this movie towards the end and with Janis (and Damian too tbh), where Cady gets blamed by EVERYONE for all the conflict in this movie. And Janis does not get any comeuppance or punishment or even apologies for her wrongdoings at all. I find it really ironic and I think it kind of ruins the message of Mean Girls how Cady (who didn't understand western culture among modern teenagers, and was really just peer pressured into becoming a weapon for Janis to feel she has some sort of upper hand to Regina), unfairly gets the blame from everyone (including teachers who openly heard JANIS ADMIT SHE TOYED WITH REGINA) turns on her. And I find it annoying that Cady suffers Janis' plan. And I hate how at the end Janis doesn't apologise or realise how her opinions were so wrong, and she just expected Cady to apologise. Like no bitch!
You👏🏻were👏🏻the👏🏻one👏🏻who 👏🏻caused👏🏻 everything👏🏻 bitch!
I feel like it just becomes this twisted tale and mesage of like "If you wear unfeminine clothing and don't like traditionally feminine things, your good. If you like pink, makeup, heels, want to be interested in boys, you a demon".
This! All of this! It completely went over my head that Janice admitted to everything but they still were all all mad at Cady.
PREACH
I do think one of the lessons of the movie though was that taking responsibility for something you did, even if you were being pressured or it wasn't totally your fault, is something to be commended. Like she did with the Drug Pusher comment; she didn't try to explain why it was okay that she said it or a that it was a misunderstanding. She took responsibility and accepted the pain that she'd caused. I think she didn't need to drag Janice into it because they all had realized at the end of the movie that their actions had been unfair, and so there was no real need for punishment beyond the amicable resolution.
Yeah. It really annoyed me how Cady got stuck with all of the blame, while Janis seemed to get off scott-free despite admitting that the whole plane was her idea.
@@peruru84 Well, of course you have to take responsibility in a "Oh my goodness, I should've realized, I'm SO sorry!" kind of way, but you cannot be blamed to the same degree as the person who told you to do all those things in the first place. It is wrong to judge the henchmen and not the mastermind behind all that.
_"High school permanently damaged my self-esteem. I learned what it meant to be impotent, what it meant to be invisible. None of this improved my character, spurred my ambition, or gave me a deeper understanding of life."_
And this disproves "whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you stronger" or that pain is always beneficial because it will make you grow. Funny how Heath Ledger's Joker's spin on the quote gave it more realism:
"I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... _stranger."_
Certainly explains incels.
Reminds me of a quote from TAWOG
Darwin: Whatever doesn't kill you-
Gumball: WILL TRY AGAIN LATER!
damn i miss heath ledger :(
Eliza Tomshend HAHAHAHAHA I LOVE THAT SHOW
rhonda howard same can be said for middle school
"We didnt party because we wanted to focus on school and get into good colleges"
"And, it worked"
"The 'irresponsible' people who partied also got into those colleges. They did both."
This.
I guess pretty people have a easier way in life
That dialogue really made me regret my teen years.
It honestly depends on the person's view on what is irresponsible partying.
Personally I think a bit of weed and some jello shots while spending the night at your friends place and watch old shows you liked or getting together for thing you like to do with friends such as video games is responsible partying.
But I ALSO know some pretty bitter people who think ANY amount of intoxicants or "overly social behavior" like ditching a study night once in a while to chill with that out of town friend is irresponsible as fuck.
I think it just comes down to what's healthy for you in your life. Honestly. Both extremes are extremely unhealthy.
Some people can do both and some people can't - I can't
@@PhoenixRising87 they actually use this as a teaching girls, about bullying in schools.
"We didn't party because we wanted to focus on school and get into good colleges"
"But it worked.."
"But the irresponsible people who partied also go into those colleges; they did both!!"
So true, specially since 2005 and onward with the big push toward going to good and prestigious colleges and universities.
Dang, that’s Booksmart!? That thing’s dropping some bombs!
That movie is lit.
Please just put booksmart there
But that is mostly because a college education barely means anything anymore and is more of a prerequisite than anything else. Colleges are for profit and so they need more customers aka students. They don’t care about actual merit.
@@loverrlee Oh definitely. Specially the State colleges.
“While Janis presents as alternative, her value system clearly isn’t.”
Janis is Mike Bloomberg
THIS
OH MY GOD
I'd say she's more of an Andrew Yang, tbh
then Gretchen Weiner is Lindsey Graham. But janis is a lot funnier than Bloomberg ever was
I read this comment as soon as she said it lol
I was a teenager when I first saw this movie and even back then I felt uncomfortable about Janis' character. At that point in time, I didn't realize the details but when I saw the movie in my twenties, I could see how mean and manipulative Janis was. Just like Regina, Janis too, has her own mean group with her own set of rules. Like Regina, she's extremely superficial. She claims she doesn't care about how others view her but that can be seen as false in multiple places in the movie. What makes her even more toxic than Regina George is her ability to situate her vengeful rage on a self righteous pedestal, as if she was doing everyone a favor by dethroning the Queen Bee.
