I'd like to apologise for my wording in this video. I didn't intend to suggest that, because Janice ends up in a heterosexual relationship, that means she cannot be queer. Bisexual, pansexual and asexual people ARE queer no matter their relationship status, and to suggest otherwise erases queer identities. I deeply regret participating in that. I believe Janis's queer coding is specifically lesbian coding, which is why I believe the ending erases her queer identity. Even though this does not prove she is straight, I believe that is what the narrative intends to say, since the film's representations of sexual identity are not particularly nuanced. However, I should have clarified this point in the video. Bi erasure is something I am keenly aware of, so I have no excuse for why I did not consider mentioning other queer interpretations of Janis. As queer representation in media is something I discuss often and something I care strongly about, it is important to me that all members of the queer community feel represented in the discussion.
janis' look and persona doesnt necessarily have to be lesbian coded either. she might just be a tomboy or non binary. or she just dresses that way to express some kind of rebellion. i felt like what they were trying to say by her ending up in a hetero relationship is the fact that you cant judge someone based on how they choose to dress or their personality even. tht's how i interpreted it and i didnt think there was anything sinister behind it because the movie obv has nothing against gay characters. i could be wrong tho... maybe being lesbian was more taboo than being gay in those days? idk
I came to the comments just to lightheartedly say that she could easily be Bi or Pan, and saw your comment. Hugely fair play to you for saying this! I agree with your analysis in the video, that having her Not be lesbian at the end, does add some vindication to how much Damage a queen bee can do. Thanks for adding this after, it's really appreciated
i don't think karen is a "pleaser/wannabe/messenger", i think she's there to boost the image of the plastics. she's considered to be one of, if not the prettiest girl in the school, but because of her naiveté, lower intellect and promiscuous reputation, she's not a real threat. regina can trust her to not manipulate her or try to get revenge on her, because karen is in her own world. and her looks just make the plastics seem more desirable. i actually think that gretchen resembles the pleaser/wannabe role more. by the end of the movie, she's the only girl of the main cast who hasn't let go of the clique mentality. she desperately wants regina's approval and never does anything the group doesn't want.
I was thinking the same thing. Karen is just a follower and those peoples role is never really in danger because they'll go along with whoever is in charge. It's the strivers, or wannabes I guess, who are playing a risky game by potentially trying to get the top spot. If they get outcast, they fall hard.
"Too much of a nerd to be dangerous" Oh no. No no no. As a girl who has worked at a games store, please do NOT ever make the mistake of assuming someone is "too nerdy to be dangerous".
If anything, I was always way more suspicious of them. I was always harassed more often by nerdy men than by the typical „chads“. This may be a stereotype, but I think it’s partially because they usually live more sheltered from social life and interacting with women, making them an easier candidate for the Incel pipeline.
@@marcotisch2605 men who constantly play violent video games all day. No sunlight. No interaction. Yeah, total recepie for normal healthy behavior. Not
This is actually a common trope called the 'adorkable misogynist'. Its prevalent in 'The Big Bang Theory' and also many 80s films such as 'Revenge of the Nerds'.
@@EmonEconomist it can be both and it definitely reflects reality. What's even worse with the 'adorkable misogynist' is that characters such as Sheldon Cooper reinforce this behaviour in real-life nerdy sexists. It's a really harmful trope.
I think you've made the only argument i'll ever accept for Janis NOT being gay in the movie. makes a lot of sense, and the bit about Homophobia being SUPER GENUINE when its not JUST against actual gay people, but even cis straights who are "sexuality nonconforming" to them? so fuckin true. amazing.
I think the modern lesson about queer culture, as a SEA queer myself, that I have learned without any queer people in my life who didn't teach me about this stuff and had to learn this organically. To separate Sexuality, Gender, and Gender Expression and how that could be intersected either with or to each other and/or possibly not at the same time. I think, from my 23 years of life is the ultimate lesson that I have come to understand. Another one is; I think I have seen this thread from a queer person I follow online is, "People can come out multiple times" It doesn't invalidate our previous lived experiences, but it acknowledges that and we can move forward on our own terms. Also, to add to your point, how homophobia affects cis straight is poignant, especially in the case for Janis that this video exhibits.
@@ItsAllNunya South East Asia. Basically, I'm a queer man who lives in that region of the world. We have a different queer culture than what most Western queers experience and live in.
