As compared to when we first see her by held aloft by a pile of boys. At that moment I wondered if Cady was a lesbian. She eyed Regina in a laser-focused way and we see Regina in slow-motion action, a heavy drumbeat throbbing away as Regina is paraded onto the field. If Cady's character had been a boy looking at her this way, we would have assumed his character was falling madly in love with her in the typical high-school, adolescent rom-com fashion. Lesbian desire seems to have been coded heavily into this scene. So why not have Regina and Cady be lesbians? Makes sense to me.
@@QueenBoadicea I'm sure if this was filmed now, there is a good chance Regina (and maybe Cady) get out of the closet... Damn, this movie was shot too early!
I feel that Regina's cruelty came from the fact that she has no real relationship. Her parents are never really there for her (dad is checked out and mom is too busy trying to be her gal pal), her friends are more worshippers that actual companions and her romances are clearly just high school hormones. This would probably make her feel lonely and lash out in spectacular ways
@@its_amarysso Yes he is, the Dad isn't there for her. As we see the mom is way more involved with her daughter, to be fair in an inappropriate way, but at least the mom is present. Her dad is definitely more absent.
Between that and the school bus remark, I can totally believe she's bicurious at the least. Oh, can't forget Janice flirting with Kevin. The writers know what they're doing
This movie has a special place in my heart because it came out the same year that I was born. So I know how old the movie is at all times because it’s the same age that I am. 😉
Maybe bi, but I don't think she's a lesbian, mainly because of her secret relationship with Owens. I think Regina is just a naturally aggressive and assertive person, but because of society she's not fully able to express that side of her, so it comes out in other toxic ways. Some people are like that. Some people like conflict, and they like to fight, that's Regina. But its not very "ladylike." That's why she improved when she got involved in sports, she had a constructive outlet for her natural aggression.
I agree with this comment. I'm personally tired of the narrative that if a woman isn't 100% stereotypically dainty then they are masculine or lesbian, while being lesbian isn't an insult it's perfectly normal for cis straight women to also have these traits such as passion/aggression. It's so demeaning and insulting to women! I've seen the same with fictional characters like Azula from Avatar and even Buttercup from the PPG (people speculate they are trans or call them a tomboy when some girls are just more ambitious or "rough" but they are still fully girls!) . LET WOMEN PRESENT HOWEVER THEY WANT IN PEACE.
It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that Regina likely got away with the rumours that Janis was a lesbian because Janis was Lebanese, but was counting on the other kids to mix the two words up. However, it makes perfect sense that Regina was crushing on her best friend, and used her powers of manipulation to deny her latent Sexuality.
I do know many lesbians who were serial cheaters and/or emotionally vacant in their early relationships with men before accepting their same-sex attraction to women. But, there's just 0 evidence that Regina isn't heterosexual. In fact, Regina portrays the casual homophobia of the time, and that is exactly the way a homophobic straight woman would behave if she suspected a girl in her friend group wasn't into dudes.
@@realSimoneCherie It's VERY common that the biggest homophobes are in fact closeted gays. They get angry at their attraction for someone of the same sex and then they also get jealous of anyone who's living a more authentic life that they aren't. Sometimes they're not even aware that that's where their anger comes from
I had a friend like this in middle school. She was super focused on the hyper feminine look, she would intentionally try to humiliate me in front of boys who had crushes on me, she would even try to covertly touch me and then say she wanted to wrestle or “it was just a joke calm down.” Eventually she slapped me in the face in front of a bunch of our friends and I stopped talking to her. She was attracted to me and she was FURIOUS at me for making her feel things that didn’t align with comp het. She was also super possessive of my time and got annoyed if I spent too much time with other girls. She was literally like an abusive girlfriend to me and she’d love bomb me every time I tried to distance myself from her, and up until she physically hit me I kept coming back. The messed up part is that we are both bisexual so if she just dealt with her own fears over not fitting into comp het in a more mature way instead of taking them out on me maybe we would have dated for real. We were still children though so I understand now why it happened, it’s so hard and confusing to grow up in a patriarchy especially for wlw. Part of me is kind of glad I learned all of the red flags for an abusive relationship while I was a kid and the abuse never got as extreme as it does between adults. It was still kind of traumatic though. Funnily enough, she ended up channeling her rage into rugby just like Regina did with Lacrosse. 😅
glad you learned valuable lessons about relationships. i believe friends especially our early friendships shape and mold us and we can either use it in a positive or negative way
Definitely an interesting theory, and one I’ve found to be true as a gay man when watching someone who is clearly closested performing hyper masculinity. But for my money I thought the main sources of her unhappiness were her home life and having no healthy outlet to express that. And because she so thoroughly mastered the petty social dynamics of high school, the fact she was just bored
Although her home life definitely was lacking, it’s worth noting that performative hyper femininity and the suppression of female anger (and how this can cause it to come out in toxic ways) is a major theme throughout the film that the creator even talks about. When I was a teenager I was Bi so didn’t need to fake my attraction to men, but still found myself spending hours and hours trying to look, dress, walk and behave in a way that wasn’t natural to me because I wanted social status and social acceptance. I recognized that when I adhered to the standards of what heterosexual men wanted, my female friends admired me more and gave me more power in response to the male validation. To this day I have a hard time being true to myself because a certain level of performative femininity is expected from me whether I like it or not, and it can be pretty stifling. I think Regina could definitely be read as gay or Bi (projecting your feelings onto someone else is something I definitely did when I first had a crush on a girl. Embarrassingly, I did the whole “I bet she’s a lesbian” thing as a teenager and I honestly love the theory that this was where Regina was coming from) and although it’s an entirely possible theory there’s unfortunately no way to prove it 100%. But I think Regina performing a level of hyper-femininity that didn't make her happy in order to access power (and that she eventually found freedom from in the end) is objectively an important component within the film.
@@blythetaylor4063 Absolutely, her holding herself to and judging/punishing other girls (specifically Janis, and to an extent Cady) for not living up to that ideal of femininity is definitely a major point of the movie
The 'Lebanese/Lesbian' fan theory is cute but I can't take it seriously. Regina spelled out the whole backstory w/ her first bf Kyle and it's pretty clear that Janis was becoming an inconvenient friend. So as a mean girl, Regina would rather project 'clinginess' and even 'lesbianism' onto Janis rather than find fault with herself and admit she's a bad friend.
This. Her annoyance with Janice for the horrible crime of, let me check....not wanting to ditched at random; sounds more like a person who doesn't have a good handle how friendship even works.
They didn’t suggest this theory, but it *could* be possible that Regina was distancing herself from Janice because she was developing crush on her, and got her first boyfriend in order to quell those feelings. The essay does mention this happens at the time in life where it becomes the norm to openly display heterosexuality, so what better way to do that than outright reject your female crush?
@@notoriouskib I honestly doubt this theory, people are reaching. otherwise she would have never cheated on what seemed like the ideal boyfriend to have in HS with Shan. Plus when she talked about Janis being clingy, you can tell she hadn't receive a real connection with parents which is explains her rejection of closeness from anyone
She explains why she is so miserable when she gives Cady the ex-tyrant´s warning right before getting hit by the bus. She is miserable because she knows that everyone only pretends to like her, as she explains to Cady. She also has the curse of being a celebrity. She can´t just sit down for a pumpkin spice latte without being interrupted every minute by some fan wanting an autograph. She put on a circle-tit T-shirt and suddenly that became a trend she had no intention on starting. She gets no privacy and everyone else wants to replace her.
I felt that during college. I was pretty popular during my 3rd semester of college before I left the club. No matter where I was or who I was with, people would come to chat or hang out with me. It kinda sucked since I was vice president of the club, I had to be friendly to promote the club. Later, as the club started to fall apart. People looked at me to lead and get rid of the president even through I had no wish to replace her let alone over thrown her (She, my best friend and most of issues they had just boiled down to racism and fatphobia.) My friend/president deal with the other half as she found out that most people pretend to like her. Even then, they didn't pretend that well and some drop the act when they thought someone else can over throw her (me and some other guy.) It depressing.
Exactly, the comphet concept implies the idea of forcing yourself to appear heteronormative when you know you are not. I think that her is more a case of subordination to Feminine Mystique, where she tries to present herself according to a series of values that she considers "the ideal femenity".
@@jo_jo_jo Exactly. She clearly feels trapped by those ideals as many women identifying people do, but but has internalized them to such an extent that she feels compelled to force them on others.
Yeah I really think the final line should have been about sexism. I get that lgb people are often afforded more leeway to not adhear to gender norms but that is a side issue not the main one.
@@tula1433 No it's the fault of anyone who is sexist & tries to place arbitrary limitations on girls or women. (Or boys & men but obviously that's not the focus of this video.)
Everyone, stop freaking out when they ended this video saying she's very possibly not queer. That being said, I'm definitely gonna be looking up some fanfiction.
I was already a Regina x Janis shipper lol, but yes this video has reignited my interest in looking for fanfiction. If ppl actually want reccs I can probably find a few in my old AO3 bookmarks
2003 was a homophobic time, kids were bullied. I had a classmate who was gay and I was banned from talking to them. I am glad our society is more open.
Almost all women can relate to Regina in some way. Regina is a victim of a society that has preconceived notions and sometimes strict ideas and structures about how women should act and live. Regina is a rich girl. She's expected to maintain her youth and marry rich. She finds this confining as someone with actual intellect. She liked shopping but she's not limited to it. It's not even openly told. We're told we can live however we want but there's still an invisible pressure to conform to certain norms. People fear deviating too much from them might leave them in unwanted situations. Regina might or might not be queer but she feels like she has no choice because of the expectations from her. She's forced to fit a mould. Her being girlie might be something she actually enjoys but what if she doesn't want to be always girlie or girlie in all aspects. She's quite a dominating woman and might wanna start something of her own than marry rich. Basically, Regina is a young woman who's struggling to find her identity in a world where there's a lot of unsaid expectations from women. A lot of women in today's times are deviating to be however they want to be. Be it a cheerleader wanting to stay virgin until marriage or a girlie girl leaving modelling to become an entrepreneur.
Or, she's just a narcissist. Not all bullies have sad backstories and deep motivations; some people are just awful. Let's pretend it's true that she feels confined with society's expectations: she has enough power and influence that she can change other people's minds at her school, if she wanted. So it's silly to pretend that she's this damsel in distress. She could change things if she wanted to, but didn't because society isn't her problem; her problem is her narcissism.