She also doesn't give two hoots about Cady. All she sees in her is a convenient pawn that she can use to exact revenge so while near the end of the movie, Janis accuses Cady of being selfish and only thinking about herself, it's actually Janice who only thinks about herself as she plans a whole elaborate charade while exploiting Cady only to get back at Regina. What I absolutely hated about the movie (I know hate is a pretty strong word) was how the whole burden of guilt was placed on Cady despite the fact that Janis publicly admits to being the mastermind of the whole evil plot. Despite her public confession, she's neither punished by the principal, nor chastised by her colleagues. She feels no remorse for the way she self righteously used her anger and even jealousy of Regina's mainstream power to negatively impact the lives of others. It also allows her to never acknowledge how she has more in common with Regina than not. She never comes to terms with her dependence on Regina's facade of popularity to sustain her 'non-conformist' image. She, like the rest, conveniently blames Cady for the whole mess and expects to be apologized to. not only is Janis toxic, she's also delusional. Regina is aware of her manipulative nature. She doesn't whitewash or prettify it. Janis, on the other hand, glorifies it under the veneer of unconventional nobility.
That scene with the girl that didn't go to the school was very telling. You could see how even though she apologized there was no shame, she needed to apologize directly to Regina it looked to me like her apology was for show. Hallmark of a toxic person. She did it to make her not look bad and wound up getting the support of the crowd. I wouldn't have tossed a piece of the crown to her if I were Cady considering how after the way she'd done me she still has the nerve to ask me if I ask me if I am still an asshole. I am like no are you still a selfish prick. Regina would have gotten one though because she's still pretty. Janice honestly had nothing good to offer. Her definition of an evil person it's just something the way she fits the bill. Never let pity on a person drive you to being their friend. You see the kind of friend Janice was by the way she treated Damien and Cady.
Cady hit a heartstring when she said so you can use me for your eighth grade revenge. It's Janices fault though instead of coming after her friend she just should have stayed home. Cady was way mature to forgive her although she known what Janice did was wrong, unlike Janice could ever even do that for Regina.
There was a reason why Janis amd Regina used to be friends they learned from each other
This is pretty extreme. Janis admits to being a mean girl, but she isn't the "delusional mastermind" you claim she is, and she is truly Cady's friend. You sound like you have anger (or possibly jealousy) issues.
@@lexussykes ...How did you so completely miss the point of the apology scene?!
Janis has an actual apology written out, but then she sees Cady move out of the line when it is her turn to apologize. This makes Janis mad, so she crumples up her actual apology and gets on stage to sarcastically apologize to Regina -- i.e. to announce everything that she and Cady did to Regina.
If what you got out of that scene was, "I don't think Janis' apology was sincere," you're pretty fuckin' slow.
Yes, I did not hesitate to click on this video! As a further staple of just how clever this film is, it points out that Janis is more like her old frenemy than she'd care to admit. She's just more subtle than Regina at hiding her true intentions.
In their back story, Regina was jealous that Janis was more popular than her, so she spreads a rumour about Janis, knowing that their class of impressionable preteens would instantly believe it. History repeats itself years later, with Janis seeking to manipulate Regina's popular status through Cady, who's slowly evolving into the Queen Bee herself. 👑🐝
Thanks a million for all of your likes, you've made my entire day! 😊💎😘
Was Janis more popular than her? Regina was just bothered that she was jealous of her boyfriend
She's not subtle at all
While Janis does mean things, I think there are two big key differences. 1. Janis only targets Regina while Regina is mean to just about everyone. And 2. Janis hurt Regina after Regina did something horrendously cruel to Janis. I mean, how would you feel if the person you thought was your best friend decided she was cooler than you and then began a rumor that you were gay ( in 2004 at a time when being gay wasn’t as socially accepted)? I’d want revenge too.
@@laurenconrad1799 While you're right about Janice being motivate by Regina's cruel actions, I disagree that she's only hurting Regina. Regina may be her target, but she does not care in the slighest about collateral damage (Cady, Karen, Gretchen and Aaron). Not to say that her wish for revenge isn't understandable though!
She's not really subtle, though.
She literally says that she's mean and doesn't try to be fake about it. She's an asshole to pretty much everyone. She's judgemental and is the typical "not like the other girls" girl. That's.... the point of the movie. Popular or not, Regina, Janis, Cadie, etc. are all mean girls.
It’s called Mean Girls, plural, for a reason. We all have the capacity for meanness, some lean into it more than others and in different ways.
sometimes people can take when you're simply being honest wrong and think you're mean when you're not. or people get frustrated/annoyed so that can come off as mean.
Genie Hossain some just have an urge or a thought to
We thought Mean girls are the 3 plastics.
But we realized it was Regina, Janis & Cady
I’d honestly love to see Janis before ‘coming back like a freak’, since I assume she followed Reginas style somewhat when they were best friends...
Miss Anthrope I can see her being blonde and girly originally and then coming back with dyed black hair and piercings, typical alt girl route lmao
It was mentioned in the movie that Janis choreographed the Jingle Bell dance, so she was probably part of that act as well.
@@kellynn739 no they were friends in middle school so the winter talent show wasn’t happening at that time
@@connorcantwell5815 7:27 proof right there
There’s actually a theory going around that Janis was the queen bee back in the day, and Regina took Janis down the same way Cady took Regina down.
Ever think of doing a video for the Weird Girl Trope? i.e. Wednesday Addams, Laney Boggs, etc.
I want to see her analysis of that.
I agree with you, especially on how the "Weird, Quirky Girl" is usually perceived as freaky in comparison with the more conventional "Mean Girl", when she's just as friendly and attractive.
If they did, they should include April Ludgate
Or lea Michelle in scream queens
I feel like there's a lot of overlap with Smart Girl. I don't think the character is necessarily "weird" as much as defined by her outsider status with varying levels of "weirdness" compared to the status quo. She's not like other girls.
