mean Girls, Mean People

Yikes, I almost hate to admit to this, but I enjoyed Mean Girls and have mentioned it to my own 13 year old daughter & her friends, most of whom have not seen it. I guess I thought parts of it were way over the top and I felt a little "led" through the movie -- I don't like that at all. I did like most of the characters, even the ones who were overdrawn, like the mother. Unfortunately, I think I know a couple of women like her, whose dress and conversation does not gravitate far from the dress and conversation of their daughters. My comment about them is always that I already went through hight school, didn't much like it the first time and certainly would not want to repeat the experience!

The girls who were hanging around here last week feel (of course) that while there may be a click or two around school, it is more a matter of hanging out with people you are friends with or comfortable being around. I was looking at their clothing while they were talking and they were dressed pretty similarly with certain brands glaringly displayed. Is it that they dress alike, or is it that there are limited choices. A couple of the girls "shop" at the Salvation Army, but most are mall rats.
My daughter has preferences, but I can't quite figure them out -- she's not a follower, but is picky about color, texture, length and has old favorites she hangs on to long after they are out of style. She says she doesn't care, but I don't know if she is responding to me (I am a strong anti click/style/whatever) person or really feels this way.

I know these girls feel the tug and pull of one another and whomever the "popular" girl is at the time. This role does change hands and I can't figure out what the queen bee's power is based upon. AND, make no mistake about it, she is powerful, even if that power is fleeting. She seems able to make or break friendships, determine who will be invited to parties, who sits with whom at lunch. Then, for reasons I can't determine, there is a new "queen bee". There is lots of talk about this phenomenon between and amongst the girls and they, too, seem to not understand how this happens.

I get irked at their "victim" stance. We've talked about popularity, that it is about power and that power is given -- that they, in essence are giving the power to the popular person -- it seems to fall on deaf ears. Hmmmm.... No one seems willing or eager to dethrone the girls of the moment either. They more or less wait her out, deal with whatever hurts she inflicts and bemoan the situation amogst themselves.

Are they on some kind of learning curve here? Is this necessary to their full development as adult women, I don't know. I do sense that these girls, my own and her friends are amazingly resilient in this area. Not that there are no tears, but they are able to recover rapidly and with little evidence of any deeply inficted ache or pain. I think that's a positive, but again, I don't know.

I ordered a copy of Queen Bees and Wanna Be's for my August pile -- forwarned is forarmed!