@@infinitum8558 no offense but that's untrue. You don't understand the crux of Mean Girls at all if you think that way. Mean Girls was made with the purpose to show how female relationships work, how women express anger and dominance and the mixed messages women get from society. Watch The Take's other videos on Mean Girls. Yes, Regina was a bully. She was a mean girl. No denying. But she changes 360° in the end and that's important because it proves that while she's no angel, she's also somewhat, at least in some measure, a victim of societal expectations. In Mean Girls: The Musical, she tells Cady that she's mean from childhood but also forgives her and accepts her defeat as a queen bee. So, she's just a dominant, self-centred person which obviously isn't great but a part of her meaness was the a result of the mould she was trying to fit in. She gives up her fake persona she has carefully curated to keep her position. She always kept that position because she could . Wouldn't you want power if you could have it? When she takes up sports and leaves her queen bee persona, her true self is liberated and she becomes a better person. Now, you're absolutely right that all bullies don't have a backstory. In fact, most bullies don't. They're like that because they can be. They're narcissists or whatever. They're ugly people. But Regina wasn't that bully in the movie. I hate when people try to give a free pass to mean women just because they're women. However, it's not the case with Mean Girls.
also there are still height requirements barring women from modeling even if theyre pretty. and i see on social media how women can be shamed for opting not to shave. also being a rich girl well regina could marry someone who isnt rich and be able to live comfortably (men marry into money too)
@@blue-sq7tj Ah I see. But I disagree. Men and boys are taught self control, self sufficiency and self sacrifice. Thats the masculine ideal. To be like a soldier or a superhero. To be the hard working man building a future for himself, his family and his community. None of this is inherently toxic. Some people are simply toxic and behave in harmful ways to others. They're either unaware of the harm they're causing or they don't care that they're hurting people or they just actually enjoy being terrible. Well that's just my opinion anyway. Thanks for humoring me.
I don't think they are Queer, i think we can read that Regina was dying for a deeper connection with someone. Gretchen is pretty shallow and Karen is... simple. Regina's mom is a grown up Karen, and Regina's boyfriends are jocks that just see her as the hot girl. I think Regina was really interested in a platonic relationship with Cady. They had good chemistry and they got each other. The fact that Cady gets along really well with Janice (Regina's former BFF) proves that Cady's personality plays well with their mean, blunt, strong personalities. On the other hand, Cady is a clear rival who is as conventionally attractive as Regina, but as "weird" and unique as Janice. Regina wanted to be closer with Cady, but also felt threatened by her and resented her because Cady was catching all the attention that she worked so hard for, without really trying.
@@soulfoodie1 in many ways the queer word is actually more inclusive then many other words so there are many people in the LGBTQ+ community who prefer to call themselves queer
I think her relationship with Shane Owen was genuine. It seemed like he was the one she actually liked and she used Aaron Samuel to maintain the status more.
lmao 'actually liked?'. She literally treats him like he's a tool, which he is. Also cheating is prevalent if you're dormantly gay because you cannot get satisfied and cheating gives you at least an adrenaline rush and hope that you'll actually find someone of the opposite gender that you like, it never happens tho... She literally does not look in love with any of the guys. She fits the queer archetype perfectly whether it was intentional or not.
I was in high school when this movie came out and homophobia was unfortunately a big common thing where kids would be 'written off' socially at even the suggestion of being not completely straight. How many teen movies of this era was the plot driven by a threat, 'we'll tell everyone you're gay if you don't help us or do this'. It was seen as the biggest insult and would affect your life for years going to school with these same kids. So while I don't think Regina was necessarily gay or even bi, she would've certainly felt the pressure of being straight and narrow for the world to see out of fear. So being extremely ultra feminine was her defense and projected her fear onto Janice by not only calling her gay but ostracizing her from her entire class due to that. Regina feared that would be her so she projected that into Janice, 'better her than me.' and 'i can't be gay, look at how strongly I'm rejecting and criticizing her for not being ultra feminine!'
doesnt she realize there are feminine lesbians (lipstick lesbians)? just bc janice was "punk" and not feminine doesnt make her gay. even then youd know that. it was 2004 not 1954!
@@oooh19 Not necessarily, even in the 2000's it was a pretty common assumption that lesbians were masculine. Of course not everyone was ignorant about it but I definitely would not expect ppl to know better back then. Gay marriage was federally illegal and gay was an extremely common insult at the time. I grew up hearing ppl use gay as an insult all the time as well as calling ppl the f slur and definitely heard ppl make all sorts of false assumptions about LGBTQ+ ppl.
@@JackieBurkhart924 yea true but gay used to mean happy. words change meaning. also girly girls were judged harshly growing up in 90s/00s (the NLOG was often used as tv and movie and other media's "heroine") and spice girls "girl power" was meant to empower young girls (they were my 1st CD) but did it really?
@@maggierobertson2962 Actually, no - both use their femininity to ACHIEVE their most ambitious goals, because they think there's no other way to live. When Regina leaves the Plastics, she's still only a kid, and has no ambition beyond healthily releasing her anger. Cersei uses her feminine wiles and becomes Queen of Westeros just like she wanted. If she were a man, she would have been a Knight like Jamie or at most a Hand like her dad was.
Regina is not attracted to Cady. She is aware that Cady can compromise her role of queen of the school and she is smart enough to know you keep your enemies close. This is also why she "steals" Aaron from her, to show Cady who's in charge in the school
I'd say a more plausible theory is that Regina is just bored and frustrated. She both relishes in and is resentful of having everything handed to her, from her parents' submission to her peers' admiration. At the same time, she channels her energy into maintaining her "alpha female" role - outwardly terrorising other people, and inwardly micromanaging her appearance. But it's all superficial, so she's never fulfilled.
is that why many ppl think girls/women are girly for others? some actually do enjoy that and dont do this for others but to be their best selves! so many ppl think girly interests are less than but some of us arent trying to impress anyone and enjoy doing fashion, hair, makeup etc it's not superficial
@Curly-n-Girly except for the fact regina isn't a lesbian and y'all should stop pushing homosexuality into everything because it gets fucking annoying at one point and i'm saying this as a queer person
Yeah and so many people think that femininity is a cage and is restrictive and that the only way for girls to break free is to destroy it and become more masculine. Which is also bull. Studies have shown that boys actually display more signs of relational aggression than girls do. But people still think that girls do it more because it is less physically violent and girls are trapped by the socially feminine role of not physically lashing out like boys can. Which is bs because not everyone is physically violent and I have had a lot of female bullies who physically harmed me and male bullies who gossiped and spread rumors about me. Bullying has no gender. However I still think that this video does a good job of showing how feminine gender roles can be restricting. But that doesn’t mean that femininity in and of itself is restricting. It’s why so many of us lesbians are femme and proud to reclaim our feminine identity!
I don't think Tina Fey planned it that way but, what the hell? Yeah let´s read it Regina and Janis were crushing on each other so hard and conffused it with hate due to comhet
@@edithputhy4948 I think heteronormativity is an umbrella term for societal pressure to present as heterosexual, and comphet falls under it and more precisely describes how an individual behaves to fall into a specific heteronormative structure.
I strongly believe that Regina is bisexual. The fact that she cheats on Aaron with Shane, how she interacts with Cady and Janis, and how she and Shane do act like an actual couple. I saw a comment saying that Regina is attracted to Cady and I totally believe it
Yes I think she’s bisexual too. It’s tough when you can be attracted to multiple genders that you don’t know if you’re attracted to someone because you want to be their friend, or if you’re crushing on them. Which leaves you questioning who your real friends are (there is a reason why it’s basically a joke that bi people can’t have friends). And if she’s demisexual too that complicates it even more because once you start getting to be friends with someone, you might start developing deeper feelings for them which changes the relationship dynamic (even if you don’t *want* it to change) and leaves you feeling even more alone. I would know because I’ve just recently come to terms with the fact that I’m a bi demisexual and honestly I related a lot to Regina’s repressed unhealthy rage. I think this video really explains a lot about why she acted that way. I’m glad she ultimately got a happy ending and everyone in the film was happy because too often in movies the main characters are only happy when the villain of the movie is dead. :(
This is a very interesting take. While there is nothing in the movie to say conclusively if she's queer or not, I definitely agree that Regina's performance of ultra femininity and heterosexuality is her undoing. She's the healthiest in the end when she's not obsessing over the female high school hierarchy and engages in sport. nice video!
I'm a lesbian, and I don't buy this one. Needing to preform your gender doesn't mean you're not straight, it just means you want the privilege that comes with it. But she is also trapped in the bed she's made, because looking like that you can't be anything else, at least not in high school. I had the opposite experience, because I was "ugly " so when I came out no one noticed or cared. Everyone wants a piece of Regina because of what they can get from her. That makes her mean.
Could you please do a analysis on Gravity Falls, specifically with Mabel Pines! Would love to see you do a analysis of her and how she was a important character within animation in how hyperfeminine she is within a traditional 'boy labelled show'; and looking at why the character is controversial with the divided opinions and the hate due to her actions. Would just be awesome to see!
Yess Gravity Falls would not be the same without her! And the theory that she has both adhd and autism is very interesting specially when we see fans hating on her for common neurodivergent traits some kids around that age have. I'm not saying they are ableist for disliking the character I'm chill but they should think about it imo
@@mariedit9935Might be the case for the minority of people who are like irrationally obsessed with her, but otherwise that sounds like another instance of dismissing genuine criticism as -isms and -phobias.
@@genossejannikov8219 Yeah, most of the criticisms I've seen about Mabel focus on the fact she can be really selfish sometimes, not on traits associated with neurodivergence.