I actually saw this type of toxic outcast behavior at my own table in highschool. I was definitely apart of the "outcast" group at my school (but I would say I was an outcast even among outcasts) but one thing I would notice all the time is that my friends would complain about how awful the popular kids were and how they would treat them like crap, but then my friends would turn around and basically do the same thing like spreading rumors or nicknaming a girl in our class "Chlamydia" because they didnt like her. I called them out on it but they just said "whatever, she's a bitch and deserves it." I thought it was pretty toxic and hypocritical even back then and I'm glad I don't associate with most of them anymore.
I once had a student who was terribly bullied in 7th grade, with videos made of him being tortured on the floor and put online and stuff, and he obviously went to therapy for it -- he never mentioned it, but the way he talked about it, it was clear to me that he had had professionel help to process what had happened. And then he went on and avoided himself a girl in the same class that was "only" being ignored by everyone (dunno if that's really "luckier" in any way) and as reason he said that she had dark hair on her arms and upper lip. And I don't even think he was being extra mean or sth like that, he just really didn't know better. He wasn't capable of understanding that he was kind of doing the same that had been done to him. That was 2015 and I left that school soon after that so I don't know what became of any of them. But some school staff uttered the fear that the girl would take the path of prostitution. :/
Was that girl's name Lydia?
Ehhh some girls can also be really mean and evil both psychologically and physically and prefer and hang out with the worst type of people who they think are cool and are completely oblivious about.
i used to do that. i feel really bad about it now
@@ILikedGooglePlus Clarissa.
If Janis and Regina had stayed friends, the school would have burned down.
True and a lot of people would have suffered from their wrath and tyranny
Hell I would have be weeping or getting uncomfortable going there
I would have been happy getting homeschooled than dealing with these two hypocritical freaks who are hungry for power
They wouldn't.......they're both too strong
Janis is the physical embodiment of the "I'm NoT LIke OtHEr GiRLs" trope.
Grim The Ghastly yeah she is, I hate that whole trope tbh
ShE's qUiRkY
Nope, because she's straight-up trash and so is her wardrobe
UniQuE aNd DifFeRenT
@@dead6001 You're right. I'm realizing that. That's why I - as a man, who attended a predominantly girls' high school and got his bachelor's degree from special education (an overwhelmingly feminine major) - am convinced it's crucial to teach girls to embrace critical and rational thinking in order to help them becoming their own person, and to minimize Corridor Mass Brawl-level disasters.
There was a reason Janice and Regina used to be friends
The fact that janis purposefully mispronounced cady's name never sat right with me, it feels like a way to assert her own power over cady and her identity
"Do you know the wounds of adolescence can take years to heal?" -Cher Horowitz
I love Cher! ♥️🥰
It sure does. While I have healed from it... I haven't COMPLETELY healed from my high school trauma. This is the reason why I don't want to go to my 10th year high school reunion this year. It really does damage you.
Some people do peak in high school, but yeah being unpopular or bullied does not always build character it can damage someone's self esteem.
Happened to me :(
happened to me too 😅
I know it damaged MY self-esteem. It takes a while to heal from the trauma but it IS possible. Don't think that it's impossible to get over it. For some reason, some people can't move on. Initially, I was stuck in the past and couldn't let go but slowly but surely, I'm letting go. It's NOT worth holding onto a grudge against people who did you wrong in high school. Also, don't let those four years define who you are. I admit that past events in high school helped shape who I am today.
Brianna Brickey it can especially and dangerously affect their views on people , morals, and life. Especially kids not only being bully’s but also jerks, hypocrites, and those who stand by and do nothing, and those who are friends with the bullies. Some bully and are evil for the sake of it and schools don’t do a good job. Middle School is even worse
I loved high school but was bullied in middle school. Maybe it’s because I’m disabled (which is also why I was bullied) but I had the perspective the kids would be sorry eventually. I was right. By high school people were apologizing. You just have to have that perspective- THEYRE CHILDREN.
Janis is to Mean Girls, as Nice Guys are to Jocks.
They're the same...
I wouldn’t label all jocks as bad lol I’ve meant nothing but nice jocks in my life
Ashanti Berry true. I think replace Jocks with “chads” and it will work better
@@alyssapinon9670 this explains my whole standoffish ness to those people, and for those who don’t know what I mean (I’ve always met mean jocks/or like pure chads) from my experience (and many) it’s always been “chads” Never any nice ones I stay away from all of them like the plague😆(although I really wish I could meet a nice jock, I’ve always seen them in the movies but I’ve never encountered one ever)😕maybe one day though who know🙂🤷🏻♂️oh well I’m optimistic
@@Camtracy18 IMO Henry cavill is a great example of a nice, smart, humble, nerdy jock
uhhhh.. what?
