April 30, 2021, marks the 17th anniversary of the release of “Mean Girls.” The iconic movie has influenced the culture of young adults in ways one wouldn’t expect: from fetch actually happening to still hearing people exclaim “She doesn’t even go here!”, “Mean Girls’’’ cultural impact still influences the lives of many young adults today, some of whom were not even alive for the movie’s release. The gratitude I have for “Mean Girls” is immense — and the best way I can say “thank you” to one of the most influential and iconic movies of the 2000s is to share seven life lessons “Mean Girls” has taught me.
- Bringing others down doesn’t lift you up
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You’re feeling insecure, and you want to bring someone else down to make yourself feel better. In reality, this doesn’t work, and it just makes you look bad and makes someone else feel insecure. When Cady brings down her opponent’s appearance in the math competition, it doesn’t help her win. All it does is make Cady look bad and bring someone else down.
- Popularity isn’t important
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Cady’s main misstep in “Mean Girls” was caring too much about what others thought of her. Popularity was everything to her, and in turn she actually became unpopular for associating with the meanest girls in the school. At the end of the day, you won’t be remembered for how popular you were, but how you make people feel and the positive impact you made on their lives.
- Pink is never a bad idea
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Pink is the best color alive. So many people I know have gone through the “hating pink” phase because it was so girly and overly feminine. Luckily, I never went through that phase, and I have always appreciated the color pink. It simply goes with everything and looks great on everyone. Rewatching “Mean Girls” really made me want to buy a Juicy Couture velour tracksuit just like Amy Poehler wore in the movie.
- Cherish your friendships
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Cady didn’t realize how important Janis and Damian were to her until it was too late. “Mean Girls” taught me that it is important to cherish your friends while they are still there for you. There is nothing worse than realizing you ran out of second chances with those who love you the most.
- There will always be mean girls
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I was shocked to realize that college is just like high school. There are always a couple of mean girls who enjoy putting others down and picking on people, and that is something I had to come to terms with. Even my mom said the workplace has mean girls! It is important to remember that these bullies have nothing better to do than pick on people (which is super pathetic). Never waste your time on bullies!
- Stay true to yourself
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“Mean Girls” taught me to always stay true to myself. As the movie went on, Cady lost herself more and more and eventually turned into the mean girls she swore she would never become. Staying true to yourself is one of the most important life lessons I learned from “Mean Girls” because I had a hard time with it when I first started college this past year. I found myself changing who I am to try to fit in with friends. Although I definitely did not stray as far from my true self as Cady, I definitely did not stay true to myself.
- Karma sucks
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As we saw in “Mean Girls,” karma always comes back to bite you in the butt. Just like the bus that hit Regina George after all her years of bullying, karma will always strike. What goes around comes back around, so it is best to put positivity out there.