In what way is Mabel's controversial and why would anyone hate her? 🤔 I mean, maybe they don't like her character or they find it annoying but controversial? How? I've seen the entire series--and she's my favorite character! That's very similar to how I was when I was her age 🥰✨🦄
bc maybe boys can like girly girl characters. anyone can like any character. also like girls can watch a show bc of cute boys, boys can watch a show bc of cute girls
Her heterosexuality is justified by the blame Regina placed on Janis but I think it's more about being power hungry and jealous. She was probably rejected by her parents as a child because her mother appears to be self possessed and her father is never seen talking to her....so the attention and love and appreciation she couldn't get from her parents...she's now looking for it all in the rest of the world....that's why she's so commanding and neurotic....and Regina actually compares herself to other people family wise because deep down she knows the importance of having a good supportive family which she never had...that's why she keeps messing with other people to make them miserable just like herself
@@jadeemarie bruh that manga is a fucking masterpiece the romance between the girls, the drama and everything is so fucking real as if I went through that pain shit....I will never shut up abt that manga it's so so beautiful and tells a story deeper than what we really see and read like it's so complex
If people see their experiences reflected in Regina, that’s one thing. My thoughts are that Regina was a spoiled rich kid who was taught to value status and power above all else. Other people were either a means to that end or a potential threat to it. Even if you’re at the top of that structure, it’s hollow and unfulfilling to live your life that way. Janis is hurt by her friend turning on her one day and the needless years of abuse that supposed friend inflicted. She clearly has PTSD from it and feels powerless and out of control in her life. They were both emotionally neglected and needed WAY more guidance.
She's rich, entitled and never gets told no. That's it. It's really not that complicated. And there isn't anything inherently wrong with being super feminine
I don't agree with this take. Regina is miserable because her parents didn't do their job and gave no attention to her. Her mother wanted to be a "cool mama" and didn't see her daughter was internally suffering.
@@nicolehall694 This is a TV and film criticism channel, so Im not sure what else you expected. The entire point of the video essay format is to find issues in the work(s) you're analyzing.
When I went to school, I had a Regina George - also someone I used to be friends with until we got a little older. She clearly wanted to be the Queen Bee and performed as such: selecting the "right" friends, hanging out with the boys, wearing make-up and certain clothing labels. At one point, she decided to target me, having two other girls as her Gretchen and Karen (oddly enough both very nice girls otherwise) who stood on either side of her when she cornered me and asked me: "Why don't you wear labels??" I was so annoyed, after a few times I snarked: "Because I don't want to look like you" - they stopped after that with me, though they moved onto another classmate, who was hurt, as her family didn't have the money (I found out later mine didn't either, but I never knew because I never cared about clothes).
Bro she’s a teenage girl in a world of intense consumerism and sexuality just cuz she’s angry doesn’t necessarily mean she’s gay this only feeds sterotypes around lesbians in general
Yeah, this can make a fun little theory, but it kinda generalizes women’s emotions and pigeon holes certain behaviours as inherently queer. I do believe sexuality can evolve in some people and they discover they are not completely straight and feel pressure to present as straight in their social environment, but we can’t just assume a character in a movie is displaying this. To me, Regina is just bored and tired of the rat race of high school, she’s always been at the top and knows the steps to ensure her place, she uses people and dates boys that keep her there even if she’s indifferent to them. She hates the game but she’s good at it and it’s all she really knows which is why she can’t handle someone threatening her position. Straight girls want validation from other girls, they want other girls to fawn over them. She wants girls to be intimidated and jealous of her and she feels powerful with that.
The descriptions of Regina's actions reminds me of Peaches in the show You. She couldn't be with women and had to be with men because of her social status and her adoptive parents disowning her if she came out as a lesbian. And how she treated and reacted to Beck. Thinking about it now, it's no wonder she didn't push Beck harder to dump benji, she could see the dead-end that relationship was and didn't need to help it along as much. It's actually kind of eerie how much that whole situation in You mirrors Regina in Mean Girls.
I’m so glad someone said this. The parallels are absolutely stunning. They both come from rich families that care about status; being a lesbian would likely be a very bad look for their family. They have so much to lose by coming out, and end up lashing out because they cannot be who they are. I relate heavily to both characters for those reasons alone. I grew up in a relatively well off family that has high societal expectations. I had to literally cut them off in order to just be myself. Before I did, though, I forced myself to be “straight” and was extremely homophobic and mean to other gay people.
The issue with this video is that it feels like bi-erasure of Regina. To start, comp het is not only experienced by lesbians. Bi, pan, ace, and even straight women experience this. This video paints the narrative that her being attracted to women suddenly means that her attraction to men was not genuine. That is dangerous rhetoric especially for bi people. Furthermore, the term comphet has a shady history. Adrienne Rich was a political lesbian who believed that lesbianism was a choice and that real feminists CHOOSE to be lesbians. They believed that heterose xuality was an institution therefore not real nor natural. They believed the same about bi people. People who use this term don't understand how it undermines bi experiences. I like the video's take but I just don't like being erased as a bi person myself.
Don't worry, this video is a HUGE REACH:/ like Regina just liked power and control. She was also miserable and had anger issues, hence why she did sports at the end.
@@Emilyweasel2023 Me too! And I also loved “But I’m a Cheerleader.” “I love this movie! But it’s not because I’m a closeted lesbian… no… that can’t be it… it’s just a good movie!” I told myself… believing my own lies… 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
I feel like this is a reach. I don’t think Regina is bi or a lesbian at all. I don’t think it’s a sexuality issue. I think she just wanted a deeper connection with someone. Her “friends” were very superficial and she saw where she could potentially have that connection with Cady. She also felt threatened by cady because she was just as pretty and got a lot of attention without even really trying to. Regina to me always felt like she had to perform this ultra feminine, sexy, vixen image in order to get acceptance. I’d imagine that that would be very exhausting. Ultimately, I think she just needed more support and better friends. That’s where her misery stemmed from. I agree with some parts of the video, but I’m not seeing it with the sexuality stuff.
If you look hard enough, these theories always seem to find what they are looking for. Not to say there isn't anything there, but it's much easier to explain through the fact that she wants to dominate everything, and femininity just happens to be the currency.
yea but lesbians/bi can also be feminine so it's not about her having bfs plus tomboys can have bfs too. however regina flaunted her bfs bc she was what they call an attention whore so she wanted to be center of attention. granted i guess most of us are like this to an extent especially when in our school days i mean you wanted admiration of course
@@oooh19 True, they can be feminine, but it is clear that an out lesbian or bisexual would not have been seen that way in this high school. My point was that theories like these tend to reach and work backwards to find supporting evidence.
This reminds me if Santana from Glee. Her rude behavior actually turned out to be bc she denied herself acceptance for her sexuality. Made out with boys without feeling anything and everything
It is a reach. Regina was just a mean girl who treated everyone like shit, including the people she considered friends. It’s not like she singled Janice out, she started rumors about everyone(the burn book) and we just knew more about the rumor she started about Janice because she was a main character and the rumor about Janice is what made Janice,Cady and Damion want to take down the plastics. But I digress because it’s not like her sexuality is important to the plot anyway so people can have what ever head cannon they want.
i feel like y’all just bareleyyyyy missed a mark with this video. Anyone who has a comprehensive understanding of comphet would know that her cheating on aaron samuels with another guy actually mirrors the behavior of many closet lesbians. First of all its another example of fearing commitment and subconsciously doing things to sabotage her relationship. Moreover the fact that she didn’t seem to have real feelings for EITHER of the men and was just using them for *VALIDATION* Which was another point you guys missed! Hetero performance in lesbians isn’t just to assimilate, or to gain status but can also be driven by a need for male validation (same as straight women!) If anything lesbians can become even MORE obsessed with male validation than straight women because its the only thing they can use to motivate them to be in a straight relationship.
But yeah just because a woman is a lesbian doesn’t mean that all of her insecurities are also part of a performance. All women can be effected by the rigid standards that are placed onto us regardless of who we’re attracted to. I’m a whole ass asexual, but am still effected by male gaze. Learning about comphet shined a separate light on how women can be soo driven by a need for male validation. Despite rarely having feelings for guys I found myself putting on a performance for EVERY guy. But it was the way I was acting that was the performance. The insecurity, wanting to feel chosen and like the prettiest girl in the room was all too real (even tho 99% of the time I wouldn’t be attracted to ANYONE in the room.) The way I see it, comphet and needing male approval are two separate entities and Regina George lesbian or not, IS an example of both complexes existing in one person.
I think this is a great theory, and although I don't think that it was the writer's decision to have Regina be queer, I definitely agree with a lot of these points. All in all, I don't think that there really is enough evidence to fully support this theory, but there also isn't enough to deny it either.
@@Chris-rg6nm what I MEANT is that I don't think that's how they want the character to come off. But there were absolutely some queer undertones to the character
Except Shane Oman who she clearly was into? And unlike Aaron, who was her boytoy for appearances only, she actually liked Shane enough to be in a secret relationship with him. If anything she would be bi, but lesbian? Nah.
Anyone who payed attention to the movie knows that all of the stupid points made in this video can easily be debunked. You just have to understand Regina's psychology to do it
I agree. I mean maybe she is bi but she doesn’t really show many signs of having an attraction to women. She mostly just is the stereotypical spoiled rich kid. The fact her mom lets her do everything she wants, encourages her behavior
I’d say bisexual. She is too comfortable having sex with men to only like women, sure it could be a performance but it doesn’t seem like that to me. I really like how this video analyzes her from multiple perspectives. Queer or just wanting a genuine connection, either way, I’m glad Regina found a better way to live that helped her grow beyond her “bitchy girly girly” imagine used for power.
Now that I see it, maybe I was temporarily comphet too. A distinctly masculine watch, stationery, and displaying aggression. Internalizing these things made me a horrid person. I went back to pink and ‘feminine’ aesthetics and values. Life was comparatively better.
I knew Regina was lesbian when she replace her photo with Aron for a photo with Cady. I mean, it could have been a picture of the whole group, but no, it was just here and Cady.
@@ForAnAngel I haven't watched the movie, so I'm not sure if regina George's sexuality is official. But, queer people almost never get representation. So it's natural that they would look for subtle signs in characters that shows the possibility of being queer. We're not saying regina is 100% gay, because this is simply a theory. And we're also not "wishing straight people are gay" because if regina WAS confirmed straight, this video wouldn't even exist. And if you've ever experienced comphet, you'd know that a lot of the things said in the video are true. So it's just a theory for fun, no one is erasing anything!