*YES*
Even in real life, the ‘unpopular’ alternative girls can be downright cruel to even their own friends. I made friends with these girls in high school since none of my regular friends were in my classes. They were cool girls... until I actually hung out with them and all they wanted to know was what my other friends secrets were and tried to paint them in the most horrendous light. And they would snap at each other as soon and one of them went ‘mainstream’ (Eg. Liking a popular pop song since it’s not ‘real music’)
Popular=/= Bitch
🤷🏻♀️
MlaG V some girls can also be really mean and evil both psychologically and physically and prefer and hang out with the worst type of people who they think are cool and are completely oblivious about. Just because a girl is socially awkward, weird, nerdy, mental, or outcasts doesn’t mean they are innocent saints and can be even the worst of the worst pure evil
Some of those kpop stan girls who watch drag race are the meanest, craziest girls. Y’all know what I mean.
dammn, that last line tho (abt liking mainstream stuff) I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE, I--
same... Throughout middle school and high school, I was not popular. Actually, I never was, I was the shy, weird girl. I craved acceptance badly, but it was given to me by the people I turned to to be my friends. In middle school, I befriended this girl that probably was even more unpopular than I was, but we stuck together. However, she was the meanest and manipulative girl I have ever met. I actually believe she had made my depression worse, which developed in my later High School years, with her constant remarks on how dumb and unfunny and generally awkward I supposedly was compared to her. She used our friendship to put herself on a throne, at least in our two-people-world, to show the class that she can be boss.
Agreed. I was part of the popular clique in high school (people even jokingly called us The Plastics because this movie came out our junior year), but I made friends with some of the "altnerative" kids too.
My popular clique never bullied anyone. Anyone who was toxic or bitchy to the other girls was immediately called out on it. It was a super supportive, loving group of friends.
Many of the alternative/unpopular kids were too, but a lot of them liked to take jabs at me or my friends for being popular or for liking mainstream things. They often tried to get me to spill secrets about those girls, and sometimes seemed to obsess about portraying them as bad people.
The popular kids aren't bullying the unpopular kids. The popular kids never even think about the unpopular kids.
Are we gonna ignore how Janis would constantly talk about how HORRIBLE rumours about her being gay were right in front of her gay friend
Uh no, that literally never happened. Janis says Regina ruined her life, which she did. Regina got all the girls to gang up on Janis, make fun of her, and stop being her friend.
Yeah like damn, that must've made him feel like complete shit.... I get that it's annoying that someone gets your sexuality wrong, and tease and bully you for it, totally, but she was saying how bad it is as if not being straight is a bad thing. So the poor guy, what must've he had thought? I would've left
I think you guys are missing the point. Spreading rumours regardless of what they are is wrong. And Regina turned people against Janice. Having people gang up on you like that can be traumatising. But maybe she did come across a bit rude.
It’s not a matter of whether or not it’s bad to be gay, it’s a matter of the homophobia that gay people had and have to face for their sexuality. That and she’s straight identified. And even if she wasn’t, she had a right to keep her sexuality private because it’s her business and nobody else’s.
wait i-
I’ve always said it and i’ll say it again. Being heavily bullied as a kid did NOTHING good for me. I was more of a leader type as a child but after i was bullied i lost soooo much of my self confidence. I still struggle with that today and i have a hard time opening up to people.
Ah... R u me!?!!😦
You dont want to know what my bully did to me she tried to poke me with a sharp pencil
I was a leader before bullying too, but it took away all my confidence
@@samanthafrancis8783 OH THE HUMANITY!! A sharp pencil?!?! How did you survive that horror?!
sharksandsheep one time a boy busted out a girls eardrum by shoving a pencil in her ear at my school you act like pencils can’t hurt ppl she permanently lost her hearing
Janis's character only showed me we are only willing to acknowledge someone's awful personality if they are pretty. Girls who aren't viewed as attractive can be very mean, but their cruel actions are often interpreted as quirky and funny.
@Jay Anthony She wasn't considered conventionally attractive by high school standards is her whole point.
@Rosalee Smith She wasn't cute and looked like she just rolled out of bed. Most people don't find that kinda look attractive.
ms. X this is very very false lol
she wasnt conventionally attractive at the time but i dont think she looked like she just rolled out of bed, she just had a different hairstyle and fashion type
Actually it's the opposite. Pretty girls in particular and pretty people in general get away with a lot, while people assume guilt of those that aren't conveniently attractive.
"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." - Michael Scott
This is a famous quote by Nietzsche, why would you credit michael scott for it??
@@agarsrish Its a reference to the office. Michael likes to steal famous quotes and use them as his own. Although i probably should have attributed it as " - Nietzsche" - Michael Scott
@@JDowe-er8es oh, sorry! I've never watched The Office, so I had no idea haha
@@agarsrish No need to be sorry. I get why it would be confusing to someone who doesn't know the reference.
I like how people who didn't know any of this would assume that Michael Scott is probably some deep, influental philosopher.
Not implying he isn't.
This shows again how genious of a movie Mean Girls actually is.
Cady was used & manipulated by both Regina & Janice yet Cady is the one who is villainised at the end and everyone turns against her until she "redeems" herself and apologises.
The scapegoat
@@lexierbbbI felt this as someone who has been bullied by popular and unpopular mean girls. I always had to be the “bigger person” with people who were determined to villainize me no matter what I did.
I think people who aren’t caught up in the bs of a toxic social system (even if they don’t directly challenge it) are always seen as threats and hence made into scapegoats.
Yeah that really bothered me. I feel like I've been in Cady's place a lot and I've really been made the scapegoat more times than I can count, especially from my parents and even from my friends sometimes. Just because I'm nice, smart, accomplished, etc people like to pick on me. I've always related to Cady so much. I'm glad I had this movie to teach me not to get sucked into all this toxic female BS.
@@michelleh.5225 I feel you.
If you don't go along with the bullshit people will attack you. You just gotta keep your head down and keep staying true to you.