@@ItsAllNunya I don't know a lot of people online who use it as the same way as I've said it. I just like to shorten it because I have this weird fixation of using three letter nicknames or abbreviations to get my point across. I often call my friends by three letter nicknames by just using the first three lettes of their names lol. But, I'm glad you found it to be quite mathematical.
What I love about Mean Girls is that nobody in the equation is innocent and that feels alarmingly accurate. The ending of “let’s all just apologize, move on, and grow up” is more or less what happened to me in high school.
Some people in high-school thought I was a lesbian because I rebuff guys. Noone ever stop to ask what those boys did to be rebuffed. I had a low hair cut , sometimes in high school. I put my attention into my close friendships which were mostly female. Then, I heard that people believed me to lesbian for various reasons. It is really didn't faze me, because okay. I was never really bullied in high school. I think I was a floater type. I floated between groups. This is why I can Janis hey oh okay, I was just like she will not date that boy it came out of nowhere. But do understand when I watch the movie the first all those years I did not see her as queer codes because I came from a different culture. Her dressing to me was is she differently, in desexually manner. I would not have read as gay. To me read someone as gay at that time was they will have to tell me they are. It is with this movies and others that I started to learn queer coding especially, in a western cultural context.
Rewatching it recently I am shocked at how sympathetic I found Regina. As shallow and cruel and unthinking as she is, she spends the whole film being gaslit and you really realise how she has nothing. Just an ineffective mother and friends who don't actually like her. And the point of the film is not "we need to take Regina George down".
To me, it acknowledged that those high school popularity contests actually mean nothing once you grow past it. In college and the adult world, none of that stuff matters anymore and truly mature people don't care about it
When the movie came out, I was the sort of teenage boy (aka, very bookish + gay) who curiously searched for Wiseman's book in the library afterward, and then read it myself. It was so revealing just how much of it informed the movie. So I've been consistently surprised how lots of people who call themselves mega-fans of the movie never seem to notice the "based on a book" line, or bother to look up the book itself. I really enjoyed this video - it was as sharp and thoughtful and observant as your videos always are!
@@cinderellaskeleton6720 I wouldn't be surprised if Heathers had subtle influences on Mean Girls, because there does seem to be some similarities, nods, etc
Eh they are different pieces of work entirely. You don’t have to know about the book to get the message of the movie or be a fan. Most are a fan of the script Tina Fey wrote not the actual concept itself.
So for me, because Janis was originally a plastic and came up with the very feminine Jingle Bell performance, I think it’s pretty safe to say that she wasn’t initially queer-presenting. Even in Regina’s story, it was inferred jealousy of Regina’s boyfriends that made Regina think she was gay. - then Janis’ appearance changed. I don’t know why other commenters are talking about Janis’ presentation as if it was the root of the allegation, when it was actually a result of the bullying. Moreover, Janis didn’t like Damian bringing up the allegation because it still hurt, and then sarcastically announced that it was because of her lesbian crush that she had Cady do all those awful things. The only way I can see Janis being gay, is if she felt called out and then decided to embrace her truth through her appearance but then why tell Damian to hush at every chance she gets for repeating the rumor that Regina told? Either she isn’t gay or she’s ashamed - I’m leaning toward her being genuinely heterosexual🤷🏽♀️
Yeah I never once got the impression in the many times I've watched it that Janis might actually be a lesbian. To me her style was inspired from being outcast; in the sense that if she was going to be the outcast, she might as well dress like it. As a gay man who has had a fair amount of lesbian friends throughout the years, I can't think of any who looked or dressed like Janis. While I can think of heterosexual women I've known who did. I honestly think the idea that she is queer-presenting comes from people looking at a film from 2004 through the lens of someone living two decades later.
I think making Janis straight offered appropriate and accurate commentary on homophobia. I’m gay but when I was growing up, the homophobia I saw get weaponized was usually against people who were/ended up actually being straight. I think it’s worth pointing out that homophobia affects everyone. Other gays can call it erasure but if anything I think making her straight helps delegitimize the bullying she faced, which serves the movies thesis (although actual homophobic bullying against gay kids is of course illegitimate and wrong).