@@ForAnAngel I started my previous comment with "I haven't watched the movie". Does regina in the movie say "I'm straight"? Did the people who made the movie confirm that she's straight? If it was official that she was indeed straight, this theory wouldn't exist. I would actually ask you if you watched the video, because the take clearly said at the end that "there's no undeniable evidence that regina is queer, and it's very a possibility she's not". The video also provides an explanation on WHY people think regina might be queer, I suggest you watch it:)
Not everyone mean homophobic person in high school is secretly in the closet. Can we please stop with that? It's as toxic as the "when a boy likes you, hes mean to you" thing 🤦🏾♀️
Just cause she might not want to preform the femininity etc doesn’t mean she’s gay. A girl can dress how she wants in a not necessarily hyper sexual way or what is traditionally deemed attractive to men and still be attracted to men. I feel like this instant leap to being gay further encourages this hyper sexual society we live in, encouraging people to focus more on who they want to attract rather than who they authentically are, which in most cases the gay movement encourages
Basically regina relfected herself in Cady, she saw someone who's not only pretty and femenine enough but also smart af, unlkine Gretchen and Karen, who conform with only being pretty
Innnnnteresting.... I think it is also really healthy for Regina to get into sports. She needed to develop relationships with people that are, yup, based on "merit and teamwork".
What I noticed, regarding the "Regina against other women" Part is that when she catches Gretchen's crush at the mall meeting with another girl she chooses to punish the girl instead of the guy by calling her mother and pretending the is from planned parenthood. After that she says something along the lines "she will not go out with any guy anymore", maybe another subtle hint towards her being bi/lesbian. She basically hinders this girl from engaging in heterosexual relationships.
I don't see it that way but interesting. I see it more as being a mean girl includes mostly being "a bitch" to other girls. However, something I find very interesting about that scene is Regina's reaction right after. The girl is crying, her friends are happy and she looks down almost as if realizing she did something mean.
11:00 this reminds me of the concept that Courtney Gripling had romantic feelings for Ginger. I think they wanted to explore that, but Nickelodeon scrapped it knowing parents would lose their minds.
The first time I watched it I was like she isn’t straight. I actually didn’t watch it till I was 15, now I’ve seen it multiple times since. I’ve been betrayed by a friend before and I’ve been betrayed by a girl crush who was also a friend. The second hurts so much more especially when you don’t even realise it’s a crush or you’re gay yet. Regina gets very upset at Kady hurting her, and like you might but normally you don’t get that upset over a friend betraying you like it hurts but a crush well hits you like a bus. Also I remember the first time I watched it I was having a discussion with my friend about the whole Janice is a lesbian thing. Because she thought it was because she was Lebanese and Regina misheard her and was just mean. But I said that she got scared because of how clinging Janice seemed because she was jealous of reginas boy friend and also probably what is internalised homophobia or atleast feeling a need fo uphold societal norms in the social hierarchy by being mean to others out of protection of being ridiculed herself.
people in the comments who are saying Regina can’t be a lesbian because she dated men, that’s not how it works & there are plenty of lesbians who have dated men before
Whaaat?! Most women don't like performing hyper feminity... this is just reinforcing that if a woman doesn't like these patriarchal standards she's not a Woman, ergo sexism.
Love But I'm A Cheerleader which you reference. You should do a video on that as I think it's about a heterosexual girl who is conversion therapy-d into lesbianism. Her thoughts about women and gay icons can easily be read as innocuous. Kissing her boyfriend is like kissing a tentacle monster. Not that one can be "turned" a sexuality, but I think the message of the movie is about not trying to course correct a person into heterosexuality
I dont think she is. I kind of think she and Shane made a good evil couple. Plus the sex between them seemed genuine.I think she has rage issues. I do agree that her persona didnt make her happy but her new one in sports did.
Warning: this is an essay. So...Regina George became more happy when she became less straight?? Fascinating!! You're description of heterosexuality, or straightness, as an institution is astonishing to me. I had never put it into such terms before, but it's such an intriguing thought. People often conflate or confuse the sociological aspect of their identity with the psychological aspect. Sexual orientation, as far as I can tell, is a sociological aspect of identity. Yet people think of it only on a psychological level. It's part of what causes that disconnect and struggle in terms of how we navigate the most important and long-lasting relationships of our life, whether they are sexually-inclined or not. Thank you for sharing this reading of the film on your channel. As a queer man, I really identify with the struggle you discuss here of how one navigates the attraction in various undefined & intimate relationships. Any hint of non-heterosexuality (i.e., of queerness) is read or portrayed as disruptive and almost militant rather than as human nature. There's this cognitive dissonance where the performance of intimacy prevents it's development. In other words, when complexity is nurtured, a shallow dynamic is guaranteed in the relationship. A real romantic commitment doesn't just happen. It is neither spontaneous nor accidental. It is an active decision, a choice made between two individuals. It takes time and effort, and you need to travel with a person through their life struggle. That's just how it is. You need to learn how to feel with them, and to feel every emotion their is to feel with them. It is a respectful and adult conversation that comes up again and again. It means witnessing your behavior trigger someone psychologically and loving them for it. A real partner keeps you just outside your comfort zone while staying close-by themselves. That way they can provide all the love and support you need as you continue to struggle and grow as a person. _With_ them. Also, I couldn't help but notice in this video that most of the actresses in Mean Girls seem to be wearing their natural/virgin hair color in the film. Rather unusual, isn't it?? I still find myself so intrigued by what connection, if any, there is between artificial versus virgin/natural hair color and the depiction of character in our media. For example, is wearing your hair virgin a signal of youth??
Just notice: Regina calls Janice a lesbian by saying her dream is diving into a pile of girls... In the end of the movie Regina IS in a pile of girls.
As compared to when we first see her by held aloft by a pile of boys. At that moment I wondered if Cady was a lesbian. She eyed Regina in a laser-focused way and we see Regina in slow-motion action, a heavy drumbeat throbbing away as Regina is paraded onto the field. If Cady's character had been a boy looking at her this way, we would have assumed his character was falling madly in love with her in the typical high-school, adolescent rom-com fashion. Lesbian desire seems to have been coded heavily into this scene. So why not have Regina and Cady be lesbians? Makes sense to me.
Also: lacrosse. The code word for lesbians in high school movies XD
@@QueenBoadicea I'm sure if this was filmed now, there is a good chance Regina (and maybe Cady) get out of the closet... Damn, this movie was shot too early!
Holy shit!
@@briannalee1998 I'm really proud of that.
I feel that Regina's cruelty came from the fact that she has no real relationship. Her parents are never really there for her (dad is checked out and mom is too busy trying to be her gal pal), her friends are more worshippers that actual companions and her romances are clearly just high school hormones. This would probably make her feel lonely and lash out in spectacular ways
You can't help but feel bad for her.
True
The dad doesnt seem checket out but he isnt really close
I can fix her
@@its_amarysso Yes he is, the Dad isn't there for her. As we see the mom is way more involved with her daughter, to be fair in an inappropriate way, but at least the mom is present. Her dad is definitely more absent.
Don't worry Regina, we've all been there.
Heyyyy auntie
Ahhhh, Khadija!! So true, I remember doing this for a long time.
♥️♥️♥️♥️
Hell yeah! 🌈
Lol are we all just watching The Take videos in bed
in the end, regina is the one who ends up crushed by a pile of girls, literally
it's her dream come true, diving into a big pile of girls
lmao the irony
Between that and the school bus remark, I can totally believe she's bicurious at the least. Oh, can't forget Janice flirting with Kevin. The writers know what they're doing
HOLY SH
The marrying rich trope. Not always a happy ending.
Rachel from The White Lotus
Unless you're in crazy rich asians
Gabrielle Solis
Amen to that, I married an alcoholic doctor and believe me it wasn’t a happy ending.
@@andreblackaller3560 lol my bf’s a doctor.
Hopefully not an alcoholic
Shout out to Regina George, still an icon even 17 years later after the movie release.
17 years?! no way it's 17 years ago! I was 16 and a sophomore in high school! can't believe it's so long ago lol
@@oooh19 Yeah, it was! I feel kinda old. I was ten years old when it was released. My parents though it was a Disney movie.
This movie has a special place in my heart because it came out the same year that I was born. So I know how old the movie is at all times because it’s the same age that I am. 😉
It's been 20 years now omg
Maybe bi, but I don't think she's a lesbian, mainly because of her secret relationship with Owens. I think Regina is just a naturally aggressive and assertive person, but because of society she's not fully able to express that side of her, so it comes out in other toxic ways. Some people are like that. Some people like conflict, and they like to fight, that's Regina. But its not very "ladylike." That's why she improved when she got involved in sports, she had a constructive outlet for her natural aggression.
i mean lesbians have had sex w men wh3n they try to try hard to be straight, but overall ur right I think
yeah i think the same
you're reaching..smh
I think she’s bi but I see her as being more into girls
I agree with this comment. I'm personally tired of the narrative that if a woman isn't 100% stereotypically dainty then they are masculine or lesbian, while being lesbian isn't an insult it's perfectly normal for cis straight women to also have these traits such as passion/aggression. It's so demeaning and insulting to women!
I've seen the same with fictional characters like Azula from Avatar and even Buttercup from the PPG (people speculate they are trans or call them a tomboy when some girls are just more ambitious or "rough" but they are still fully girls!)
. LET WOMEN PRESENT HOWEVER THEY WANT IN PEACE.
It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that Regina likely got away with the rumours that Janis was a lesbian because Janis was Lebanese, but was counting on the other kids to mix the two words up. However, it makes perfect sense that Regina was crushing on her best friend, and used her powers of manipulation to deny her latent Sexuality.
I do know many lesbians who were serial cheaters and/or emotionally vacant in their early relationships with men before accepting their same-sex attraction to women. But, there's just 0 evidence that Regina isn't heterosexual. In fact, Regina portrays the casual homophobia of the time, and that is exactly the way a homophobic straight woman would behave if she suspected a girl in her friend group wasn't into dudes.