I always knew under the right circumstances and influence, Janis could have overpowered Regina and potentially even be a worse mean girl who couldn’t be as easy to take down. Mainly because all her evil acts would have been justified behind good will.
Michelle C i don’t think she would be worst she didn’t want bully others tho
@@houseofmatrix6174 I think bullying is just a tool to maintain power, so Janis could include that instrument in her toolbox if the circumstances would demand that. I believe that her manipulative tendencies prove that - she's not afraid to play dirty to achieve her goals.
Like sociaism
Veronika M. Agreed. And I think her ambition to achieve those goals could blind her from seeing how harmful her tactics are. Janis seems to be the person to do immoral things, know that it’s wrong but believes it’s for the grater good and find reasons to justify her acts.
I wish we did get more background about Janis. We only know what Regina said and it’s obvious she lied about most of what happened. I think she has an interesting story to tell. Her and Gretchen both seem to be the most hurt by Regina.
@@loveandcupcakes100 I always imagined their story be like this: Regina and Janis were real close friends (maybe even sister-close), but one day in 8th grade Regina started her relationships with Kyle, which she prioritized more because she appreciated being seen as «cool» more than everything - she understood that this status gives you power. Janis started to be jealous (which’s understandable) and felt betrayed, which is understandable too: she felt that her deep friendship was traded on something less meaningful, maybe she even felt used, as Regina didn't show any sign that their relationships meant anything for her, and for Janis they were something important.
I think with Gretchen’s story is similar in a way: Gretchen wanted to be loved and appreciated, and she was seeking these feelings in her relationships with Regina, but Regina used Gretchen as a tool, so Gretchen felt quite similar to Janis, but it wasn’t in her character to rise against the dictator.
I know WAY too many people who were “dorks” or “losers” and get away with being mean because they aren’t at the top. Mean is mean. As someone who’s always been ugly and nerdy I never understood why popular people are the only mean people in media
Thank you lol
Right. The people that were mean to me in school were the people that were considered to be unpopular. The popular kids were more or less nice
@@wildsidetv313 People were always mean to me. Both popular and unpopular. Hence why I hate everyone and don't trust anyone but myself.
The worst part is that I meet grown adults who think that being “uncool” as teenagers gives them an excuse to act like the people who bullied them.
Most people have been bullied at some point and many of them choose to be decent people. To the grown up unpopular mean girls: Unpack your trauma and stop making it everyone else’s problem.
I used to be friends with nerds in high school because i thought they were the good guys, but i came to realize that nerds could be bad guys too.
i never liked her character because i felt she was manipulating cady but i also thought she was really pretty especially in the suit lmaoo
Lmao same asf
Eh I actually liked Janis she really reminds me of me lmao
If the suit was a better fit, it would’ve looked great
Nice priorities
I literally realized I was gay when I saw her for the first time
This whole thing about rejection in high school creating permanent damages to someone is very real. Humiliations that happened to me years ago still haunts me very deeply. Please, think twice before laughing at that girl in school because of her hair, her clothes or her reputation. The scars in the heart, soul and mind tend to be bigger than what meets the eyes
Lyndsay Luxury ❤️
@Rosalee Smith I'm sorry that it happened to you too. I'm sending you positive vibes and love to help your healing 💛💛
Hurt? Yes. Permanently scarred? Definitely not. I went through something that I can literally feel the emotions of as if I time travelled, but I've realised holding onto pain only hurts me, and then I encourage such pain to arise in others. What others do is not in your control, and I hope you heal instead of looking for others to change.
You know what's even more true. People mature and mature people move on with their lives scars and all. If you weren't cut out to be in this world, you wouldn't be in it.
Yes! Even now at 34, I am still suffering greatly from the bullying at school, trying to work on it in therapy, but will most likely never get over the negative self image and trust issues. It didn't make me stronger, it messed me up for life.
I always thought it was weird how Cady got all the blame when Janis talked her into it. If Cady has to apologize so should Janis.
Mean Girls is a classic because of all the hypocrisy. Janis (a mean girl) turns Cady into a mean girl to get back at Regina George (a mean girl) and her squad (Gretchen and Karen) of mean girls.
I actually do hate that cliche, where the unpopular kid is always destined to something great. In reality I'm stuck with social anxiety and depression, which has ruined so many opportuneties.
As someone who was bullied relentlessly in school, I can very much vouch for the fact that it does lasting psychological damage and will never "build character." I had to drop out in the end because I needed to commit all my time to therapy and recovery from self-harm, disordered eating behaviours and suicidal thoughts. I have never gotten over it. Today, I'm diagnosed with 3 mental illnesses and still have nightmares and flashbacks all the time. People really fail to see bullying for the horrific form of abuse that it is.
Hope you get better!
You get told "Just ignore it" and "If you be nice to them, they'll be nice to you." Sure. Teachers who tell anyone that are totally deluded.
This reminds me of the “woke” people on twitter who are really just using social justice as a reason to flagrantly be bullies
Honestly, and the people who think they're the right no matter what are worse 😢😢
Twitter is a cesspool.
dil oreo what is a woke rainbow sjw?
;:cough: Xanderhal :cough: Vaush :cough: Lily Orchard :cough:
I was looking for this thank you
Thank you! One thing I was missing from the movie was acknowledging that Janis is equally a mean girl, not a role model for teenagers. That mean girls come in different shapes and sizes and after all the "evil" remains what it is. Janis, while always a secondary character, pretty much won everything she wanted - dethroned Queen Bee, (re)gained school respect, maintained friendships, got a guy - without stopping to think about her actions.