Can I just note that this isn’t an entirely female problem? I’m a girl, but I hung around a group of boys when I was only 11-12 and I can distinctly see a few of these roles. I was a Banker, a pleaser, and eventually a target after the “King Bee” and I had a falling out. They weren’t necessarily bullying me after this, but all the other boys in the clique dropped me like hot trash after I fought with the leader guy. I was completely excluded. Luckily, it was only a few weeks away from graduation of primary school, (after which in the Irish education system, 12/13 year olds move up into a different school that they’ll go to until they’re 18) so after a rough few weeks, I made new friends. Mostly female. Which meant I was REALLY in girl world then, rumours and backstabbings and all.
Yeah people who say boys have less drama have never been in a teenage boy friend group. It may be a slightly different kind of drama at times but they can be just as toxic and hierarical in the same way girl groups are.
@@Skorphie YES boys become classic targets(and all the rest)! The most famous example is Millhouse, but I've seen just as many girls as boys in this slave/lackey role. Sometimes it's even cross gendered.
If I had a nickel for every fellow Irish person in a Mean Girls comment section this week, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird it's happened twice
Teenage boys are just as catty and manipulative and cliquey. this from a former teenage boy, now a budding trans girl, still wrecked with the bullying and manipulating thrust upon me
I'm a bigger fan of the musical than the movie and it was really interesting to compare your points to how the musical handles these themes. The point about Janis not needing to be a lesbian but also being able to be an example on how homophobia affects straight girls is one I've always felt but could never quite put into words. Awesome video.
@@1940semochild I don't know if I came to any conclusions, but I really enjoyed comparing specifically earlier versions of the script and how they're closer to the movie, some cut lines and songs. I especially noticed how now in the final version Cady's mom only has two very short scenes and their relationship barely feautures in plot. I found that interesting considering the original book. I also thought about how earlier versions of the script used the D slur. Janis used to have a cut verse in the song Revenge Party about the bullying she went through but now that's been replaced with a flashback scene before the song that is more on the comedic side. I can give more details if you want but that's what I can think of right now :D
This is really interesting to me, I am autistic and was homeschooled through most of highschool (since i was 12/13) due to anxiety so I never took part in 'girl world' and assumed the whole film was hyperbole, or that American schools are completely different from the rest of the world.
I will say this as a queer adult woman: this Janis sexuality observation is spot-on. I've always agreed with the film's ending portraying Janis as presumably straight, though I of course agree with much of the criticisms of its handling. I was a Janis. To a T. I was a gender-nonconforming cynical semi-hostile art weirdo, who leaned into people's image to reclaim it. I got called queerphobic shit from the word 'go' a decade before I realised I liked women (I will admit that the labelling is part of Why it took me so long). I didn't identify any way at the time. I was labelled on-sight before anyone even asked. People didn't care if they were accurate. They were just sight hounds who wanted to mark anything they could, because labels are how we target violence at people and establish a comfortable status quo. There is no "oh you're a heterosexual? My apologies, have a nice day" only to redirect that abuse at someone else who is Actually, Technically queer. They don't call you gay because you're gay and that's bad. They call you gay because you're bad and that's gay. And that's a far more nuanced take on systemic queerphobia than just making fun of a literal out queer kid, in my eyes.
"They call you gay because you're bad and that's gay" I think that's one of the more poignant things I have heard. In my sphere, whenever I see people who use the term in a negative connotation, it can often be used or thrown back by actual queer folk to people who used it to start something irl, just to reclaim it and hold a sense of agency in this otherwise bad situation. I may have misinterpreted something, but that quote holds a heavy weight in my experience.
“They don’t call you gay because you’re gay and that’s bad. They call you gay because you’re bad and that’s gay.” That is an absolute banger of a quote and one I will absolutely use to explain queer phobia from here on in.
I like the fan interpretation of Regina being the closeted lesbian attaching her fears onto Janice. Janice, being the impressionable middle schooler like all her peers, falls into Regina's narrative, albeit in her own rebellious way, but it doesn't change her sexuality, just her image.
“they don’t call you gay because you’re gay and that’s bad. they call you gay because you’re bad and that’s gay” is a great homophobic parallel to the fatphobic “i don’t hate you because you’re fat, you’re fat because i hate you”
You really did something special and transformative with this one I think. Many youtubers approach Mean Girls, but not the source material, and I can see why since Wiseman was screwed over so thorougly. Amazing work!
i thought this would be about how bad the musical is, but i absolutely loved this video. the musical is so bad in so many ways, im amazing the guys from legally blonde the musical and tina fey both worked on it. the original mean girls is iconic, the musical and the sequel were just sad.