@@realSimoneCherie i met a lot of gays who were homophobic before coming out. they were deflecting in a way
@Ricky yup. Can confirm that it is a defence mechanism to seem “normal”
@@realSimoneCherie It's VERY common that the biggest homophobes are in fact closeted gays. They get angry at their attraction for someone of the same sex and then they also get jealous of anyone who's living a more authentic life that they aren't. Sometimes they're not even aware that that's where their anger comes from
Yeah I saw that tiktok too lol
I had a friend like this in middle school. She was super focused on the hyper feminine look, she would intentionally try to humiliate me in front of boys who had crushes on me, she would even try to covertly touch me and then say she wanted to wrestle or “it was just a joke calm down.” Eventually she slapped me in the face in front of a bunch of our friends and I stopped talking to her. She was attracted to me and she was FURIOUS at me for making her feel things that didn’t align with comp het. She was also super possessive of my time and got annoyed if I spent too much time with other girls. She was literally like an abusive girlfriend to me and she’d love bomb me every time I tried to distance myself from her, and up until she physically hit me I kept coming back. The messed up part is that we are both bisexual so if she just dealt with her own fears over not fitting into comp het in a more mature way instead of taking them out on me maybe we would have dated for real. We were still children though so I understand now why it happened, it’s so hard and confusing to grow up in a patriarchy especially for wlw. Part of me is kind of glad I learned all of the red flags for an abusive relationship while I was a kid and the abuse never got as extreme as it does between adults. It was still kind of traumatic though. Funnily enough, she ended up channeling her rage into rugby just like Regina did with Lacrosse. 😅
glad you learned valuable lessons about relationships. i believe friends especially our early friendships shape and mold us and we can either use it in a positive or negative way
Did she ever decide to accept herself and come out? And did she ever apologize to you later on?
Glad shes into rugby but damn she was a bad friend.
@@orchdork775you’re asking the important questions. I wanna know to now. Please tell us more!!
I need this to be a novel
Definitely an interesting theory, and one I’ve found to be true as a gay man when watching someone who is clearly closested performing hyper masculinity. But for my money I thought the main sources of her unhappiness were her home life and having no healthy outlet to express that. And because she so thoroughly mastered the petty social dynamics of high school, the fact she was just bored
Although her home life definitely was lacking, it’s worth noting that performative hyper femininity and the suppression of female anger (and how this can cause it to come out in toxic ways) is a major theme throughout the film that the creator even talks about. When I was a teenager I was Bi so didn’t need to fake my attraction to men, but still found myself spending hours and hours trying to look, dress, walk and behave in a way that wasn’t natural to me because I wanted social status and social acceptance. I recognized that when I adhered to the standards of what heterosexual men wanted, my female friends admired me more and gave me more power in response to the male validation. To this day I have a hard time being true to myself because a certain level of performative femininity is expected from me whether I like it or not, and it can be pretty stifling. I think Regina could definitely be read as gay or Bi (projecting your feelings onto someone else is something I definitely did when I first had a crush on a girl. Embarrassingly, I did the whole “I bet she’s a lesbian” thing as a teenager and I honestly love the theory that this was where Regina was coming from) and although it’s an entirely possible theory there’s unfortunately no way to prove it 100%. But I think Regina performing a level of hyper-femininity that didn't make her happy in order to access power (and that she eventually found freedom from in the end) is objectively an important component within the film.
@@blythetaylor4063 Absolutely, her holding herself to and judging/punishing other girls (specifically Janis, and to an extent Cady) for not living up to that ideal of femininity is definitely a major point of the movie
The 'Lebanese/Lesbian' fan theory is cute but I can't take it seriously. Regina spelled out the whole backstory w/ her first bf Kyle and it's pretty clear that Janis was becoming an inconvenient friend. So as a mean girl, Regina would rather project 'clinginess' and even 'lesbianism' onto Janis rather than find fault with herself and admit she's a bad friend.
This. Her annoyance with Janice for the horrible crime of, let me check....not wanting to ditched at random; sounds more like a person who doesn't have a good handle how friendship even works.
They didn’t suggest this theory, but it *could* be possible that Regina was distancing herself from Janice because she was developing crush on her, and got her first boyfriend in order to quell those feelings. The essay does mention this happens at the time in life where it becomes the norm to openly display heterosexuality, so what better way to do that than outright reject your female crush?
@@notoriouskib I honestly doubt this theory, people are reaching. otherwise she would have never cheated on what seemed like the ideal boyfriend to have in HS with Shan. Plus when she talked about Janis being clingy, you can tell she hadn't receive a real connection with parents which is explains her rejection of closeness from anyone
That’s what I always thought
I definitely know people like Regina who blame others instead finding fault in themselves
She explains why she is so miserable when she gives Cady the ex-tyrant´s warning right before getting hit by the bus. She is miserable because she knows that everyone only pretends to like her, as she explains to Cady. She also has the curse of being a celebrity. She can´t just sit down for a pumpkin spice latte without being interrupted every minute by some fan wanting an autograph. She put on a circle-tit T-shirt and suddenly that became a trend she had no intention on starting. She gets no privacy and everyone else wants to replace her.
I felt that during college. I was pretty popular during my 3rd semester of college before I left the club. No matter where I was or who I was with, people would come to chat or hang out with me. It kinda sucked since I was vice president of the club, I had to be friendly to promote the club. Later, as the club started to fall apart. People looked at me to lead and get rid of the president even through I had no wish to replace her let alone over thrown her (She, my best friend and most of issues they had just boiled down to racism and fatphobia.)
My friend/president deal with the other half as she found out that most people pretend to like her. Even then, they didn't pretend that well and some drop the act when they thought someone else can over throw her (me and some other guy.)
It depressing.
I feel like the root reason for Regina's rage has more to do with sexism, not comphet, although that is obviously one aspect of it.
Exactly, the comphet concept implies the idea of forcing yourself to appear heteronormative when you know you are not. I think that her is more a case of subordination to Feminine Mystique, where she tries to present herself according to a series of values that she considers "the ideal femenity".
@@jo_jo_jo Exactly. She clearly feels trapped by those ideals as many women identifying people do, but but has internalized them to such an extent that she feels compelled to force them on others.
So basically it’s men’s faults ?
Yeah I really think the final line should have been about sexism. I get that lgb people are often afforded more leeway to not adhear to gender norms but that is a side issue not the main one.
@@tula1433 No it's the fault of anyone who is sexist & tries to place arbitrary limitations on girls or women. (Or boys & men but obviously that's not the focus of this video.)
Everyone, stop freaking out when they ended this video saying she's very possibly not queer. That being said, I'm definitely gonna be looking up some fanfiction.
This was funny 😂
Link me the good ones because I am craving them now lol
Me too 😂
exactly what I'm doing
I was already a Regina x Janis shipper lol, but yes this video has reignited my interest in looking for fanfiction. If ppl actually want reccs I can probably find a few in my old AO3 bookmarks
2003 was a homophobic time, kids were bullied. I had a classmate who was gay and I was banned from talking to them. I am glad our society is more open.
Lol who banned you?
Lol who banned you?
@@tula1433 my family
@@LeahWalentosky That's horrible, I'm happy we are more open now.
wow... that's just too much
Almost all women can relate to Regina in some way. Regina is a victim of a society that has preconceived notions and sometimes strict ideas and structures about how women should act and live. Regina is a rich girl. She's expected to maintain her youth and marry rich. She finds this confining as someone with actual intellect. She liked shopping but she's not limited to it. It's not even openly told. We're told we can live however we want but there's still an invisible pressure to conform to certain norms. People fear deviating too much from them might leave them in unwanted situations.
Regina might or might not be queer but she feels like she has no choice because of the expectations from her. She's forced to fit a mould. Her being girlie might be something she actually enjoys but what if she doesn't want to be always girlie or girlie in all aspects. She's quite a dominating woman and might wanna start something of her own than marry rich.
Basically, Regina is a young woman who's struggling to find her identity in a world where there's a lot of unsaid expectations from women. A lot of women in today's times are deviating to be however they want to be. Be it a cheerleader wanting to stay virgin until marriage or a girlie girl leaving modelling to become an entrepreneur.
Or, she's just a narcissist. Not all bullies have sad backstories and deep motivations; some people are just awful.
Let's pretend it's true that she feels confined with society's expectations: she has enough power and influence that she can change other people's minds at her school, if she wanted.
So it's silly to pretend that she's this damsel in distress.
She could change things if she wanted to, but didn't because society isn't her problem; her problem is her narcissism.
@@infinitum8558 no offense but that's untrue. You don't understand the crux of Mean Girls at all if you think that way. Mean Girls was made with the purpose to show how female relationships work, how women express anger and dominance and the mixed messages women get from society. Watch The Take's other videos on Mean Girls. Yes, Regina was a bully. She was a mean girl. No denying. But she changes 360° in the end and that's important because it proves that while she's no angel, she's also somewhat, at least in some measure, a victim of societal expectations. In Mean Girls: The Musical, she tells Cady that she's mean from childhood but also forgives her and accepts her defeat as a queen bee. So, she's just a dominant, self-centred person which obviously isn't great but a part of her meaness was the a result of the mould she was trying to fit in. She gives up her fake persona she has carefully curated to keep her position. She always kept that position because she could . Wouldn't you want power if you could have it? When she takes up sports and leaves her queen bee persona, her true self is liberated and she becomes a better person.
Now, you're absolutely right that all bullies don't have a backstory. In fact, most bullies don't. They're like that because they can be. They're narcissists or whatever. They're ugly people. But Regina wasn't that bully in the movie.
I hate when people try to give a free pass to mean women just because they're women. However, it's not the case with Mean Girls.
also there are still height requirements barring women from modeling even if theyre pretty. and i see on social media how women can be shamed for opting not to shave. also being a rich girl well regina could marry someone who isnt rich and be able to live comfortably (men marry into money too)
@@blue-sq7tj What toxicity exists in the masculine ideal? Enlighten me please.
@@blue-sq7tj Ah I see. But I disagree. Men and boys are taught self control, self sufficiency and self sacrifice. Thats the masculine ideal. To be like a soldier or a superhero. To be the hard working man building a future for himself, his family and his community. None of this is inherently toxic. Some people are simply toxic and behave in harmful ways to others. They're either unaware of the harm they're causing or they don't care that they're hurting people or they just actually enjoy being terrible.
Well that's just my opinion anyway. Thanks for humoring me.
I don't think they are Queer, i think we can read that Regina was dying for a deeper connection with someone. Gretchen is pretty shallow and Karen is... simple. Regina's mom is a grown up Karen, and Regina's boyfriends are jocks that just see her as the hot girl. I think Regina was really interested in a platonic relationship with Cady. They had good chemistry and they got each other. The fact that Cady gets along really well with Janice (Regina's former BFF) proves that Cady's personality plays well with their mean, blunt, strong personalities.
On the other hand, Cady is a clear rival who is as conventionally attractive as Regina, but as "weird" and unique as Janice.