Yeah, she deserved a bigger callout. Instead she got the Quagmire syndrome. The "yeah I'm an asshole but at least I'm honest about it" thing. That doesn't make you better. That just makes you more obvious. And in a sense, worse, because you're aware of your problems and still actively choose to indulge in them.
@@rhondahoward8025 that's why I hate it that they deleted that scene with Regina in the bathroom. It didn't excuse her actions but showed that she's aware of herself in some regards.
Yeah and in the musical (also written by Tina Fey) goes out of its way to tell you that Janice is the good guy and that we should always agree with her
@@rhondahoward8025 thank you finally someone said the "at least I admit it" idea does not put you on a moral high ground it just means you're a jerk that actively won't change why do so many people see this as a positive quality?
@@brandonhann1508 Apparently "honesty is the best policy" but this is false. _Character_ is the best policy.
10:43 Absolutely agree. During my middle school years, I was bullied a lot. I'm 30 years old now and to this day I sometimes still struggle with the scars of the past. I dealt with depression, and the main cause was feeling alone because no one at my school (except like 2 people-both of who were incredibly toxic) "accepted" me. I'm glad to say at this point in my life, I feel like I'm fully healed. But it has literally taken me DECADES. Also, I hate when people say being bullied "builds character" or "makes you stronger." I was what, 10 years old in middle school?? I was a child!! I didn't need to be "strong"!! I needed to be safe!!
Very true! Great comment.
Totally. It marks you for life.
Yeah. I feel embarrassed that I’m still affected by the bullying and depression I faced in middle school even though I’m now in college. Obviously the effects aren’t as strong but it never truly disappears.
then I thought how Mr. Rogers remembered being called Fat Freddy as a child even though he was well into adulthood. But then he used it as motivation to maintain a healthy weight (143 lbs) and made something wholesome out of it.
Something is seriously wrong with public schools and how much they scar kids
@@anneblubaugh58 I hate public schools nowadays
"Embodying her culture's beauty standards is a key part of maintaining her regime." That's the best way I've ever heard someone describe this particular phenomenon. Tale as old as time... :)
I thought that this movie was just above average teen drama but the more I watched it the more layers it got. And I love it so much
Hej
@@MeMe-rk6ge hej
@@tvojamama4249 Mali svijet, mali youtube😂
@@MeMe-rk6ge hahaha daa cudno je kada shvatis da ne gledaju samo englezi videe na engleskom 😁
@@tvojamama4249 Više je čudnije naletiti na nekoga sa naših prostora
No matter what Janis does or says, I’m always gonna love her for “yOuR mOmS cHeSt HaiR”
How quickly she comes with that answer! This movie is so we'll written!
It never sits well with me when people act like they've deciphered Mean Girls by claiming that "Janis is the true mean girl" and "Regina is the victim". No. No one is the victim. The title of the movie refers to ALL the girls, not just Regina and her group. Janis is the polar opposite of Regina, that is an obvious fact, you have not deciphered anything.
I haven't heard people put it like that. People in fact agree with you. That all the girls in their own way, are mean girls. That's why Ms. Norburry called ALL junior girls to the gymnasium for that therapy session.
The reason why girls are so mean to each other (especially in 2003 when mean girls came out) is because of socialization, girls have no actual outlets for their anger and are expected to compete with each other for just a tiny bit of queen-like respect. All the girls are victims of a sexist culture that puts them against each other and themselves.
hey guys its me agree! And i think thats where mean girls 2 missed the mark. They try making it anti plastics vs plastics. When the whole point of mean giles was that they were all mean girls in their own sneaky way.
@@rhondahoward8025
Totally agree my guy, but I remember an Instagram post explaining why Regina is the victim, like an analysis. It had thousands of likes and it was such a shitty post. I promise you, there are MANY people who think that.
I think context is important. Obviously, Janis and Regina both did terrible things and that should be acknowledged but you can't judge their actions separate from the context of who holds the power and the things Regina did to rule the school. Context is why we don't judge all acts of killing equally. Also, assigning blame is missing the point as the movie is an indictment of the system/society and not the individuals.
It’s clear the whole time she is a ‘mean girl’ she even admits it. It’s the point of the movie they all are mean girls, even Cady becomes a mean girl.
The point is that our "girl culture" is toxic for young girls and turns them into the titular mean girls.
Cady tried to culturally assimilate because she was in many ways a foreigner. Yet, she was the one with the most perspective who was able to change things in the end, because she didn't grow up being surrounded by this culture.
(And Mrs Norberry had grown out of it, since she hadn't been a girl for quite some time).
10:44 ' "High school permanently damaged my self-esteem. I learned what it meant to be impotent; what it meant to be invisible. None of this improved my character, spurred my ambition, or gave me a deeper understanding of life." Ultimately, being socially burned or excluded in your formative years can do permanent harm.'
OUCH.
Ive been reading comments for a while and can I say I love how such a crowd pleasing non controversial movie sparked such intelligent remarks and deep thinking. Kinda gives me hope for the race
right?
i knowwwwwwwww
gives me hope to see people can be so smart to make and watch movies. art is always much more than itself, it's what we get from it
Everyone is a mean girl - some are just honest about it
Jacob Odom I thought Karen was pretty sweet actually lol
Just because you’re mean doesn’t mean everyone is. That’s just an excuse to not change yourself to be nicer. Plus I don’t think you’re actually mean, you’re probably fine
People usually aren't that mean in my experience, just hurt/sad
Hanapetals there’s a segment of people who are genuinely too stupid to be mean. So I concur
pickle barrel boy your reasoning for being mean aside, most people are mean.