@@mcwyman7928 oh yeah the lyrics are ridiculous. But the cast is so talented, like Barrett Wilbert Weed, Taylor Louderman, absolutely incredible vocalists
there's a comment literally right above yours that says the musical was even better than the film, so clearly it's up to one's personal interpretation. (I am not a musical person so I have no opinion.)
As an european girl the american highschool experience has always seemed so outlandish to me- like I can't tell if it's really like in those movies or not but if it is, even in the slightest, that would be absolutely crazy to me... it's almost like a different world or like an experiment where you just put different kinds of people in a jar with no rules and see what happens
Excellent video! It is so sad that people know literally nothing about the adaptation process of the film. Most of them, I included, think it was weird how the book somehow was inspiration to the movie, and I'm baffled that sentences whole were ripped from the pages and nobody knows about the extent of the author's influence in the movie.
I cheated and read the comments before starting your video and I was like, there’s no way he can argue Janis Ian isn’t gay, or doesn’t necessarily need to be gay for the story to work, but wow *STANDING OVATION*
in high school we didn't have exactly a queen bee, but we did had the popular girls who the boys saw as the desirable ones, i grow up very fast, had sex very early in my pre adolescense i felt like going to high school would be easy on the department "boys", and oh man, i was so wrong, each day a guy that i had feelings for confessed to me they liked my pretty friend, or they saw me like a dude, i just felt more and more undesirable and started presenting myself as a butch, people often got surprised knowing i liked boys and sometimes i even forgot that i could like a boy... i just felt like i couldn't be girly and feminine if any guys liked me, i felt embarrassed to wear cute and girly clothes, i felt embarrassed by my size compared to my petite and skinny friends, my mom often asked me why i stopped wearing dresses and skirts, and cute tank tops, i gladly grow out of this and learned that male validation couldn't be the determinator of how i presented myself. i know Janis background is completely different than mine, but often straight women put themselves in a queer presenting way to "protect" themselves, even tho queernes or feminity does not come with a "dress code" or a etiquette book (they don't have a look), we socially made up those ideas for ages, and we unconsciously follow them, anyways, thats my two cents, very late two cents... (i hope i made clear, but i don't believe you need to look a certain way to be femine or masculine, or if you're gay you need to have a look and mannerisms, stereotypes are stupid, be who you are independent of your sexuality and your personality, and your style, be happy and live comfortably in your own skin!) amazing video btw, i loved your channel, subscribed!!
Holy heck, this video was awesome! From your analysis of the film itself, its reactions over the years, to shining a light on the person who inspired it all and wants to foster some good for teen girls, I’d say this video is top notch! 100/100
the roles in the hierarchy remind me so much of my childhood group of friends. i tended to end up going back and forth between messenger and target. it was hellish. i do not miss that period of time
Mean Girls I would say is a good 101 on how to do adaptation that stays faithful to the spirit of the source material its adapting, but still has room to be itself and brings its own ideas to the table that feel like a natural extension or evolution of the source material its adapting.
I appreciate that Janis was not made a lesbian, because her story seems to line up pretty similarly to my own. I was quite heavily bullied by feminine girls, and I often dressed in a "boyish" manner as a rebellious instinct to not be anything like the girls who hurt me. As a result, I was called a lesbian by everybody for basically the entire later part of my school life. However, I despite that, I never felt the need to "prove" my heterosexuality. And I still refused to dress or behave feminine for many years. The biggest downside of this behavior being that the guys I crushed on never reciprocated my feelings. But perhaps that was a blessing in disguise, who knows? Anyway, now all these years later, I've made peace with my feminine side and femininity as a whole. I now actually really like dressing and behaving in a feminine way. It's like I'm uncovering bits and pieces about my true self that I'd kept deeply buried for so long. So yeah, I feel very connected to Janis as a character. And making her a lesbian would've just felt like the movie was saying, "You should judge people on appearances."
And NOT making her gay makes it look like "It's bad to bully people for being gay because what if you're wrong they're actually straight!" when it should be "You shouldn't bully gay people period" lmao
@@РутаАсадаускайте Considering that there's another gay character in the movie and the film suggests that it's wrong to bully him, one of its messages is that bullying people for being gay is not right, either. But there's also nothing wrong with a separate message not to make assumptions about people based on their appearances.