Regina wanted to be closer with Cady, but also felt threatened by her and resented her because Cady was catching all the attention that she worked so hard for, without really trying.
Best said 👏 🙌 👌
The Q word is deeply problematic to many in the LGBT community
@@soulfoodie1 why?
@@soulfoodie1 in many ways the queer word is actually more inclusive then many other words so there are many people in the LGBTQ+ community who prefer to call themselves queer
I feel Regina was just insecure and needed a hobby. 🤷🏿♀️
fun fact: during the touring production of the Mean Girls musical, Mariah Rose Faith played Regina as a lesbian.
That's perfect
I think her relationship with Shane Owen was genuine. It seemed like he was the one she actually liked and she used Aaron Samuel to maintain the status more.
So it is said in the movie
literally
lmao 'actually liked?'. She literally treats him like he's a tool, which he is. Also cheating is prevalent if you're dormantly gay because you cannot get satisfied and cheating gives you at least an adrenaline rush and hope that you'll actually find someone of the opposite gender that you like, it never happens tho...
She literally does not look in love with any of the guys. She fits the queer archetype perfectly whether it was intentional or not.
Thing is nobody realized that Shane was way hotter than Aaron.
This is like the female version of fragile masculinity
It's called hyper feminity or toxic feminism!
I was in high school when this movie came out and homophobia was unfortunately a big common thing where kids would be 'written off' socially at even the suggestion of being not completely straight. How many teen movies of this era was the plot driven by a threat, 'we'll tell everyone you're gay if you don't help us or do this'. It was seen as the biggest insult and would affect your life for years going to school with these same kids. So while I don't think Regina was necessarily gay or even bi, she would've certainly felt the pressure of being straight and narrow for the world to see out of fear. So being extremely ultra feminine was her defense and projected her fear onto Janice by not only calling her gay but ostracizing her from her entire class due to that. Regina feared that would be her so she projected that into Janice, 'better her than me.' and 'i can't be gay, look at how strongly I'm rejecting and criticizing her for not being ultra feminine!'
doesnt she realize there are feminine lesbians (lipstick lesbians)? just bc janice was "punk" and not feminine doesnt make her gay. even then youd know that. it was 2004 not 1954!
@@oooh19 back then gothic people were literally outcasts
@@oooh19 Not necessarily, even in the 2000's it was a pretty common assumption that lesbians were masculine. Of course not everyone was ignorant about it but I definitely would not expect ppl to know better back then. Gay marriage was federally illegal and gay was an extremely common insult at the time. I grew up hearing ppl use gay as an insult all the time as well as calling ppl the f slur and definitely heard ppl make all sorts of false assumptions about LGBTQ+ ppl.
@@JackieBurkhart924 yea true but gay used to mean happy. words change meaning. also girly girls were judged harshly growing up in 90s/00s (the NLOG was often used as tv and movie and other media's "heroine") and spice girls "girl power" was meant to empower young girls (they were my 1st CD) but did it really?
I think there could be an interesting comparison between Regina George and Cersei Lannister.
Oh, my...I definitely need to see this.
Very true
Cersie is way worse but I love her. She is the only evil person I ever rooted for.
@@bread2951 definitely worse. But they are both forced to portray feminine ideals while suppressing more ambitious goals.
@@maggierobertson2962 Actually, no - both use their femininity to ACHIEVE their most ambitious goals, because they think there's no other way to live. When Regina leaves the Plastics, she's still only a kid, and has no ambition beyond healthily releasing her anger. Cersei uses her feminine wiles and becomes Queen of Westeros just like she wanted. If she were a man, she would have been a Knight like Jamie or at most a Hand like her dad was.
Regina is not attracted to Cady. She is aware that Cady can compromise her role of queen of the school and she is smart enough to know you keep your enemies close. This is also why she "steals" Aaron from her, to show Cady who's in charge in the school
I like your theory more than what the video says.
I think the joke that Janice is Lebanese and Regina thinks that Janice says “I’m lesbian” surprisingly goes over everyone’s head.
I'd say a more plausible theory is that Regina is just bored and frustrated. She both relishes in and is resentful of having everything handed to her, from her parents' submission to her peers' admiration. At the same time, she channels her energy into maintaining her "alpha female" role - outwardly terrorising other people, and inwardly micromanaging her appearance. But it's all superficial, so she's never fulfilled.
is that why many ppl think girls/women are girly for others? some actually do enjoy that and dont do this for others but to be their best selves! so many ppl think girly interests are less than but some of us arent trying to impress anyone and enjoy doing fashion, hair, makeup etc it's not superficial
@Curly-n-Girly except for the fact regina isn't a lesbian and y'all should stop pushing homosexuality into everything because it gets fucking annoying at one point and i'm saying this as a queer person
Yeah and so many people think that femininity is a cage and is restrictive and that the only way for girls to break free is to destroy it and become more masculine. Which is also bull. Studies have shown that boys actually display more signs of relational aggression than girls do. But people still think that girls do it more because it is less physically violent and girls are trapped by the socially feminine role of not physically lashing out like boys can. Which is bs because not everyone is physically violent and I have had a lot of female bullies who physically harmed me and male bullies who gossiped and spread rumors about me. Bullying has no gender. However I still think that this video does a good job of showing how feminine gender roles can be restricting. But that doesn’t mean that femininity in and of itself is restricting. It’s why so many of us lesbians are femme and proud to reclaim our feminine identity!
I prefer to view Regina and Janice's animosity as merely a continuation of creative differences over the original choreography for jingle bell rock.
While it happens on occasion, by in large, mean straight people are not closeted homosexuals.
I don't think Tina Fey planned it that way but, what the hell? Yeah let´s read it Regina and Janis were crushing on each other so hard and conffused it with hate due to comhet
This theory actually makes a lot of sense, if you really lean into it, and explains why Regina is so hostile towards Janis.
why did she coin that word comphet when that's literally just heteronormativity?
@@edithputhy4948 I think heteronormativity is an umbrella term for societal pressure to present as heterosexual, and comphet falls under it and more precisely describes how an individual behaves to fall into a specific heteronormative structure.
Janis wasn't crushing on Regina...those are NOT the actions of a girl crushing on someone. Regina's on the other hand...
@@FabalociousDee pretty sure Janis did..in middle school. she's definitely a lesbian though.
I’m always here for a new Mean Girls deep dive.
‘Mean Girls’ is a classic for a reason.
Not really. It looks stupid to me
@@itsbeyondme5560 Nobody is perfect. (Jk it’s ok if it’s not your cup of tea)
I strongly believe that Regina is bisexual. The fact that she cheats on Aaron with Shane, how she interacts with Cady and Janis, and how she and Shane do act like an actual couple. I saw a comment saying that Regina is attracted to Cady and I totally believe it
Yes I think she’s bisexual too. It’s tough when you can be attracted to multiple genders that you don’t know if you’re attracted to someone because you want to be their friend, or if you’re crushing on them. Which leaves you questioning who your real friends are (there is a reason why it’s basically a joke that bi people can’t have friends). And if she’s demisexual too that complicates it even more because once you start getting to be friends with someone, you might start developing deeper feelings for them which changes the relationship dynamic (even if you don’t *want* it to change) and leaves you feeling even more alone. I would know because I’ve just recently come to terms with the fact that I’m a bi demisexual and honestly I related a lot to Regina’s repressed unhealthy rage. I think this video really explains a lot about why she acted that way. I’m glad she ultimately got a happy ending and everyone in the film was happy because too often in movies the main characters are only happy when the villain of the movie is dead. :(
I strongly believe regina is a lesbian with a comphet.
@@memethingz6004 comphet also affects bisexuals too
yeah no
If they made an actual reunion movie, mean girls 3, in the end Regina came to the reunion with her wife 😏 she could finally be free
👫🏼🩷💙💜👩🏼🤝👩🏾
This is a very interesting take. While there is nothing in the movie to say conclusively if she's queer or not, I definitely agree that Regina's performance of ultra femininity and heterosexuality is her undoing. She's the healthiest in the end when she's not obsessing over the female high school hierarchy and engages in sport. nice video!
She was miserable because her mother was narcissistic and her father was absent.
That and her mom let her do pretty much anything she wanted. So she knew she could get away with pretty much anything.
While I do think this might be a bit of a reach. I’m glad we’re exploring the way women express anger.
I don't think she's queer either, but she is actively trying to reach an idea of ultra-feminity so for that I think the analysis is interesting.
I've never seen Regina and Cady as romantic but now it's all I can see
Regina was probably in love with both Janis and Cady.
I'm a lesbian, and I don't buy this one. Needing to preform your gender doesn't mean you're not straight, it just means you want the privilege that comes with it. But she is also trapped in the bed she's made, because looking like that you can't be anything else, at least not in high school. I had the opposite experience, because I was "ugly " so when I came out no one noticed or cared. Everyone wants a piece of Regina because of what they can get from her. That makes her mean.
Yeah.... I dont believe it either
Yep. This is a huge, ridiculous reach
I'm Bi and I'm not sure I *BI* this, either lmao. xD
I think this is just a theory for fun haha
@What Demsay Regina was also rich...
Could you please do a analysis on Gravity Falls, specifically with Mabel Pines! Would love to see you do a analysis of her and how she was a important character within animation in how hyperfeminine she is within a traditional 'boy labelled show'; and looking at why the character is controversial with the divided opinions and the hate due to her actions. Would just be awesome to see!
Yess Gravity Falls would not be the same without her! And the theory that she has both adhd and autism is very interesting specially when we see fans hating on her for common neurodivergent traits some kids around that age have. I'm not saying they are ableist for disliking the character I'm chill but they should think about it imo
@@mariedit9935Might be the case for the minority of people who are like irrationally obsessed with her, but otherwise that sounds like another instance of dismissing genuine criticism as -isms and -phobias.
@@genossejannikov8219 Yeah, most of the criticisms I've seen about Mabel focus on the fact she can be really selfish sometimes, not on traits associated with neurodivergence.
