Wednesday 5 August 2015

What Mean Girls Has Taught Me About Girl World

Like any other typical summer night, I found myself sitting in front of the TV, desperate to find something half-decent to watch. Yeah, Little Miss Picky would be willing to put her fussiness aside for the purpose of steering clear of the oh-so-dreaded bout of boredom for an hour or two - that proves how much I detest having very little to do!

Anyway, I eventually came across the hit 2004 film, Mean Girls, which is a firm favourite among my vast DVD collection, and transported myself to the cruel, crushing yet nonetheless captivating planet of Girl World for the next ninety minutes or so. 

And, as ever, I was transfixed. Completely. 

Why? So many aspects of the film - such as criticising people behind their backs - reminded me of what I've not only faced, but have witnessed during my first year back in school. Really, could I have predicted that all that I saw in the film a mere few years ago would now represent reality for me? No. Without a doubt, I had little to no idea as to what secondary school would be like asides from what I'd seen on documentaries such as Educating Yorkshire or Teens (otherwise known as the very best of what Channel 4 has to offer) which, despite symbolising the experiences of fellow teenagers, are always destined to be different to your own. 

Well, isn't everything one of a kind when you experience it yourself? This was a truth that the stars so very high in the cloudy skies decided to tell me in their unknowing and supposedly 'special' way: let's think of it as a very sharp wake-up call, like a ice cold shower in a bone-chilling December. Get the image? Glad you do.

Still, I'm sure that pretty much all of us - both girls and boys - have come across back-stabbing, nastiness and a mega big dose of cruelty during the long road to adulthood on at least one occasion; for starters, I definitely have no qualms about declaring my experiences with it in the past! In my opinion, I don't see why one ought to feel ashamed if they have been victimised by people, typically girls whose cunning brains guarantee for a sharper tug at one's delicate heartstrings, because it is a hidden truth within society: would life really be what it says on the tin if it didn't feature any moments of pure bitchiness from others whose lives contain as little excitement as an ancient documentary? Sadly, that is a prospect that many of us face up to in our teens, when our bodies might resemble those of a matured adult yet our brains remain somewhat trapped in the precious innocence of childhood - what a shame when you force yourself to walk away from such attitudes upon stumbling along the path to growing up.

Personally, I've always felt that female bullies are much worse than male ones. Why do I think so? It really doesn't take the brains of a genius to realise that the fairer sex is more vulnerable to low self-esteem and insecurities - because, unlike men, girls are more likely to display it instead of concealing it like a yellow-headed spot on their faces. In a way, girls have a harder time of hiding such issues because fellow members of the female race can live on obsessing over another person's life; hence why an activity (if you consider it to be of a such a high importance like binge-watching season four of Revenge) like gossiping often causes more trouble than needed because some people don't know when to stop putting their feet into an already muddy mess. And, believe me, that is totally not fair - whether you are at school, work or, in fact, anywhere!

This is perhaps why I find it easier to strike up friendships with boys at school though, considering that my school's population consists of three boys to every girl, it is no wonder that I don't struggle to discover any. Although it is needless to say that some boys are as hard-hearted as a few of their female counterparts, I've nonetheless discovered that the majority of boys don't believe in the bitchy ethos which defines the reputations of several girls whose company I'd rather never make myself acquainted to! Instead, boys are more care-free and relaxed, which brings out my happier side - if I hung around with the girls whose purpose in life is to be a poor impersonator of Regina George, I would only feel insecure about my looks, personality and reputation which, by the way, do not define my life because perfection equates to being yourself.

However, I am actually friends with several girls, but you could say that we stick two fingers up to the cliquey rules that unofficially influence a couple of groups who believe that the meaning of life is to mock others. Though you could get the idea that I'm part of a foul-mouthed, rude group, I'm referring to the fact that my friends and I refuse to adopt the mean ways which, in my year, seems to be one's backstage pass to popularity - whoever created such pathetic rules ought to be punished! We might not resort to criticising people behind their backs because, rather astonishingly, there are more fascinating and important things to think about (perhaps focusing on our upcoming exams?), it is sometimes too irresistible to not laugh at those who like to believe that they rule the school, but are secretly disliked by almost everyone because they create the most awkward atmospheres. Despite my ever-increasing reliance on glasses, I can most definitely see that one - shame that the bullies can't! Seriously, there are some occasions when Specsavers can't do anything for you...

Whilst watching Mean Girls for either the third or fourth time in my relatively short life (I hardly ever see films twice, so seeing MG several times is a MAJOR deal for me!), I realised that girls can be so sly when they want to get their own backs on others. For example, Regina would smile as sweetly as a muffin-baking Desperate Housewife when complimenting a girl's 'vintage' skirt, then declare that it was the 'most disgusting thing ever' as soon as the girl walked away - talk about back-stabbing!!! This led me to wonder how many times that has occurred with the particularly bitchy ones at my school, who are quick to praise one another's jewellery or clothing because they are in the same social circle, yet possibly mock that person once they are out of earshot.

It doesn't matter whether you are what people would describe you as 'popular' or a 'nobody' because I don't think that anyone can be completely immune from the bitchiness that affects some people like the plague. Sometimes, a heartless remark stares at you right in the face, whereas some mocking is never revealed to you - yet both are equally as horrible!

A question that the 'innocent' ones - e.g. my friends and I - might not like to ask themselves if whether they have been guilty of engaging in the activity that they absolutely detest. Well, I won't portray myself as a flawless angel because I'm not, but I've never met anybody who actually is! Whenever I have been tapping into my 'bitchy' powers (which are considerably weaker in comparison to those of the Charmed Ones), it has mainly been as an attack on those who criticise me or other people whom I care about. For me, bitchiness is a form of defence and making me realise that I'm not a weak character, In this sense, releasing your inner bitch isn't such a disgusting thing because it empowers you to ignore the cold-spirited beasts in the world who, upon finishing school, shall receive a cruel awakening: nobody likes bullies. And, I'm afraid, some people never change, a consequence that I hope that some will pay for because cruelty should never pay.

All in all, I'm glad to not be one of those Mean Girls who foolishly believe that everybody loves them because they emulate the lives led by fictional people - as much as I love the film, there is no way that I'll start acting like Regina George to add a bit more colour (and pink!) into my life! Even though my family probably assume that it's another lame teen movie, I fully appreciate Mean Girls as a life teacher: one shalt not bitch. Hmm, that might make a decent Facebook status!



No comments:

Post a Comment