@@Lady_de_Lis but why there's no inclusion of a lesbian character when the movie is literally about girls? A throwaway inclusion of a comic relief gay man character won't cut it because gay men and gay women are not the same and often experience different treatment. Many straight women (and all the female characters in the film are straight) think it's okay to be a gay man but hate gay women and think of them predators.
@@РутаАсадаускайте That's a big assumption to make on your part. Besides Regina George, who is literally meant to be seen as a bad person, no one suggests that Janis is predatory because she's a supposed lesbian. Her lackeys may agree with her, but that doesn't mean all or even most of the other characters do. Not to mention, Cady herself doesn't know Janis's sexuality for the entire film till the end. Or at least, not that we know of. She also hears the rumors that Janis is gay. Yet, she still treats Janis just the same. That, in itself, demonstrates that this film does not advocate for lesbians to be shunned or mistreated. But regardless, the movie isn't about LGBT issues, it's about mean girls and the "girl world" pecking order. It's fine for that to be the focus. Not every movie needs to center on LGBT concerns. This movie knew what it wanted to say, and it said it. Nothing wrong with that.
@@Lady_de_Lis No one in the movie other than Damien defends Janis, so 🤷♀️ And Cady uses homophobic language to insult miss Norbury ("She was so queer"). It's never challenged in the movie. I'm not asking the movie to be about LGBT issues entirely. I'm asking to include gay women in it because, believe it or not, they're a part of the "girl world" and the pecking order too but were treated very irresponsibly in the movie. Most gay women (me included) agree that the Janis storyline and its conclusion in the movie was not handled well, and their opinion should matter more in this regard.
This was one of the greatest film analysis videos I have ever watched. I always found the film to be an absolute masterpiece. And it should be appreciated for that. For more than just being incredibly quoteable, iconic and funny. And you did the best job one could have done to showcase that with this video. Mean Girls is the film I watched the most videos about. I think everyone that watched Mean Girls should watch this video.
I personally disagree that Janice should’ve been a lesbian. By her being straight it does gag her bullies a bit. By perpetuating the stereotypes that gay people are the only ones trying mimic opposite gender based behavior it erases the chance for straight people male or female to express themselves in a way they see fit. I understand the appeal of representation but her best friend is gay so I’m not sure where to go with that.
As a huge Mean Girls fan, I knew it was based on a book, but for some reason I never read it and always thought it was about a fictional story. Now that I know it's based on a non-fiction story, it all makes sense. That's why the movie is so iconic and resonates with teens today, because it was based on real stories by real teens. Tina did a great job adapting that book (which I'm now dying to read). p.s.: your video editing is so amazing, it made an already great video even better. 💖
huh- i never realised i was a floater- i always just felt a little bad inside because i didnt have a set friend group- but staying in one for too long was tiring for me
i've been replaying and pausing to read the excerpts and wow! this is SUCH a FANTASTIC video!!! i found myself laughing and nodding along to wiseman's observations. they're so true!! also, the editing of this video is amazing. it plays out like a professionally produced documentary. the way you weave excerpts from the book with scenes from the movie is amazing
I have ALWAYS wondered how the non-fiction book could be the basis for Mean Girls and I'm very appreciative that someone else did all the research and analysis and saved me reading a book I won't need.
Such a good conclusion. I read the book a couple of years back and was extremely surprise at the amazing work by these two incredible writers. Fey for adapting something that I’ve would’ve thought unadaptable. Wiseman for her excellent psychosocial analysis of “the girl word” .
The thing I notice about Janis is that I think she is rejecting her femininity. Which would probably make her come off as tomboy. But in my interpretation it's another way for her not to conform with girl world. It's like she saying she is not like other girls. I think it is because of how Regina and the others reject her. And to her mind she doesn't want to fit in like them so she proceeds to act the opposite of what they are. That is why I didn't perceive her as a lesbian and more as a girl who develop a toxic dislike of being girly because of Regina.
