Daily Recommendation: Mean Girls (2004) — not the 2024 version
The clip above isn’t from the movie itself, but from Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” music video. In the MV, a large portion pays homage to Mean Girls. Why? Because the movie’s theme of “meaningless warfare” perfectly aligns with the spirit of “thank u, next.”
I truly believe this film is essential viewing for every middle school student before even starting to go to one. A masterpiece, really. Following yesterday’s reflection on the true spirit of sports, today’s pick is a look at its opposite—a cautionary tale.
At the center of the story is Regina, the queen bee — the classic “plastic girl.” What does “plastic” mean? In short: fake. A hollow person who imitates others and looks shiny on the outside but is empty within. She doesn’t even want the things she fights for—she just enjoys watching others fail to get them, relishes bullying others without ever being called out. She’s the type who constantly lies to appear innocent, cute, or kind, or even to weaponize playing cultural misunderstandings in order to passive-aggressively attack people.
(Spoilers ahead—stop here if you want to watch the movie yourself.)
The protagonist catches Regina’s eye and is recruited into her popular girl clique. Regina tricks her into revealing her crush on a certain boy — then immediately seduces him, only to come back and act like she was the one reluctantly pursued.
So, the protagonist pretends to be cool about it and starts playing the same manipulative game. In the end, she “wins back” everything that “should’ve been hers”—and becomes the new queen bee.
“He who fights too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself.” I can’t think of a better example than this.
The boy dumps the protagonist, realizing she’s just like Regina. Regina turns on her and pins all the blame for her own wrongdoings on the protagonist. The protagonist’s once-pristine academic record crumbles. Even her parents and true friends don’t recognize her anymore. Because she threw away every basic of being a decent person—integrity, shared values with her loved ones, principles—all for revenge.
Thankfully, a wise teacher (whom she nearly got fired and arrested because of the protagonist, by the way) gives her a second chance, sends the protagonist to represent the school in a math competition. Under the intense pressure of the finals, the protagonist finally wakes up: Dragging others down won’t actually lift yourself up.
In the end, she accidentally wins Spring Fling Queen—basically the highest popularity title. But instead of celebrating, she steps up and says:
“You know, this crown is just plastic.”
Then she breaks that plastic little crown into pieces and shares them with the crowd, even complimenting Regina on how pretty she looks that day.
This story shows what a “meaningless war” looks like in everyday life. When a plastic person provokes you into competing for a plastic crown, what’s the point?
Yes, plastics will bait you, act like victims, nitpick you, snatch the things you kind of want or care about—just to fill that endless void inside them. But are you plastic? Do you want to become plastic?
If something you care about can be that easily stolen by a fake, maybe it wasn’t something valuable to begin with. You know what I’m talking about, right?
So what’s Ariana Grande singing in “thank u, next”?
The title of that song is all in lowercases, and she turn the word “you” into “u” —to show that she’s not even bothering to dignify those people who broke trust, betrayed expectations, had no principles, contradicted themselves, picked at people weaknesses, stirred up fake rivalries, and obviously lied the whole time.
She’s also done responding to the fools still dazzled by the plastic surface and blind to the hollowness inside. To me, the song’s deeper message is:
“Oh? Right. Okay. Thanks for the life lesson. Thank you for showing me exactly who and what to filter out of my life. Bitch.”
So next time, when you encounter a plastic person, take a picture and sing “thank u, next” a few more times, and move on. Instant stress relief, right?
Sometimes, moving forward doesn’t require making peace with every plastic person around you. Just remember how creatively fake they were, avoid getting dragged into any “meaningless war” again, and keep your sensitive personal info to yourself—so you don’t accidentally reignite their shallow, win-at-all-costs ego.