In what way is Mabel's controversial and why would anyone hate her? 🤔 I mean, maybe they don't like her character or they find it annoying but controversial? How? I've seen the entire series--and she's my favorite character! That's very similar to how I was when I was her age 🥰✨🦄
bc maybe boys can like girly girl characters. anyone can like any character. also like girls can watch a show bc of cute boys, boys can watch a show bc of cute girls
Her heterosexuality is justified by the blame Regina placed on Janis but I think it's more about being power hungry and jealous. She was probably rejected by her parents as a child because her mother appears to be self possessed and her father is never seen talking to her....so the attention and love and appreciation she couldn't get from her parents...she's now looking for it all in the rest of the world....that's why she's so commanding and neurotic....and Regina actually compares herself to other people family wise because deep down she knows the importance of having a good supportive family which she never had...that's why she keeps messing with other people to make them miserable just like herself
The idea of Regina dating Aaron to keep Cady close to her gives me Nana vibes.
😭
Wait do u mean nana from the manga nana? Am I right?
@@hanblue1225 Yep!
@@jadeemarie bruh that manga is a fucking masterpiece the romance between the girls, the drama and everything is so fucking real as if I went through that pain shit....I will never shut up abt that manga it's so so beautiful and tells a story deeper than what we really see and read like it's so complex
Rasho confuso!⚡⚡⚡
The fact that Rachel play a lesbian a few years later
If people see their experiences reflected in Regina, that’s one thing.
My thoughts are that Regina was a spoiled rich kid who was taught to value status and power above all else. Other people were either a means to that end or a potential threat to it. Even if you’re at the top of that structure, it’s hollow and unfulfilling to live your life that way.
Janis is hurt by her friend turning on her one day and the needless years of abuse that supposed friend inflicted. She clearly has PTSD from it and feels powerless and out of control in her life.
They were both emotionally neglected and needed WAY more guidance.
She's rich, entitled and never gets told no. That's it. It's really not that complicated. And there isn't anything inherently wrong with being super feminine
Yep! This!!
Exactly.
Unless you think that people not feminine are bad or ugly
no one said that, its just fun to think about this
@@agirlwithdreams15 being super feminine is mentioned like 50 times
I don't agree with this take. Regina is miserable because her parents didn't do their job and gave no attention to her. Her mother wanted to be a "cool mama" and didn't see her daughter was internally suffering.
Exactly.
This channel loves to turn things into huge, nonexistent issues
Be careful, someone might call you a homophobic for disagreeing that Regina is queer.
@@nicolehall694 How is this a huge nonexistent issue? They are just bringing up a different way to interpret Regina as a character
@@nicolehall694 This is a TV and film criticism channel, so Im not sure what else you expected. The entire point of the video essay format is to find issues in the work(s) you're analyzing.
When I went to school, I had a Regina George - also someone I used to be friends with until we got a little older. She clearly wanted to be the Queen Bee and performed as such: selecting the "right" friends, hanging out with the boys, wearing make-up and certain clothing labels. At one point, she decided to target me, having two other girls as her Gretchen and Karen (oddly enough both very nice girls otherwise) who stood on either side of her when she cornered me and asked me: "Why don't you wear labels??" I was so annoyed, after a few times I snarked: "Because I don't want to look like you" - they stopped after that with me, though they moved onto another classmate, who was hurt, as her family didn't have the money (I found out later mine didn't either, but I never knew because I never cared about clothes).
"she's queer?!" Clicked so fassst
Same!
Likewise, I've never been this excited before!
My instant reaction was 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Honestly Regina is a very interesting character and I love that this channel takes the time to discuss and dissect her and others
Or she is just a mean person 😭
mean lesbians exist
Bro she’s a teenage girl in a world of intense consumerism and sexuality just cuz she’s angry doesn’t necessarily mean she’s gay this only feeds sterotypes around lesbians in general
Yeah, this can make a fun little theory, but it kinda generalizes women’s emotions and pigeon holes certain behaviours as inherently queer. I do believe sexuality can evolve in some people and they discover they are not completely straight and feel pressure to present as straight in their social environment, but we can’t just assume a character in a movie is displaying this.
To me, Regina is just bored and tired of the rat race of high school, she’s always been at the top and knows the steps to ensure her place, she uses people and dates boys that keep her there even if she’s indifferent to them. She hates the game but she’s good at it and it’s all she really knows which is why she can’t handle someone threatening her position. Straight girls want validation from other girls, they want other girls to fawn over them. She wants girls to be intimidated and jealous of her and she feels powerful with that.
Bro this is it, not this nonsense comp het or whatever
She fell into a big pile of girls like she said to Janice
The descriptions of Regina's actions reminds me of Peaches in the show You. She couldn't be with women and had to be with men because of her social status and her adoptive parents disowning her if she came out as a lesbian. And how she treated and reacted to Beck. Thinking about it now, it's no wonder she didn't push Beck harder to dump benji, she could see the dead-end that relationship was and didn't need to help it along as much.
It's actually kind of eerie how much that whole situation in You mirrors Regina in Mean Girls.
I’m so glad someone said this. The parallels are absolutely stunning. They both come from rich families that care about status; being a lesbian would likely be a very bad look for their family. They have so much to lose by coming out, and end up lashing out because they cannot be who they are. I relate heavily to both characters for those reasons alone. I grew up in a relatively well off family that has high societal expectations. I had to literally cut them off in order to just be myself. Before I did, though, I forced myself to be “straight” and was extremely homophobic and mean to other gay people.
Regina: FETCH is never gonna happen!!
Infamous: Girl do I have bad news for you.
FETCH is still not happening though...
Ironically, through the meme of that quote, fetch *has* ended up permeating the cultural lexicom, albeit indirectly
UGH, *lexicon
The issue with this video is that it feels like bi-erasure of Regina. To start, comp het is not only experienced by lesbians. Bi, pan, ace, and even straight women experience this. This video paints the narrative that her being attracted to women suddenly means that her attraction to men was not genuine. That is dangerous rhetoric especially for bi people. Furthermore, the term comphet has a shady history. Adrienne Rich was a political lesbian who believed that lesbianism was a choice and that real feminists CHOOSE to be lesbians. They believed that heterose xuality was an institution therefore not real nor natural. They believed the same about bi people. People who use this term don't understand how it undermines bi experiences. I like the video's take but I just don't like being erased as a bi person myself.
Don't worry, this video is a HUGE REACH:/ like Regina just liked power and control. She was also miserable and had anger issues, hence why she did sports at the end.
No, comp het isn’t experienced if you’re actually attracted to men. Maybe heteronormativity, but not comphet
miss
@@holls8991 false, read richs essay
IVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARSSSSS every girl on this movie gives off closeted sapphic vibes
Oh my god. You are right, it’s been staring me in the face all these years and no wonder I liked this film growing up as a very closeted lesbian.
@@Emilyweasel2023 Me too! And I also loved “But I’m a Cheerleader.” “I love this movie! But it’s not because I’m a closeted lesbian… no… that can’t be it… it’s just a good movie!” I told myself… believing my own lies… 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
I feel like this is a reach. I don’t think Regina is bi or a lesbian at all. I don’t think it’s a sexuality issue. I think she just wanted a deeper connection with someone. Her “friends” were very superficial and she saw where she could potentially have that connection with Cady. She also felt threatened by cady because she was just as pretty and got a lot of attention without even really trying to. Regina to me always felt like she had to perform this ultra feminine, sexy, vixen image in order to get acceptance. I’d imagine that that would be very exhausting.
Ultimately, I think she just needed more support and better friends. That’s where her misery stemmed from. I agree with some parts of the video, but I’m not seeing it with the sexuality stuff.
If you look hard enough, these theories always seem to find what they are looking for. Not to say there isn't anything there, but it's much easier to explain through the fact that she wants to dominate everything, and femininity just happens to be the currency.
yea but lesbians/bi can also be feminine so it's not about her having bfs plus tomboys can have bfs too. however regina flaunted her bfs bc she was what they call an attention whore so she wanted to be center of attention. granted i guess most of us are like this to an extent especially when in our school days i mean you wanted admiration of course
@@oooh19 True, they can be feminine, but it is clear that an out lesbian or bisexual would not have been seen that way in this high school. My point was that theories like these tend to reach and work backwards to find supporting evidence.
This reminds me if Santana from Glee. Her rude behavior actually turned out to be bc she denied herself acceptance for her sexuality. Made out with boys without feeling anything and everything
Honestly feel you may be reaching a bit but nice theory.
I agree.
For the alphabet community everyone is gay.
@Hiraya Am I lying?
It is a reach. Regina was just a mean girl who treated everyone like shit, including the people she considered friends. It’s not like she singled Janice out, she started rumors about everyone(the burn book) and we just knew more about the rumor she started about Janice because she was a main character and the rumor about Janice is what made Janice,Cady and Damion want to take down the plastics.
But I digress because it’s not like her sexuality is important to the plot anyway so people can have what ever head cannon they want.
@@Nimbereth Nope just being a douche.
i feel like y’all just bareleyyyyy missed a mark with this video. Anyone who has a comprehensive understanding of comphet would know that her cheating on aaron samuels with another guy actually mirrors the behavior of many closet lesbians. First of all its another example of fearing commitment and subconsciously doing things to sabotage her relationship. Moreover the fact that she didn’t seem to have real feelings for EITHER of the men and was just using them for *VALIDATION* Which was another point you guys missed! Hetero performance in lesbians isn’t just to assimilate, or to gain status but can also be driven by a need for male validation (same as straight women!) If anything lesbians can become even MORE obsessed with male validation than straight women because its the only thing they can use to motivate them to be in a straight relationship.
Yes thank you for adding this
But yeah just because a woman is a lesbian doesn’t mean that all of her insecurities are also part of a performance. All women can be effected by the rigid standards that are placed onto us regardless of who we’re attracted to. I’m a whole ass asexual, but am still effected by male gaze. Learning about comphet shined a separate light on how women can be soo driven by a need for male validation. Despite rarely having feelings for guys I found myself putting on a performance for EVERY guy. But it was the way I was acting that was the performance. The insecurity, wanting to feel chosen and like the prettiest girl in the room was all too real (even tho 99% of the time I wouldn’t be attracted to ANYONE in the room.) The way I see it, comphet and needing male approval are two separate entities and Regina George lesbian or not, IS an example of both complexes existing in one person.
I’ve never thought about it this way but absolutely she could qualify for comphet. And her crush on Cady actually kinda makes sense too.
I think this is a great theory, and although I don't think that it was the writer's decision to have Regina be queer, I definitely agree with a lot of these points. All in all, I don't think that there really is enough evidence to fully support this theory, but there also isn't enough to deny it either.