My ONLY complaint about the Mean Girls movie is that it’s never acknowledged by the characters that Janis is a horrible and manipulative person, she never even takes accountability or apologised for manipulating Cady into being her minion? The only time she even “admits” that she is a mean girl is just another tactic to manipulate Cady. And even when she spills out all her actions, she’s praised for it?
At least Regina starts getting out her anger in a positive way (sports). But Janice is still insulting people in the face after her great victory
_"A rebel who sets out to crush the system ultimately is revealed to be a part of it, or ends up ushering in a new order that's fundamentally the same or worse than the original status quo."_
Zaheer: Maybe I forgot to mention something to you; I don't believe in Queens. You think that freedom is something you can give or take, on a whim. But to your people, freedom is just as essential as... air. And without it... there is no life. There is only... darkness.
Man, that describes Zaheer perfectly in Korra.
Hell, it even applies to Kuvira.
Where as Aang and Zuko actually made good structural change.
And real life regime changes, French Revolution, the communist revolution in Russia
Who says that quote? Its really good
I don't think Zaheer is any better in that case.
As soon as you said “she’s (Janis) actually more like her nemesis (Regina) unlike any other character in the film, I had to like this video. While I understand why Janis wanted revenge, I hated that she used Cady to plot her revenge then feels betrayed that Cady is spending more time with Regina & her friends. It was her idea. Janis is a bad friend and cared more about getting revenge against Regina. I wished Cady did not go back being friends with her. I still like and respect the film though.
I love janis. She’s a great foil. i also love Lizzy caplin though because she melted into this role.
The actress was perfect for her I agree, and I definitely was “friends” with people like her. And those people can be just as much as an urchin on your mental health as anyone close to Regina George.
Seconded, although the casting directors were reluctant to cast Lizzy in this role, as they felt that she was "Too Pretty" to play a social outcast, her performance blew those expectations right out of the park. 😍😁
@@trinaq A lot of people don't realise that just because someone is extremely beautiful doesn't mean that they wear trendy clothes, are liked by everyone, etc. Most of those outcasts are more beautiful than the popular ones, it comes to how one presents themself and personality.
I was the male version of this character in my high school. I began being rejected and bullied, but in the end, nobody dared to even speak to me; I ended up alone nonetheless
I'm very sorry to hear that.
It’s wrong to equate popularity with a good group of friends. A good group of friends will give you a solid foundation in high school. Not having popularity will not necessarily give you a shaky foundation/outlook later on in life, it’s more about the friends than the popularity.
There's a girl in my class that used to get bullied before I came into the class and recently I was standin next to her and she said something about how all the other girls are superficial and only care about makeup and losing weight, and I told her that there's a lot more to them all than just what you see on the surface and she scoffed and said "you haven't known enough girls" and I told her I know a bunch of girls and when you try to see past the facade you want to hate theyre not all the same and superficial and like. This is coming from an antisocial goth so like it's not like I just hate unusual people but I rly don't get why people hate on popular ppl? As long as they're not mean there's no need to hate them.
I had a similar conversation with a boy from my class too, where he said that he thinks all other people are totally stupid and superficial too. And I told him that that's not really true and that even if it was, I'd be glad that they're happy in life (whether that's BC they're dumb or not, it's still good for them, yk?) And like. Why would you hate on others, *especially* if you've experienced similar stuff? Like.. if you think the world or society or the people around you suck that much, be a good person to make the world better instead of becoming just as bitter and hateful as them
YES
You were so wise and kind and the type of person they needed.
I think people don't like the popular ones because they don't understand what is it that they're doing wrong. Why isn't the love shared and instead it just piles up over one person's head, empowering them. Then they get jealous, frustrated, self conscious and end up bitter... and honestly it's the most natural thing. Of course it gets intensified (and justified) when they get bullied and they see the others adoring the one who's in wrong.
Truth is someone is really pretty, someone else is very funny or talented.. no matter what it is, some people just stand out.
I consider myself very lucky, because we moved a lot, so I never bothered to engage with the microcosms of each school and oddly enough that made me "popular"... That means I had a green card to hang out with the populars whenever I felt like it. But my best friends were mostly loners like myself xD !! It was a weird matching but I think I was really carefree and happy that way ^_^
@Humans Against Monkey Abuse Hmm never thought of it as a general rule but you're probably right. To be honest I always appreciated the loners, the shy kids or the ones who were nervous because they cared so much... Also when you change one school after the other you see the same archetypes being repeated over and over again and it's really sad. No originality, nothing unique.. Everyone has a very specific role (like the Westworld robots). To me that was mostly why I never cared to play this game. I guess in the bigger scale (adult life) it's impossible to achieve but at least it helped me build a really happy childhood :) !!!
This is why I believe Mean Girls is a masterpiece. We are still having engaged in-depth discussions about this movie over a decade later.
14:04 "Even though all of us losers pretend to be above it all, we still just wanna be popular, accepted, normal." (robin on stranger things 3)
thats something i think about a lot
wouldn't it only make sense to make a spinoff mean girls of the falling out of Janis and Regina? I'm not the only one who'd think that'd be interesting, right??