Those things aren't mutually exclusive. I think she's a lesbian but she's also extremely anti-feminine bc the girls don't accept her. She hasn't fully accepted herself by the end of the film so she gets a boyfriend in order to feel more normal
production value on this was incredible! i subbed within the opening credits; great music choice. the rest of the vid was great too. your section on the handling of janis's sexuality reminded me of a video-essay by the take on how regina might actually be queer in the movie, i.e. how much of her ruthless approach can support the interpretation of her own "compulsory heterosexuality" struggle (which includes her assignment of queerness to her original target: janis)
Your videos never fail to be incredibly insightful with amazing production values. One style of adaptation that might be interesting to look at someday is the way fandom adapts a movie or television show to a written form that transforms it. And I don’t mean in the ha ha shipping way, because there’s fanfiction out there that’s very creative new stories based entirely on a re-interpretation of old characters and world building. (Was thinking about it because another youtuber I watch talked about eddie/venom fanfiction but took it seriously as an exploration of queer identity and self-acceptance, which I found neat.)
I was the Target in elementary and Middle School. Then in Highschool I turned myself invisible. I stayed under the radar and my best friend in highschool was a blind girl who I felt most comfortable with. People had made fun of my lips and my body so much when I was in school that being with someone who couldn't actually see me made me feel safe. Sometimes I'll run into the girls who targeted me and they'll try to laugh and act like we were friends, but there's a reason why I mostly avoid social media and don't go to any places where I've run into them again. That was not a fun time. And it really effected how I feel about my face. I got my first real job during the pandemic because I was able to wear a mask and cover my face. I kept wearing it even after all my coworkers got rid of theres. I just stopped wearing it to work a few weeks ago.
I must say, your videos are so high quality, so well edited, with such great visual and sound production. I honestly have a great time watching what you make.
this video was surprisingly hard to stomach. in hs i went from happy floater, to pleaser, to target... and I hate mean girls bc it taught people my age that being gay was a reason to be excluded. I didn't even know what a lesbian was before mean girls. I learned to hate myself before understanding myself. I truly believe if the movie ended with janis being proudly gay, that would have made hs a better experience for me. But anyway, hearing about the book...Im in awe and respect. i wish my mom had this book.
Such a brilliant video essay! Such an anti-sexist nuanced take on the adaption of Mean Girls. Your animation is sublime. The level of detail and argument is so cool. Love the fun humour and your pacing. You match clips to visuals gorgeously. Liked and subscribed!
It's interesting how Heathers the Musical has the 'Karen' character McNamara sing a song named 'Lifeboat'! I wonder if the writers took inspiration from Queen Bees & Wannabes
If we wanna play devil’s advocate regarding Janis, just because she ends up in a relationship with a guy that doesn’t mean she’s not a queer woman. The two are not mutually exclusive.
41:35 I don't think I was any of these types, I was the oblivious manic pixie girl of the class who sort of floated along with whatever was happening and did have a fixed group of friends, but did not really pick up on all the politics going on
Listening to the description of what a queen bee is and does is so weird because that described me perfectly in highschool. Especially the part where they mention "we don't have a clique problem in our school" that sounds like something I genuinely would've said.
this has singlehqandedly explained more of my hs interactions than anything i ever encountered, as a nd nb, thank you so much (also your production value is thru the roof, kudos, instant follow)
Thanks for the great video. A lot of insights I'd missed. I knew of the book but, not being a parent, didn't think it was worth reading. Now I think I will.
Janis being and not being a lesbian gives more or less the same message. Homophobia is harmful, and its used as a weapon that could destroy your life. It doesnt matter if you're gay or not, if someone decides it's something has and that you're that, it will make it bad and you'll be a victim of it. Her being straight works to give the message that appareance and homophobia can damage you by going against the status quo, not being "a girl". Janis being a lesbian gives the message that your image is based on homophobic stereotypes commonly associated with lesbians, there fore you're going against the status quo: being s traight.
Janice isn't coded any sexuality, she's coded as the alt girl. I wore baggy anime shirts and pants and Vans, I'm straight as hell. Saying she's coded as lesbian just plays into stereotypes and is wrong.
I know there are some people who don't like the musical (I've never seen it, but I REALLY like the music) but I do appreciate that the musical overcomes the movie's race issue by having Gretchen be played by an Asian woman, and even having Regina eventually played by an Afro-Latina.
I haven't seen it either but I am very familiar with the movie. I have heard and read some valid criticisms of Tina Fey's work in regards to race (30 Rock and Kimmy Schmidt) and even Mean Girls. But not that main characters were non white (maybe that was a critique but I do not recall it). Were those roles cast by women of color to make up for it from the movie or were they cast because they were the best actors regardless of race?