@@Chris-rg6nm what I MEANT is that I don't think that's how they want the character to come off. But there were absolutely some queer undertones to the character
I agree. There is no way Tina Fey meant to write her queer but you could definitely see it there
Except Shane Oman who she clearly was into? And unlike Aaron, who was her boytoy for appearances only, she actually liked Shane enough to be in a secret relationship with him. If anything she would be bi, but lesbian? Nah.
Anyone who payed attention to the movie knows that all of the stupid points made in this video can easily be debunked. You just have to understand Regina's psychology to do it
I’ll admit it. The massive ‘she’s queer?’ drew me in
This feels like a stretch
Right? Lol
This channel is always stretching to reach their progressive agenda.
I agree. I mean maybe she is bi but she doesn’t really show many signs of having an attraction to women. She mostly just is the stereotypical spoiled rich kid. The fact her mom lets her do everything she wants, encourages her behavior
This is the kind of content I subscribed for! No other channel on RUclips is making these analyses!
she said “lesbian” wayyy too many times in one conversation, it really looked like she was gauging cadys reaction to the word
I’d say bisexual. She is too comfortable having sex with men to only like women, sure it could be a performance but it doesn’t seem like that to me. I really like how this video analyzes her from multiple perspectives. Queer or just wanting a genuine connection, either way, I’m glad Regina found a better way to live that helped her grow beyond her “bitchy girly girly” imagine used for power.
Now that I see it, maybe I was temporarily comphet too. A distinctly masculine watch, stationery, and displaying aggression. Internalizing these things made me a horrid person. I went back to pink and ‘feminine’ aesthetics and values. Life was comparatively better.
I love videos about Mean Girls. Regina has so much character depth to explore, endless commentary on culture and society of womenhood.
I knew Regina was lesbian when she replace her photo with Aron for a photo with Cady. I mean, it could have been a picture of the whole group, but no, it was just here and Cady.
I enjoyed this reading of Mean Girks a lot! Great take!
Not everything has to be about being gay
Isn't it weird how people can suspect you're gay even if you never show the slightest bit of interest in the same sex?
Well... Regina george is a fictional character and her being queer is just a theory. You're saying this like it's a bad thing lol
@@Amal-vf5wu I just think it's odd. Why are so many people now wishing that straight people are gay all of a sudden?
@@ForAnAngel I haven't watched the movie, so I'm not sure if regina George's sexuality is official. But, queer people almost never get representation. So it's natural that they would look for subtle signs in characters that shows the possibility of being queer. We're not saying regina is 100% gay, because this is simply a theory. And we're also not "wishing straight people are gay" because if regina WAS confirmed straight, this video wouldn't even exist. And if you've ever experienced comphet, you'd know that a lot of the things said in the video are true. So it's just a theory for fun, no one is erasing anything!
@@Amal-vf5wu How is Regina not "confirmed" straight? Did you even watch the movie?
@@ForAnAngel I started my previous comment with "I haven't watched the movie". Does regina in the movie say "I'm straight"? Did the people who made the movie confirm that she's straight? If it was official that she was indeed straight, this theory wouldn't exist. I would actually ask you if you watched the video, because the take clearly said at the end that "there's no undeniable evidence that regina is queer, and it's very a possibility she's not". The video also provides an explanation on WHY people think regina might be queer, I suggest you watch it:)
For once, I don't support a non-hetero headcannon, because Regina George doesn't deserve this kind of sympathy tbh
It think what you find relatable is the narcissistic personality, not her sexuality.
Not everyone mean homophobic person in high school is secretly in the closet. Can we please stop with that? It's as toxic as the "when a boy likes you, hes mean to you" thing 🤦🏾♀️
She is not a lesbian... just unhappy with the competition and the fakeness around her
Just cause she might not want to preform the femininity etc doesn’t mean she’s gay. A girl can dress how she wants in a not necessarily hyper sexual way or what is traditionally deemed attractive to men and still be attracted to men. I feel like this instant leap to being gay further encourages this hyper sexual society we live in, encouraging people to focus more on who they want to attract rather than who they authentically are, which in most cases the gay movement encourages
this video makes me think comphet is more than just sexuality but also the expression of oneself
Holy shit I’ve recently binged The Owl House and my whole RUclips homepage is filled with Lumity videos so when 5:44 popped up I SCREAMEDDDDDD
Basically regina relfected herself in Cady, she saw someone who's not only pretty and femenine enough but also smart af, unlkine Gretchen and Karen, who conform with only being pretty
Innnnnteresting.... I think it is also really healthy for Regina to get into sports. She needed to develop relationships with people that are, yup, based on "merit and teamwork".
My god this had never even crossed my mind before but now I’m convinced
What I noticed, regarding the "Regina against other women" Part is that when she catches Gretchen's crush at the mall meeting with another girl she chooses to punish the girl instead of the guy by calling her mother and pretending the is from planned parenthood. After that she says something along the lines "she will not go out with any guy anymore", maybe another subtle hint towards her being bi/lesbian. She basically hinders this girl from engaging in heterosexual relationships.
I don't see it that way but interesting. I see it more as being a mean girl includes mostly being "a bitch" to other girls. However, something I find very interesting about that scene is Regina's reaction right after. The girl is crying, her friends are happy and she looks down almost as if realizing she did something mean.
It's simply that she's mean. 🤦♀️
she's just mean lol she isn't happy so she doesn't want others being happy and since she's a girl she's mean to other girls more than boys
That was just relational violence lol
She has a burn book talking shit about all the other girls at school, ofc she's gonna be meaner to the girls 💀
11:00 this reminds me of the concept that Courtney Gripling had romantic feelings for Ginger. I think they wanted to explore that, but Nickelodeon scrapped it knowing parents would lose their minds.
Love your analysis, But your seriously gonna use tumblr as a source???
I think Rachel McAdams would be up for this idea.
The first time I watched it I was like she isn’t straight. I actually didn’t watch it till I was 15, now I’ve seen it multiple times since. I’ve been betrayed by a friend before and I’ve been betrayed by a girl crush who was also a friend. The second hurts so much more especially when you don’t even realise it’s a crush or you’re gay yet. Regina gets very upset at Kady hurting her, and like you might but normally you don’t get that upset over a friend betraying you like it hurts but a crush well hits you like a bus.
Also I remember the first time I watched it I was having a discussion with my friend about the whole Janice is a lesbian thing. Because she thought it was because she was Lebanese and Regina misheard her and was just mean. But I said that she got scared because of how clinging Janice seemed because she was jealous of reginas boy friend and also probably what is internalised homophobia or atleast feeling a need fo uphold societal norms in the social hierarchy by being mean to others out of protection of being ridiculed herself.
She’s on the spectrum like the rest of us
Once I started watching Mean Girls at 4 am and had the same theory, just not as eloquent 😅
It does make sense why she's acting like that.
people in the comments who are saying Regina can’t be a lesbian because she dated men, that’s not how it works & there are plenty of lesbians who have dated men before
This was the only movie I really liked with Lindsay Lohan in it.
Ditto, but I also rate the remakes of "Freaky Friday" and "The Parent Trap" as well, since she was wonderful in all three!
Whaaat?! Most women don't like performing hyper feminity... this is just reinforcing that if a woman doesn't like these patriarchal standards she's not a Woman, ergo sexism.
are you saying lesbians aren’t woman???
11:47 - 11:52 That sounds more like viewing Cadie as a beloved little sister than romantically yearning for her.
Bi pride from Russia!) I had the same feelings about Regina all along
Doesn’t she start the lesbian rumor about Janis because she got it confused with “Lebanese”?
Love But I'm A Cheerleader which you reference. You should do a video on that as I think it's about a heterosexual girl who is conversion therapy-d into lesbianism. Her thoughts about women and gay icons can easily be read as innocuous. Kissing her boyfriend is like kissing a tentacle monster. Not that one can be "turned" a sexuality, but I think the message of the movie is about not trying to course correct a person into heterosexuality
Honestly the possibility of Regina being a closeted lesbian with a crush on Cady makes me love this film even more.
I dont think she is. I kind of think she and Shane made a good evil couple. Plus the sex between them seemed genuine.I think she has rage issues. I do agree that her persona didnt make her happy but her new one in sports did.
Much like Lil Boosie who likes to perform an overly masculine heterosexuality, yet he’s completely obsessed with lil Nas X’s Gayness. 😐🙄🙄🙄
Warning: this is an essay.
So...Regina George became more happy when she became less straight?? Fascinating!! You're description of heterosexuality, or straightness, as an institution is astonishing to me. I had never put it into such terms before, but it's such an intriguing thought. People often conflate or confuse the sociological aspect of their identity with the psychological aspect. Sexual orientation, as far as I can tell, is a sociological aspect of identity. Yet people think of it only on a psychological level. It's part of what causes that disconnect and struggle in terms of how we navigate the most important and long-lasting relationships of our life, whether they are sexually-inclined or not.
Thank you for sharing this reading of the film on your channel. As a queer man, I really identify with the struggle you discuss here of how one navigates the attraction in various undefined & intimate relationships. Any hint of non-heterosexuality (i.e., of queerness) is read or portrayed as disruptive and almost militant rather than as human nature. There's this cognitive dissonance where the performance of intimacy prevents it's development. In other words, when complexity is nurtured, a shallow dynamic is guaranteed in the relationship.
A real romantic commitment doesn't just happen. It is neither spontaneous nor accidental. It is an active decision, a choice made between two individuals. It takes time and effort, and you need to travel with a person through their life struggle. That's just how it is. You need to learn how to feel with them, and to feel every emotion their is to feel with them. It is a respectful and adult conversation that comes up again and again. It means witnessing your behavior trigger someone psychologically and loving them for it. A real partner keeps you just outside your comfort zone while staying close-by themselves. That way they can provide all the love and support you need as you continue to struggle and grow as a person. _With_ them.
Also, I couldn't help but notice in this video that most of the actresses in Mean Girls seem to be wearing their natural/virgin hair color in the film. Rather unusual, isn't it?? I still find myself so intrigued by what connection, if any, there is between artificial versus virgin/natural hair color and the depiction of character in our media. For example, is wearing your hair virgin a signal of youth??
OMG, now i'm totally shipping Regina and Cady!