I agree. I was a loser in high school and I am a loser now. At 26. Lol.
I still struggle with talking to people, letting people in and even being successful and going after what I want. Ita crazy to think being teased all my life for my hearing loss would contribute to me now being an adult who is now at 26 just starting to make friends. Crazy.
High five, I'm also a loser at 26. But hey, you're starting making friends, so that's good!
I'm 22, unsocial because of anxiety and then because of awkwardness I simply don't know how to let people in. I never meant mean intent yet I was known as either "the shy bookworm smart kid who can't hurt a fly" or "be careful, she isn't as innocent as she looks" and I been called names behind my back 😅 is just that I was hard to approach because of my social anxiety and then awkwardness so I avoided social things all together though I always tried to seem nice and approachable by smiling. Still no close friends lol
I wonder if we were unbeknownst perceived as mean too?
I’m 30 and still a loser. It doesn’t get better.
@@NoOne-wn9ju I agree. It got so much better for me the second I left high school, actually. But even though I've made a lot of friends and had a good social life in the many places I've lived, the self-esteem issues from my school years (obnoxious peers and also dysfunctional family) continue to follow me all of these years later. And sometimes I've had to deal with mean people in work environments or unlucky housing situations who act like they're still in high school, and it gives me a really bad vibe...I still need to figure out how to stand up for myself without making a situation worse (and how not to be an obvious target for manipulative people - but I'm a genuine person and shouldn't have to change who I am).
Loser only has one o
I can admit that I was the unpopular mean girl in my sophomore and junior year of high school. I straightened my shit out by senior year.
Same but i was a freshman/sophomore. I am glad for growing out 🙂
“There is no limit” is the most important line in the film - there is no limit to what you can be; you just have to get over the false ideas imposed on you. There aren’t any one group of girls who are always mean; everyone has mean and nice in them - we just need to stop being ANTAGONISTIC
That’s a ridiculous notion, your explanation makes it even more so.
“The limit does not exist.”
Ephraim Belnap that’ll never happen, Society is too vengeful and judgmental to this fay
If the limit is never approaching anything, the limit does not exist.
I find it interesting that the Musical version of Janis is, I found, slightly kinder and more hurt by people’s actions. Just something I thought.
Me too, Janis is made more sympathetic, likely so that it would be easier for the audience to root for her, and it works, for the most part. 😊
Musical Janis is who Movie Janis thinks she is.
@@misssupercookie2011 the musical also seems to be narrated by Janis, at least in the first song. So that might be part of it
I agree with this. Janice was no better than Regina. She put Cady up to be friends with Regina just to get revenge and blamed Cady at the end. I get what Regina did was really mean, but sinking down to someone else’s level isn’t the right thing to do.
I’m a easy girl:
I see mean girls, I click.
Ditto, as soon as the thumbnail shows ANY of the characters, or uses any of the quotes, you can bet that I'll be there with bells on! ❤️
*an
The meme would be to say "simple" girl... "easy" girl has other implications too.
@@HexManiacQuinn that’s the joke bro
it‘s always the "popular girls" who are described as mean and evil when in reality most of the time the "unpopular kids" are the most judgmental and rude
Reginna and Janis were best friends, but I think at some point Reginna noticed that she couldn't manipulate Janis easily, so she ruined her reputation, because she wanted to be the center of attention.
In the movie Regina explained when she started dating a guy, Janice was basically getting mad that she was spending time without her. This led her to angrily ask why Regina didnt call her back. This gave Regina the impression Janice was obsessed over her and needing her attention. With how Janice is also Labanese and Regina thought she meant lesbian made her uncomfortable like Janice was in love with her. Thats how the rumors started and how their friendship broke
@@burmessafox3939 i think she meant that Regina purposely started those rumours and exaggerated to get Janis out of the way. Knowing Regina, this is not surprising
"Anti-Regina" sent a shiver down my spine ... Making me remember "Anti-plastic" from the movie that we do not name
it should be illegal to even ALLUDE to that movie
kind of wanna know what movie you're talking about.. is it a horror movie? would love to give it a watch!
no no no i thought the memory left my brain but the pain just came running back
Yo I need to know
@Subi the name shall not be spoken
I lucked out in high school. I was bullied badly enough in middle school I went into a deep depression that wasn't recognized until years later, but in high school I met new people who loved being odd and were great friends. When I went to a community college, I gained enough confidence in myself that I can stand up to people who are bullies and calmly defuse a situation.
That middle school bullying has affected me to this day. I have to be careful with the music I listen to, movies I watch and especially the books I read (the last one because I am with the characters and plot for so long. Not minutes with music or a couple of hours with a movie) The media I take in can sink me into a depressive state so I usually avoid dramas and stick to high adventure and silly or lighthearted media.
I'm glad that Mean Girls has a healthy ending for the characters. I didn't watch the movie because I thought it was just going to be another destructive teen movie. After seeing this video, I'm more interested in watching the movie.
Its one of a few teen movies i can watch without getting triggered
I hope everything works out for the best, bullying is shitty and never justified
SOMEONE SAID IT, since I saw the movie I always though that Cady and Janis never got the time to be close and make her see that Regina was a monster, she just insulted the Plastics and made Cady think the same when they were nice to her (at the end Regin was a bad person but Janis had a really manipulative behavior during the whole thing and then blamed Cady)