Mean Girls Women and Femininity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Mean Girls.

Quote #7

CADY (V-O): In the regular world, Halloween is when children dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it. The hardcore girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears. Unfortunately, no one told me about the slut rule, so I showed up like this. Cady walks into the party in a bloody wedding dress with gnarly fake teeth and a long black wig. Everybody thinks she's hideous, terrifying, or both.

Cady's Halloween costume further cements her as an outsider who's able to view the social jungle at North Shore with fresh eyes. The idea of wearing lingerie and some mouse ears as a "costume" seems ridiculous to her, but totes familiar to the movie's audience. It also demonstrates how women are sexualized at every turn. Even holidays about candy corn.

Quote #8

CADY: Gretchen thinks you're mad at her because she's running for Spring Fling Queen.

REGINA: Oh, my God. I'm not mad at her. I'm worried about her. I think somebody nominated her as a joke or something, and when nobody votes for her, she's gonna have a total meltdown. And who's gonna have to take care of her? Me.

CADY: So you don't think anyone will vote for her?

REGINA: Cady, she's not pretty. I mean, that sounds bad, but whatever. The Spring Fling Queen is always pretty, and the crazy thing is is that it should be Karen, but people forget about her because she's such a slut.

When Ms. Norbury refers to "girl-on-girl crime" at the junior girls assembly later in the film, this is what she's talking about. These are Regina's friends she's talking about. Ouch.

Quote #9

NORBURY: Well, I don't know who wrote this book, but you all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it okay for guys to call you sluts and whores.

Preach! If that whole P.J. Calamity's thing doesn't work out, Ms. Norbury could have a meaningful career as a women's retreat leader.