29:06 was the reason why she had that look and came up with a lie the last minute cause she fear that Cady will take her shine of being with the boy she feels that only REGINA herself can have and no one else can. Example in a deleted which she also used Aaron as a metaphor to when she had an expensive doll house from Germany when she was little and she lost interest in it so her mom was bout to give it away to her cousin but Regina broke it instead just because she didn’t want her cousin to have it. In her case it was like “if I can’t have what was once mine nobody can’t!” No wonder why Cady referred Aaron as Regina’s property which is why Regina had Shane Ownman as like her secret lover/sloppy seconds for who she knows she won’t get caught being scene with in public until the spring fling dance once their relationship was revealed and the fact he won as spring fling king that’s when she knew her sloppy seconds wasn’t an average Jo of a loser but still second best to Aaron
Dude, I’m a dude but this described middle school and early high school for me. Only there were also regular fist fights. Also, I feel like Janis was a character that really got me. I’m straight, cis, but when I was a kid people spread rumors that I would gay and I would regularly be called slurs. It really messed me up, so I really like that Janis was there, she was me basically in high school. I didn’t have many friends and no one liked me, I was into different music and art. I liked different sports, and different girls, i would dance and sing. I was an outcast and everybody thought I was gay or at least bi, and ridiculed me for it. Janis got me, I liked that Janis ended up straight, because it made me feel less weird about myself. Like, maybe I wasn’t like this defect, but maybe I was a whole person. I still have some hang ups about things, but it’s cool to have Janis there as a reminder that it’s okay to be me.
The thing with Janis is that to me it feels like it's just an endorsement of the idea that being a lesbian was the problem, and now we know that Janis is male attracted that's her fix. Everyone else gets their character flaws fixed, except Janis who's made explicitly straight. It implies that the lesbianism is janises character flaw. I'd probably feel different about it if she'd shown any indication of being into men prior to the ending. But instead she's a walking lesbian stereotype, until the end when everyone gets "better".
I don't understand when being alternative or counter culture became the same as queer coding. Not every person who rebels against popular culture is queer. I never viewed Janice as queer coded, she's just rebelling against the popular ideal in this iteration of "girl world".
Sadly, seemingly great deals for a percentage of the film's profit (only to turn out worthless because somehow, the film "never turns a profit" regardless of prodigious box office revenue) are a standard scheme within "Hollywood Accounting".
I didn't experience girl world at my school, either I was such a floater I was so far removed from it or my school really didn't have one, but I kind of feel like I missed out
Ummm. So being bi is not a concept that even exists in some people's heads, genuinely baffled even the possibility of Janis being bi is just not there. Other than that I enjoyed the video
I have watched a whole lot of your videos now and they are really good and informative. They really make me question things and you put words to things I thought but did not quite understand.
I gotta be realllll. I'm watching for your thoughts and commentary and oh man the background/loud music at times is so distracting. Just my thoughts love the video so far
"[Cliques being gone] is utopian, and may not be possible" is such a strange thing to hear about a social phenomenon that pretty much exclusively exists in the US and the UK. We don't have these where I am. Throughout my entire school life, "cliques" as described in this movie, this youtube video, or really any American movie at all, simply don't exist... at all. There are friend groups, obviously, but no friendgroup was ever insular in this way, or even something anyone outside the friendgroup paid any mind to in any capacity. It's not only possible, it's the norm.
As a woman grown with trauma made from women, I surely Identify with Janis' ideals and looks. When I was a teen I was a freak like her and I was very much hurt by women, thank God either way they made Janis straight because she represents EXACTLY my past struggles and I'm also straight, now, out of highschool, I'm more femenine than I was in highschool and I can show my true identity. Janis is a representation of women being traumatized by other women, women who reject their own feminity in order to survive in social schemes, and truly developing a sexuality despite stereotypes. I love Janis, and I think her being straight makes a lot of sense, showing her true self in all her loving form and personality!
Regarding the business dealings for the movie, Rosalind was compensated more than fairly. WGA minimum for a script is $250,000 so her pay out was fair. Rosalind provided all the situations but that is not a story or a screenplay. It’s Feys vision that made it a commercial success. Film making involves a lot of teams, production, director, actors etc. I’m glad Fey did not upright steal anything and paid her for adapting. She did get screwed over by paramount tho…that’s another story, I woulda just ask for more money lol.
